Helga is a five year old Bernese Mountain Dog. She weighs 80 lbs which is a standard size for a female Bernese. She has the typical colour patterns with a very soft and healthy coat. She has a beautiful smile and is a joy to be around.
Helga was rescued from a puppy mill after being used for breeding for many years. She is remarkably not very shutdown but will still get spooked by sudden noises or movements. Because she never experienced a normal life, she can act like a very large puppy/teenager so she needs structure and rules/expectations to thrive.
Helga would do well in a home with space to move around given she is such a large dog. She is known for knocking things over accidentally especially when she gets excited. She can go from running around with zoomies in the backyard to snuggling up on the couch. She has perfected the Bernese lean and will look up at you with big brown eyes to get love from you. She is not much of a barker unless she gets really excited in the backyard but she is easy to correct. As soon as she came to us, I began walking her inside our house on an umbilical so she got used to following a leader. She has done so well on leash with some training and starting the walks with going up and down the driveway until she is in a follow position. From there she walks with a loose leash with no issues. She will occasionally get excited about a squirrel or another dog but responds well to correction and does not drag me or lunge towards anyone.
She just loves being a part of a family. She wants to spend her evenings on the couch and get as many snuggles as she can. She has loved going for her walks and meeting people in the neighbourhood including going into the local pet store. She has a beautiful coat but adopters should be prepared that Bernese Mountain Dogs need proper grooming as they have a double coat and cannot be shaved down. She came to the rescue with matting which would likely return without proper grooming. She does not mind the attention though and lets me play with her mouth and feet to be used to grooming. Helga has had ZERO accidents in our house which is remarkable given her backstory. She does not pee on walks though and will need a home with a securely fenced backyard to do her business in. Helga was nervous of her crate at first but through continually guiding her in by her leash and making it her calm space, Helga does not mind being in there at all. We can point to the crate and say “crate time” and she goes in with no issues. She usually spends a few hours at a time during the day in there and sleeps peacefully through the night in her crate. She does not cry or howl while she is in there and seems to enjoy having a cozy place of her own. She does okay in the car. I don’t think she loves it and will sometimes stress drool but she lays in the back quietly and has never been sick in the car.
Helga currently lives with another Bernese Mountain Dog, a small dog, and a cat. She gets along with everyone. We verbally
corrected her when she first met our cat to give the cat some space and she never tried to get in his face after that. She would need any cat in her home to be very dog savvy and not run from a dog or freak out. A cat that will totally ignore her will be fine. Helga likes the other dogs but she also really enjoys her alone time with me. Her biggest issue with our other dogs is that she can push them out of the way to get pets. She passes other dogs and squirrels on leash with no real issue. Helga has not been around any small children because of her size she can be a bit of a bull in a China shop so she would need to go to a home with older children, 8yrs and up, who are not at risk of being knocked over.
Helga has taken to training well. The biggest thing is not rewarding her excitement or pawing for attention because of her size. She knows sit, come, relax (usually lies down), outside, crate time, and leave it. Helga will need ongoing training from someone who can be a confident leader for her. Again although she is five, she acts more like a teenager who needs constant reinforcement around rules and structure.
Helga is fully vaccinated and was spayed. Her teeth were cleaned when she was rescued and are very healthy looking now.
Helga is a wonderful dog who is looking for the loving home she needs. She is a typical cuddly Bernese who wants to go for walks/adventures and then curl up for some Netflix time. She needs to go to a home where she will have a confident owner who can handle her size and boisterous behaviour at times. Her new family will need to commit to her obedience school training as she really needs the foundation of skills taught there to be her best. She is a playful girl who likes to think that she is smaller than she is. She will be an amazing dog for someone looking for a loving companion who wants nothing more than to be loved.