Daily Puppy

Nelson is the website www.dailypuppy.com puppy of the day! I am so excited because even before I even got Nelson, I always looked at this page, and I'm beyond proud Nelson was chosen as the puppy of the day! Check out the link below.

http://www.dailypuppy.com/puppies/Big-Boy-Nelson-the-Bernese-Mountain-Dog-_2008-12-21

Have a great day, a merry Christmas and stay warm!!

With Love, Nelson & Ellen

Lights, Camera, Nelson

Well today is Nelson's photoshoot for our friend Max, and as I type this he is being groomed for the first time- EVER. I am really excited for him to look like an even bigger stud and see how he does at the photoshoot. I think it could go really smoothly, or it could go really awry. Either way I'll have a good story to tell.

Nelson is loving the snow, and even better, loving sleeping on the floor all night! We still seem to be having a few stomach issues, but I'm hoping they will pass and aren't giardia flaring up AGAIN. We've been dealing with this virus for 3 months now, and it feels like we've been dealing with it for 3 years.

Wish us luck at the photoshoot, not getting lost (anyone that knows me knows this will probably happen) and Nelson not breaking anything expensive at the shoot! :)

With Love, Nelson & Ellen

Giardi Round Two

Well since the last post, I have finished school, have Nelson back with me, and am just trying to reorganize my life and relax a little bit from the most intense semester I've ever had. All the while trying to prepare myself for the next semester which will without a doubt be the most intense semester by far.
Since getting Nelson back last week he started to get the same Giardia flare up. This is common, and it is common that animals will need more than one round of treatment to get rid of Giardia. So far the medicine seems to be helping which is great.
Nelson and I are also trying a new sleeping arrangement - him on the floor, me on the bed. There area couple reasons we are starting to do this. The main reason being that Nelson would prefer to be on a floor because it is much cooler for him. The reason I haven't let him sleep on the floor yet is because I didn't think he was mature enough to not chew my entire room while I was sleeping. The other reason for me wanting him to be on the floor is that he is now 65 lbs and is taking up almost the entire bed!
So far its been quite an adjustment for him to sleep on the floor. I have not been getting much sleep because he thinks because he's on the floor he can scratch on the door every time he wants to go out, which last night was every hour! I'm hopeful that he will start to see being on the floor is the same as being on the bed, and it means sleeping all night!

We hope everyone is doing well, staying warm, and enjoying December!

With Love, Nelson & Ellen

Well I'm sorry for everyone that got more than one blog message yesterday! All I was trying to do was what is at the right- make a slideshow. But now that I've figured it out, hopefully no more errors. :)

Thanks to all those that have been sending their good wishes to Nelson's tummy problem and me making it through this semester. It's really helped.

I can't wait for this semester to end, and have Nelson back with me. 1 week has felt like a lifetime!

With Love, Nelson (in spirit) & Ellen

Happy Thanksgiving!

Well, I haven't had time to blog much because school has been literally crazy, but I wanted to take some time tonight, Thanksgiving, to tell everyone who reads this that Nelson and I give thanks that all of you are in our lives, and I wanted to keep everyone up to date on Nelson and I.

Most of you know that for the last 2-2.5 months we've had some major diarrhea (sorry, I know its gross) issues. We've been in and out of the vet 3-4 times, get him on medicine, and then he gets better then Bam! It's back again rearing its ugly head. We've switched food 3 times, and nothing has worked. Nelson has been with my parents for about a week while I get myself ready for finals week of school, and a few days ago Nelson's stomach issues came back. I was able to meet my dad, and my little man, at our family vets yesterday and she determined he has had giardia. For those that don't know what that is, it is a parasite that can stay in a dog (or even person) for up to a few years, causing diarrhea, and other issues most of which nelson had. It is hard to diagnose, but the vet thinks he should be completely back to 100% health soon! I am praying that she is correct, and I do believe she is. Lucky for me, and Nelson, I have wonderful parents watching over him and I know they will keep great care of him until this weekend when he can return home to me. :)

In other news, Nelson is going to be having his first professional grooming at daycare on December 12th, to get ready for a little "photo shoot" in downtown KC in a studio to help out a friend who wants some animal pics for his portfolio... I'm really hoping Nelson does well!

I hope everyone has a great Thanksgiving and a wonderful weekend.



With Love, Nelson & Ellen

Goodbye Fall, Hello Winter

It's been a while since our last post, and things have been very hectic in the Wegner apt. Last week Nelson was a total trooper and spent Tuesday, Thursday, Friday AND Saturday in Doggie Day Care. The first reason was because I had a huge project due on Tuesday, and the other reason is that I chopped part of my thumb off on Friday! Yuck!

Although Nelson adores being in Daycare, I prefer him to be in daycare 3 days a week max. I still love getting online and checking on my big boy while he plays at daycare.

He's growing by the day, has lost almost all of his baby teeth (except for one straggler), and each day matures.

We just want to say we hope everyone is doing well, getting geared up for winter (I know Nelson is!) and preparing for the holiday seasons.

Enjoy your week!!

Nelson & Ellen

The Big Day

Well Friday was Nelson's surgery. He got the laser for his neutering, and then he also needed to get his umbilical hernia removed too. The vet called immediatly after the surgery and said how well he did at taking the anesthesia and that the laser surgery was so great, he didn't even have one drop of blood. The umbilical hernia was, however, a little more complicated. The hernia was larger than he thought and therefore it took a little longer and he got quite a few stitches.

All in all his surgery went great, and in 10 days he gets his stitches from the hernia removed. IF he chews on his stitches he will be forced to wear a cone on his head.... :-) Hopefully he won't. Until then Nelson cannot run or jump or do anything that usually takes his energy away. So for the next few days Nelson needs to just expend his energy in other ways and last night we got him a bunch of chew toys.

Hopefully everyone has a great week and we will keep you updated on his progress.

GLOVES

Well after an incredibly exciting (scary) week, Nelson and I were able to end it with a birthday celebration for me with family, from near and far, in Lawrence this weekend. What was scary that happened? On Monday Nelson decided to grab one of my thin cotton gloves I wear at night and take off with it like he does sometimes. This time was different. This time when I ran over to him to grab it out of his mouth, I could literally see his thought process..."Mom keeps on taking this from my mouth, and that is not fun at all. If I swallow it she can't get it!! GULP" And so I watched him swallow my glove. I was terrified. The days that followed got me more worried as he seemed to get more sick and sick. Therefore, he was taken to the vet friday for xrays and although they didn't see anything, they were concerned so they gave him some pills and special food. He improved immensely, and is getting better day by day.

The weekend was fantastic, celebrating my birthday with Family and Friends. I couldn't ask for more.

This next week I have a few days off and cannot wait to clean the apt! Nelson will keep with our regular pattern of Daycare Tuesday/Thursdays which will be a little break for me :). Next Friday Nelson is getting neutered, and thanks to my wonderful parents who offered to pay the difference, he is getting neutered using the new laser surgery. Everyone keeps their fingers crossed all goes well on Oct. 17th.

With Love, Ellen & Nelson

First Day of School

Nelson has been having a hard time in his crate, and I know he needs to socialize with other dogs, so he is now enrolled in Doggie Day Care!! He had his first day today and had a blast! The best part? You can monitor him via a live web cam while he is there!! Above i've attached a screen shot from this morning.

Tomorrow will be his first "full" day, consisting of playing inside, outside, lunch, naptime, and more play.

They also give a report card, and some of his favorite friends today were peanut, oreo, dude and dizzle :)

Wishing everyone a great week!!

With love, Nelson & Ellen

All I Want for Christmas Is My 2 Front Teeth

Well, it finally happened yesterday at Debra's. Nelson lost his two front teeth....plus all of the bottom front row! He is officially teething, and while I feel bad for his discomfort, and the discomfort that is sure to come when the molars fall out, I can't wait for him to have rounded smooth teeth, not sharp razor knife teeth. 

Prior to the semester starting I was a little worried about how it would be to have a puppy. Well I now see, and its fantastic. Nelson sleeps 8-9 hours when he sleeps in my bed (which is every night now), and having something else to be responsible for is amazing. Instead of working on a project for 14 straight hours, forgetting to eat and see sunlight, I am now forced to take breaks and walks and relax, and it has made a huge difference in my studying for the better.

We are coming up on our third week of obedience class and its great. Im loving it, and he is loving it. 

Overall, Nelson and I are having the time of our lives and are happy as can be :) We wish all of you the same.

With love, Nelson & Ellen

What a Week!

The title says it all. Last week was a mess, in many ways. The shortened version (to save those that already know the story) is that on Monday I ended up in the ER with a massive nosebleed due to a severe sinus infection. My nose had to be packed and I couldn't do any bending down or hard movement therefore taking care of Nelson was almost impossible. Lucky for me I have a great family and my dad came on Tuesday and got Nelson, and he stayed with the big boys and the cats until Sunday. 

There must be something in the water at the Wegner house because when my dad took Nelson he weighed 24lbs, and when I got him and took him home on Monday, he weighed in at 32lbs! This new weight gain has led Nelson to be able to have his head on counters, jump higher than ever, and climb up and down stairs with no trouble. 

This week is a week full of catching up for me, and Nelson is helping by chewing his beef sticks and keeping himself entertained. This week is also full of other things: final puppy kindergarten class tonight, first obedience class tomorrow, vet appt friday and we are back to Debra's friday for my internship (we can't wait)!

We hope everyone had a great Holiday weekend, and is having a good week thus far. 

With love, Nelson & Ellen

Nelson + Kenny + Corona=Friends Forever...One day maybe :)

Since school has officially begun, I guess its time for me to get my first official cold. Not so fun. I got a pretty bad cold that I am still fighting on Friday. I wondered how I would do with Nelson, and if he would understand I didn't feel good and sleep a little later. Well he woke up saturday at 5am, we went on a short walk, and I put him in my bed and he slept with me until I woke up! It was fantastic. So now I know, if I want to sleep later, Nelson can come cuddle with me after our first walk :)

We went home to Lawrence Saturday for the day (since I was sick we didn't stay the night) and Nelson was a riot to watch! What a difference a few weeks makes. He was chasing after the big dogs, trying to copy their every move (as you can see in the picture), sitting near them even though they consistently would move away from him right after he sat by them, and basically he just had a great day. He didn't nap all day from the excitement and was one sleepy puppy by the end of the day. Aside from me being sick, it was a great weekend and I can't wait to go back to Lawrence this weekend NOT sick and watch Nelson play.

Hope everyone starts their week off right!

With love, Nelson & Ellen

Problem: Biting; Solution: Pig Ears & Beef Sticks

Well I discovered the answer to (most of) my problems with Nelson's biting: the pig ear and the beef stick. Yesterday we went to the Barkery and picked up a pig ear, beef stick and some gross fish stick thing. When we came home I gave him the pig ear and for the first time I was able to sit on the ground near him and clean out some papers, setting them on the ground not two feet away from him, and he didn't even try to eat them! And he loves paper!

Of course, after about an hour or two he wanted to bite me a little, but I didn't allow it and he found something else to do! Hopefully this will keep going and I will be stocking up on pig ears and beef sticks from now on!

We wish everyone a good week!

With love, Nelson & Ellen

Coming into his own

Nelson is beginning to understand his powers. When I say powers I mean he is understanding that a bark gets attention, that a bite gets attention and that a scream gets attention. With all of that understanding creates a new set of problems and a new set of issues for me to deal with. All of which I am more than happy to do to create a dog that has a happy life and that understands his boundaries.

His biting has become quite an issue, and anyone that has seen my arms or God forbid the awful massacre on my legs, knows what I mean. Nelson is not doing this to be mean or "vicious", he is doing this to try to bully me into playing. This has become quite an issue, but I feel much more confident in how to stop this before it happens and if that can't be done, what to do when it does happen. When we were at Debra's for our internship Nelson realized that once he started nipping on us or bothering us it was time to be crated because we had work to do. He got very used to this and began to never even whimper when he was in there. At home is a different story because he simply isn't used to being crated when I am there. 

Today starts the day where little things that used to slide are no longer acceptable. Bites of any kind on humans are not OK, and when they happen he must play alone. I am also crating him as I write this in the kitchen and I am at the kitchen table so he understands that at some times I need to work and until he can entertain himself, he must be crated. He cried for 7 minutes (Yes I timed it because it felt like 7 hours) LOUD, but now he is sleeping. No more Mrs. Nice Mommy. I feel confident in myself now to say "not acceptable" to Nelson. 

I am looking forward to attending Obedience school at "Gentle Dog Training", thanks for the recommendation Stacy!, Sept 4th, and after looking through their website feel like we are going to see some real progress.

I love watching Nelson grow every single day, and laugh all the time at how awkward his little (big) body is; his legs are really long, his head is really small, he really looks like a gangly teenage boy minus the acne. 

Wish us luck on getting him accustomed to his new life now that I am back in school, and everyone have a safe and fun weekend.

With Love, Nelson & Ellen woof woof

Splish Splash Nelson took his first bath

Yesterday was our summer day of our internship with Debra (we will hopefully be returning in the fall, in just a few weeks) and I know Nelson is going to be sad. He adores being at Debra's, and has gotten very used to sitting in his crate while we do work. Well yesterday we decided Nelson could meet one of her dogs, Tucker. Boy was Tucker sweet to BBN. He was herding Nelson like he was a sheep... constantly on him, licking him ALL over, following him everywhere, and not once did Tucker let out a growl or look anything but happy. It was fantastic. While Nelson seemed a little uneasy about a big dog being all over him, he did really well. After getting slobbered on that day, I thought it was a great time for Nelson to take his first bath. I've always thought Nelson loved water because when we go by sprinklers he literally jumps in them and plays, so I had high hopes for his bath. He did not let me down. While he did try to get out when I would get water in his ears, he did not mind the bath at all. He sat in there like a good boy, and now he smells fantastic, and his coat is so soft.  My goal is to take Nelson to the Shawnee Mission Dog Park when he gets all his shots so he can swim in the pond. 

We hope everyone has a fantastic weekend.

With Love, Ellen & Nelson

Happy Birthday Mom!

The first most important thing to say in this morning's blog is.... HAPPY BIRTHDAY MOM! 

In other news. We have had some difficulties with Nelson's bite. He is incredibly strong, and though he doesn't mean to bite me hard, he does and looks at me as a toy. I am in a Berner group on facebook and some very nice people have sent me messages giving me advice. This morning I began to work with Nelson on some of the suggestions, and as of now, it does seem to be stopping him even if only slightly.. if nothing more, it gives me hope that other people who owned Berners had the same biting problem as us :)

Nelson got a little bug yesterday and was vomiting and all the other good (gross) stuff that goes with it. Once he felt better we went to The Barkery, an organic and Natural animal food store, and upon the suggestion of Stacy (thanks!) and Lori (thanks!) we picked up Nelson some new food and new treats. We got Canidae food and treats. Let me tell you, he is in LOVE. He adores this new food, and I adore that he loves something so good for him!

Hopefully everyone has a great weekend, and we'll write more as events occur. 

With love, Ellen & Nelson

Sorry for the numerous posts in your email everyone who is on the email list... I am still getting used to this blogging business!! 

Meet Mr. August

Yes, Big Boy Nelson has hit the big time. He is officially the cover model for the August issue of "Paw Prints"! I am so happy about the picture, I love it, and I think he looks just handsome. My favorite part is his dog ID tag, showing the "N" lettering. 

Thanks to Stacy and Dale at Paw Prints for choosing Nelson to be on their cover!! Everyone go to their website, http://www.pawprintskc.com, and check out where to get a copy, useful links, and more information about the magazine and the content inside. 

Nelson and I are wish everyone a great weekend!!

Love, Nelson & Ellen

First Day of Puppy Kindergarten

Last night Nelson and I had our first class of puppy kindergarten...as you can see from the picture I took yesterday afternoon, it couldn't have come at a better time :)

Class was great. There was only one other dog in the class, a small dog owned by an adorable little girl and her parents, and it was wonderful. I enjoyed the fact that the class was so small so we really got one-on-one attention. Nelson was able to show off some of the skills he's learned so far, and the other family was quite impressed with his demeanor at such a young age compared to their 15 week old. Nelson was able to play with the other dog, I was able to ask lots of questions, namely how to stop him from scratching my arms into oblivion, and when it was all said and done, I feel I learned a lot in the class, and so did Nelson. As Debra said, it really was a great bonding experience for Nelson and I, and it really reaffirmed that what I had been doing was correct, namely taking him to parks to meet other people/dogs, taking him with me places to absorb different sounds and not be frightened, and having him meet children. 

He slept great last night, probably all pooped from the class! While he is still waking up at 430, I am beginning to be able to get him to go back to sleep for about 45 more minutes, IF I give him a nice walk at 430. 

Our next class is in 2 weeks, so until then we will continue to practice practice practice. After puppy kindergarten we will move on to a 5 week obedience class beginning at the start of February. We've got quite a semester ahead of us!

With love, Nelson & Ellen

Good Boy Nelson, Good Boy!

What a night. A couple firsts happened last night. The first one is that I watched Nelson go in to his crate on his own without being told to go in it (which at this point he has only done to grab his favorite toys) and he actually laid down and started to sleep! Thats never happened before! It really started our night off great. Following this was a night of him sleeping in his crate, uninterrupted from 1015-545! The longest he has ever gone without waking up by far. Amazing night, lets hope he keeps it up. If nothing more, this shows me that he is learning and that he is maturing, and it's a great feeling.

There is some other exciting news around the bend, but I am going to keep that to myself until it is final. Some of you may already know but keep it under lock and key :)

Happy 9 week birthday!

As I write this Nelson is currently in his favorite spot--lying on the cool tile next to the front door with his favorite thing next to him- his fan. Last night was a bit harder sleep wise because he woke up twice, and decided at 545 he was up for the day! All of this is normal, but I cannot wait for the day (night) he decides to sleep through the night! Hopefully before August 14th, when classes start! 

Today Nelson and I go to my internship. He loves being there, and is becoming quite a traveler, and enjoys sleeping in his crate while I drive. 

Some exciting news is on Wednesday Nelson and I start Puppy Kindergarten! Its a 3 week course, every Wednesday, and is basically just a "head start" to obedience. I'll keep you all updated on how it goes.

Welcome to Big Boy Nelson's Blog!

Hi! Welcome to Nelson's blog. 

 

Nelson was born on May 26th, 2008, in Myrtle, Missouri from a fantastic breeder named Harlan (http://www.bernese-mountain-dog-pups.net/) My dad and I started our day at 5am and didn't return home until almost 930pm on July 4th. It was a great day, filled with father/daughter bonding, 50's music, talks of Boy George, and ended with a fantastic addition to the Wegner family, Big Boy Nelson.

Nelson was born to a father named Cosmo and a mother named Grace. Right when we went to Harlan's land to see Nelson Harlan said to me "You'll know exactly which one he is". And boy was he right! All of a sudden this puppy that is 1/3rd bigger than all of his litter mates comes running up to the fence, and immediately begins to chew on the metal fence. Right then and there I knew I was going to have my hands full, in a great way.

Since that day things have been great. I am getting used to waking up at 530, and Nelson is getting used to sleeping in his crate next to my bed. My goal is to have him sleeping all through the night by the time school starts again August 14th. We are getting very close.

Well, I hope you all enjoy this site and I will continue to publish stories about our days, pictures of the Big Boy, and keep everyone up to date on his progress!!