The moment has come take our puppy on a trip
with us: let's bear in mind a Saint Bernard absolutely can't be confined
in cages of any kind.If we are by ourselves and have an adequate car (such as a station wagon), put him in the back, he'll be good..
Remember that according to law, when transporting a dog, there should be a dividing device between the front and the back part of the car.
If we don't own a station wagon we should
be accompained when collecting the puppy. That way he could be held (and
petted) by an adult on the back seat.A child could not stop a puppy if he tried to pass on the front, distracting the driver: it is better not to take risks, even if it is quite unlikely the puppy should misbehave.
He usually behaves very well and takes interest in looking at the sights.
IF THE PUPPY IS CAR SICK |
|
Car sickness is
almost always an effect of pychological uneasiness: puppies who
are agitated or nervous are the ones who show car sickness more
frequently, that means that the Saint Bernard, who is usually calm,
is among dogs less at risk of car sickness.
As inconveniency can always occur, make sure you take with you enough paper towels (when a puppy is carsick, he vomits). |
Even if a dog does not
display signs of suffering, in case of a very long trip, it is good to
plan at least a few stops.
Make the dog step out of the car on a leash, let him stroll and sniff a bit (but only in a parking area, far from traffic which could frighten him). Don't do this if the puppy has not yet undergone his vaccinations.
Make the dog step out of the car on a leash, let him stroll and sniff a bit (but only in a parking area, far from traffic which could frighten him). Don't do this if the puppy has not yet undergone his vaccinations.
First of all, an important premise: to a
Saint Bernard to be "in the family" or to be "home" should mean to be
"in the garden".The indoor pavement is, in fact, too slippery for a puppy of large size and you would be in danger of jeopardizing his correct development. Young dogs of this breed can't grow up properly if they walk on pavements that are too smooth; besides the temperature adequate for man is usually unbearably high for a Saint Bernard.
Therefore best breeders will hand you a puppy that already
underwent all his vaccinations and can stay outdoors without problems:
but, as we know, not all puppies come from good kennels, it is quite frequent
a freshman brings an unvaccinated dog home, or a dog too young to "be
on his own". In this case it is clear the dog will be held inside, at
least as long as the end of his vaccination cycle. The following instructions
regard these cases only: either way, the puppy should be accustomed to
life outdoors as soon as possible. This baffled little face shows the impression of a dog when first greeted into his new family. He is not yet familiar with the environment, the persons or possibly other animals: he can't express it, but he's definately worried and doesn't know what awaits him. Even if the puppy can already stay in the garden, let's not leave him alone: we must make him underestand he is now in a new "pack" made of people who care for him and will protect him.
If you are forced to keep your dog inside you must provide a corner of the house just for him, with a carpet if the season is very cold (in any other case the puppy will refuse it) and with his bowl. Nothing else. Don't buy to the little Saint Bernard balls or other toys to leave at his disposal, because he could swallow or choke on them. For this breeds, games are always played with the master.
Rule number one: play, hug, pet. The puppy needs physical contact to live, and if he should... repay us with a "small lap" that should wash our entire face, try to understand him: it's not his fault his tongue is of "Saint Bernard size". As big and great as you like, he is nothing but defenceless puppy hungry for love.
When the puppy first enters the house let him sniff, explore, get his nose everywhere: he must get acquainted to the new environment.
The small Saint Bernard, unlike an older puppy, is not particularly destructive: on the contrary, he is very "delicate" compared to his size. If he "discovers" your hunting trophy or a priceless china vase, and wants to have a closer look, stay vigilant but let him: it is very important he learns right away the disposal of things in your home. He will be extra careful not to bump or crash them.
Are there stairs in your home (or leading to it)? The puppy absolutly shouldn't take them by himself: you should resign to
taking him up and down in your arms, even if it's not going to be very
much fun or the most "comfortable" effort in the world. The fact is that
his health depends on it: the effort the back legs have to do in going
up or down the stairs in a puppy of this size can't be beared by a bone
structure that is still developing.It is important to always remember that a puppy's bones and ligaments (at least to six months of age) do not follow the speed of his muscular mass increase. This fact puts the puppy "at risk" in various situations: he could fall down from just a few centimeters heigth (from the couch, for instance) and already suffer a serious injury and so on.
This should not lead you to believe a Saint Bernard is a delicate and fragile dog: on the contrary. But when he's just a puppy he shouldn't suffer any kind of trauma, because they could be really dangerous to him: therefore you should avoid any situation where he could get into trouble.
How to lift a puppy
One of the most important things is the correct way to lift a Saint Bernard puppy: if the master lifts him in a wrong way, the puppy could suffer different type of damage. The correct way of lifting a puppy is by placing a hand under his chest while he other is holding his hind part. The more balanced the weight the better as for us (a four months old puppy weights about 30 kg) and for the puppy, his muscles and ligaments are not stretched or squished in an unnatural way.
Never pull a puppy by his legs: we could hurt his elbows annd shoulders.
Never hold a puppy by his shoulders without lifting his hind at the same time: we could cause him an overstretching of ligaments.
(1) correct - (2) wrong - (3) wrong - (4) wrong)
Pay attention to the photo on the right the puppy "seems" lifted in the proper way, but this position conceals an inconvenience... for a male dog.
As a matter of fact the puppy's testicles are not yet fixed in the scrotum even if they are already fully descended: therefore you can lift a female that way, but never a male puppy, because you could easily send back up what should be down!
The topic might appear funny, but there is nothing to laugh about: it is a serious matter and many owners, with this kind of grip ruined their dogs, causing a mechanic retention of one or both testicles.
The first meal
After the puppy finished the first inspection of his new home (and of the garden, if the puppy is already prepared to live outdoors) you can give him a light meal.
Use only the food the puppy is accustomed to: an abrupt change, combined to the stress for the trip and the impact with the new environment, could upset his digestive system.
At the table
If he lives in the house, every time you sit at the table he will behave exactly as a puppy of any other breed, assuming the "poor starving creature" look. Discourage firmly this behaveiour (from day one!), for three reasons:
- it is very bad for the puppy to eat between meals;
- the leftovers from our meals are completely inadequate for his alimentation;
- if the puppy starts to consider our table as the extension of his bowl, he will also feel the need of "serving himself" when he sees something appetising.
Perhaps you're still not aware of it, if your dog is a puppy: but a grown Saint Bernard doesn't have to rise on his back legs to examine the contents of your plates!
How to run his calls of nature
After a meal (and in particular after drinking)
the puppy will need to relieve himself.A Saint Bernard's pee (even if he is only three months old) looks more like a "lago di Garda" than a "normal puppy pee", therefore is best to leave the house immediately with the dog on a leash.
Even if the puppy is in obvious need to relieve himself, it could happen he is not able to and keeps sniffing around. This occurs in particular if we bring him to a spot often visited by other dogs he doesn't know: their urine odour (with which, let's remind ourselves, the grown male marks his territory) could inhibit the puppy, because of this he would pee on the "marked property" of an adult, and that is a gesture of impoliteness a young and insecure dog would never dare to do.
If you could find a spot "unmarked" by other dogs, the puppy with relieve himself with great satisfaction. From that moment on you will have to bring him always to the same spot for his needs: he will become quicker eventually, because he will know that is his personal "toilet". And if an "inconvenience" should occur at home? We can't pretend nothing happened when a puppy floods the place: he must understand at once he did a bad thing.
If caught in the act, we must reprehend him severey indicating the "inconveniency", and then "spank" him with a rolled newspaper (it works with this breed although it is not advisable with others): of course a newspaper spanking doesn't hurt the puppy but makes a big noise which is most unpleasant to him and makes the puppy understand we are cross with him.
Be careful: this is to be applied only if he's caught in the act. If we find pee without the guilty party, and we can't tell when it happened, we musn't have a reaction towards the puppy: he wouldn't be able to link the punishment to a fact that occured some time before, and that his simple mind had already erased.
Let's just resign ourselves to clean up the mess without being seen by the puppy and apply afterwards an odour neutralizer (you can buy it pet shops), because the puppy could come back to the same spot next time. As a matter of fact all dogs instinctively tend to return to the same spot they used before to relieve themselves.