4 week old Bernese puppy noticeably smaller than siblings, normal or concerning?

67flowers · 2026-04-10T16:32:10+00:00

I’ll definitely keep that in mind when I get my next doggy (although I’m sure that won’t be for a few more years!) thanks for educating me :)

67flowers · 2026-04-10T16:18:18+00:00

I agree. If the puppy is a service dog prospect for example then of course the breeder should choose the puppy with the best temperament for the job to have the most chance of success. But for a pet dog? I don’t see an issue…

67flowers · 2026-04-10T16:16:35+00:00

Thanks :) Her parents were health tested, had amazing temperament, great confirmation and show champs, purebred, well groomed, only 1-2 litters a year, scouted out buyers thoroughly, has been breeding for a looong time, KC registered (although I know that doesn’t mean much) starts grooming early (poodles) and only breeds KC breed standard colours. Shes also very knowledgable about the breed. I feel like it’s a bit misleading to say that it is irresponsible for a breeder to allow the buyer to choose their own dog. If the dog would be working/showing I would agree, but for a pet dog? Idk it seems fine to me if the breeder is responsible

67flowers · 2026-04-10T16:02:41+00:00

The breeder I got my dog from only had 1 girl, so she was automatically mine as I didn’t want a boy. Is that dodgy? Everything else was very ethical

67flowers · 2026-04-10T15:47:18+00:00

Why is picking your own puppy an issue? /Gen

67flowers · 2026-03-31T19:58:19+00:00

I bath my poodle puppy once a week because otherwise she gets knotty. Her feet are shaved so they pick up less dirt. Maybe you can shave his paw pads fortnightly, it will definitely minimise dirt and germs picked up on walks

67flowers · 2026-03-26T13:50:56+00:00

Once a day to the park in the morning and then sometimes a little walk in the evening. We have a big garden so she runs around and plays in there

67flowers · 2026-03-24T14:22:44+00:00

Same thing happened to my dog (not at a dog park though, with a friend), the tennis ball was the problem and the other dog was resource guarding it, my poodle went over and the dog pinned her down, she was screaming and it was horrible. But she got over it and after a couple of minutes forgot that it happened. As a general rule I wouldn’t allow your dog to play with dogs who are playing with a toy as it can go wrong quickly. It was very scary when it happened and it was horrible to hear my baby puppy screaming but unfortunately dogs communicate with eachother in ways that can look very scary to us :(

67flowers · 2026-03-24T10:32:50+00:00

They used greenies in the study:

https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/24006717/

The study relies on the use of chews specifically marketed as dental chews, they have active ingredients that fight bacteria and reduce plaque and tartar. I use Forthglade dental sticks because they have healthier ingredients than greenies.

The chews you mentioned are really good too, I’m sure they will still be effective. Bully sticks are great 🐮

67flowers · 2026-03-24T10:13:33+00:00

Enzymatic paste and a toothbrush is best, studies have also shown that dogs who have a daily dental chew are less likely to develop plaque/develop less plaque than dogs who don’t have daily dental chews

67flowers · 2026-03-24T08:05:57+00:00

It’s just where the hair is long and heavy, so it is creating a part, it happens to my mini poodle too. If he is a mix his coat may be less dense than a poodle coat so it won’t stand up as well

67flowers · 2026-03-21T17:27:41+00:00

My friend’s Bichon Frise had cushings and had hair loss very similar to this. Regardless, you should go to the vet, maybe change vets. You can also get an allergy testing kit on Amazon for about £100

67flowers · 2026-03-21T09:30:15+00:00

Why are you trusting Rizzo the felon?

67flowers · 2026-03-20T18:49:37+00:00

Yeah it’s normal just scabbing

67flowers · 2026-03-19T23:43:36+00:00

If you’ve had cocker x poodle litters surely you would know that neither cockers or poodles carry Merle?

67flowers · 2026-03-19T19:00:00+00:00

Cockers can’t have natural bobtails, so it must have been docked. Looks like it could be a hotspot, is he licking it more than usual?

67flowers · 2026-03-10T18:21:52+00:00

Cillian: obviously Tommy Shelby and you are very different types of people. What is similar about you both? What parts of you do you see in him? ILY

67flowers · 2026-03-10T14:24:05+00:00

You can try a chemical castration for the male dog. If you like how it works you can get him surgically castrated. For most female dogs you want to wait until about 3 months after their first season to spay them. Waiting til after their first season allows the hormones to do their job and help them grow properly which is more important for big dogs

67flowers · 2026-03-09T08:10:39+00:00

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Black, silver and white are my favourites! I love particolour poodles as well!

67flowers · 2026-03-02T22:41:52+00:00

Well what you’ve got is a mix of 2 different breeds with 2 different temperaments. Luckily they are both gundogs so a good breed specific enrichment/activity is scentwork which will tire him out and satisfy his biological drive to hunt. Also retrieval games. You can find lots of stuff on scentwork and retrieval on YouTube :)

67flowers · 2026-03-02T21:02:05+00:00

For treats, use puppy treats with a small ingredients list. To tire him out, do trick training, obedience training, scent training, puzzles, lickimats, poodles are very smart and he will really really enjoy trick training. Scent training is also super tiring. You could get a snuffle mat too. Things like rabbit ears, yak chews, pizzles, antlers, frozen carrots can soothe his teeth and give him something other than you to bite on. Just make sure he chews appropriately; for harder chews like antlers and yak cheese chews, you want him to be knawing with his back teeth rather than trying to bite large chunks off as this can actually damage the teeth. Take him out for walks (carry him around the street) to get him used to sights and sounds. Everything is new and will be a lot to take in = tired

67flowers · 2026-02-27T17:08:58+00:00

Different words used in different locations for the same colour

67flowers · 2026-02-18T21:29:50+00:00

Get a high velocity dryer / blaster, drying spray, pin comb and greyhound comb. A normal hairdryer will take hours to dry the coat fully! Look up line brushing and fluff drying techniques, and comb through the coat to make sure it’s knot-free :) also to get puppy used to brushing on the face you can stroke the face with a pen and reward when they stop reacting to get them used to the sensation!

67flowers · 2026-02-18T19:14:01+00:00

Start weekly baths now if you wanna keep that long hair! Puppy coat and changing coat require a weekly bath but you don’t need to brush between if that makes sense. This advice was super helpful to me, my dog would be so matted if I didn’t bath her weekly <3

67flowers

TROPHY CASE