Five Bernese Puppies Fought Over a Single Gray Sock
A gray sock has become the center of the universe for a pile of Bernese Mountain Dog puppies. They crowd together on the floor, black, white, and rust fur tangled in a heap, several of them tugging or sniffing at the sock. A few pups look up at the camera, while others stay focused on the prize. Baskets, bags, and a shelf of odds and ends fill the room behind.
Socks are a puppy favorite for a reason: they smell like their owners and are perfect for chewing. They are also risky. Swallowed socks can cause blockages in a dog's digestive system, and this can be a real emergency. Keep laundry off the floor, offer dog-safe toys instead, and call your vet right away if you suspect your puppy has swallowed any fabric.
Teaching a trade game helps a lot. When a puppy picks up something it should not have, offer a treat or a toy in exchange, and praise it for letting go. Bernese Mountain Dogs are usually eager to please, so this kind of positive training works well. Keeping play gentle and ending it before the pups get overexcited helps a litter learn good manners.
This heap of pups is happily busy, and the sock may not survive. Tomorrow's laundry day will be interesting. Each of the pups seems sure that the sock belongs to them alone, and the argument is conducted entirely with wagging.
