Want to train your Bernese Mountain Dog well? Here is a practical training guide to help you build better habits and safer behavior.
Bernese Mountain Dog Training Guide:
1. Help the Dog Get Used to Contact With People: If the dog barks at guests because it feels wary, use the guest's help to let the dog understand that visitors are not dangerous. The owner can pet the dog to calm it while the guest offers food.
2. Get the Dog Used to the Sound of the Phone: Some dogs bark as soon as they hear a ringing phone. When the ringtone sounds, feed the dog and gently pat its body so it stays calm. Family members can deliberately ring the phone during training and repeat this process.
When the Bernese Mountain Dog Barks Excessively, Scold It Firmly and Try the Following:
1. Lift the Leash Upward: Pull the leash upward to give a serious warning and tell the dog it is not allowed to bark randomly.
2. Lift the Dog's Chin: Raise its chin and tell it not to bark. This can also be an effective correction method.
If the Bernese Mountain Dog stops barking after being corrected, praise it with words such as "good," "well done," or "good dog."
Training a Bernese Mountain Dog Not to Bite
Many Bernese puppies like to bite. If the puppy you bring home is very playful and bites a lot, it needs correction early. A dog biting people can be dangerous, so it should learn from puppyhood that biting is not acceptable. It also needs to understand that the owner is the stronger leader so obedience can develop.
When the Dog Bites the Owner
1. Scold It Firmly: Allowing a dog to nip at its owner can develop into a bad habit. Even a small breed has sharp teeth, and for an owner it can still be dangerous, so the habit must be corrected early.
After the dog bites, correct it immediately. You can hold its chin while scolding it, or roll up a magazine and hit the floor to make a loud sound as a warning. These are commonly used and effective methods.
2. Praise the Dog Once It Calms Down: After the correction, the dog will often quiet down because it has been startled. At that moment, you should praise it properly.
When the Dog Bites Strangers
Sometimes a Bernese Mountain Dog may try to bite strangers because of caution or fear. In this case, you can ask a friend to help train the dog to get used to unfamiliar people.
1. Use a Friend's Help: First reduce the dog's fear of outsiders through controlled contact.
2. Let the Friend Feed the Dog: When the friend offers food, let the dog see that the food was first handed from the owner to the friend. This helps the dog understand that the person is trusted by the owner and is not dangerous.
3. Praise the Dog Together: After the dog eats the food from the friend, both people should praise it so it can gradually get used to contact with strangers.
Training a Bernese Mountain Dog to Protect the Owner
A Bernese Mountain Dog can also be trained as a guard companion. It may learn to identify suspicious scents on outsiders and stay alert. In emergencies, such a dog may even protect the owner from danger.
This type of training is usually done by first letting the dog smell an object such as a handgun, bullets, or a knife, then hiding that object on the body of a training assistant. When the assistant enters, the trainer acts angry, loudly rebukes the assistant, and pretends to search and remove the object. The dog is then shown the object and told to stay alert.
In the next round, the assistant enters without carrying any metal object, and the dog is allowed to sniff. If the dog still reacts as though the assistant is dangerous, the trainer stops the dog and tells it, "He doesn't have a gun," then shows the dog the trainer's own gun and calmly allows the assistant inside. After repeated training, the dog may become especially alert to people carrying that scent and refuse entry without the owner's permission.
The goal of training a watchdog should be to help the dog understand human language as much as possible. In a household, the dog should not only guard the door but also act like a polite messenger that watches the owner's expression, follows instructions, and quickly completes various tasks.
A dog used for night guarding can stay in a quiet place during the day and be released at night. After enough daytime rest, it will naturally be more energetic at night. If the owner takes it on several night patrols after closing the door every evening, it will gradually develop the habit of watch duty.