Bernese Mountain dog is a big but gentle dog breed with fluffy appearance. It is a great family companion for a loving and active family. They do best with a family that is involved in farming due to its smart, active, and gentle temperament.

The Bernese Mountain Dog can give birth to 6-8 puppies at a time. As it is a large-sized dog breed, the development process of the puppies is slow. In this article, you will learn about the developmental stages of the Bernese Mountain dog’s puppies and their behavior.

Newborn

When the Bernese Mountain dog puppies come to the world, they are completely blind, deaf, toothless, and unable to walk. They are very fragile little puppies that cannot even generate body temperature on their own. So, the puppies pile up against their mother’s body and keep themselves warm.

Leave the mother and her littermates by themselves a lot of human contacts can make the puppies sick. Always wash your hand while touching the puppies to avoid any germs transferring them.

Neonatal Stage (0-3 Weeks)

In the neonatal stage, the Bernese Mountain Dog puppies are weak and vulnerable. The mother takes care of them by keeping them close to her and providing their basic need at this age. Do not bathe the puppies for a few weeks and let the mother do all the cleaning by herself.

The puppies need to have a good amount of sleep for their proper growth and development of the body and mind. They should get around 90% of sleep a day while only waking to have the mother’s milk. You will see the change in the body by the end of the second week.

Bernese Mountain Dog 2 weeks puppy
Bernese Mountain Dog 2 weeks puppy.
Image Source: bmdinfo.org

Transitional Stage (3-6 Weeks)

In the transitional stage, the Bernese Mountain Dog puppies open their eyes and ears for the first time. By the end of the third week, the eyes of the puppies start to open and for the first time, they see the face of their mother and other littermates. Although the vision is still blurry for them, they can still figure out their mother and can go up to her.

In the fourth week, the puppies start to hear properly and can communicate with their mother and littermates. They form their own vocabulary by yelping, whining, and barking. The puppies start to play slowly and walk in a wobbly manner.

They also sample some solid food from the bowl of their mother which is the first step towards leaving the mother’s milk and move to solid food.

Socialization Stage (6-28 Weeks)

Socialization stage is the time for the Bernese Mountain dog’s puppies interaction with human beings other than the human family. Take them to the park where they can interact with new people and canines friends. They form an attachment to anyone who remains for the rest of their life, so it is important to introduce them with strangers carefully.

Bernese Mountain Dog puppy running on the field
Bernese Mountain Dog puppy running on the field.
Image Source: The Happy Puppy Site

The puppies slowly start having solid food as te mother whines them away from feeding her milk. They become more enthusiastic, excited, and playful. It is a perfect time to establish yourself as their master as the puppies are very eager to please and will listen to you.

It is also the time for their vaccination against distemper, parvovirus, rabies, and heartworm.

Juvenile Stage (4-8 Months)

In the juvenile stage, the Bernese Mountain Dog puppies have lost most of their puppy looks and start looking like an adult now. They are more excited at this age and become more independent and starts ignoring small commands from its master. Their training should be continued with additional training like pre-agility.

The puppies start having solid food, so feed them high-quality puppy food with all the nutrition inside it.

Bernese Mountain Dog puppy sitting
Bernese Mountain Dog puppy sitting.
Image Source: Big Dog Breeds

Adolescence Stage (8-16Months)

In the adolescence stage, the Bernese Mountain Dog is grown fully but is still puppy inside. The male becomes sexually active and the female experienced her first heat at this age. Although they should not be mated or bred for some more months until they are both physically and mentally mature. So, keep the male dog isolated from the female for some months to avoid unnecessary breeding at such a small age.

Involve the Bernese Mountain Dog in advance training with intense physical exercise as it is a working breed by nature. With proper activities, they also need a nutritional diet for a happy and healthy living.

Visit Doglime for more dog breeds information and their puppy’s development stages.

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