I haven't really tried to be honest! We more play 'chase the ball together and see who gets their first; then chase Maggie once she's got the ball and pretend to try and get it off her/play tug with the ball; ask for a drop and repeat process'!

That's what we play we call it the roarrrrr game as Dillon kinds of roars, bounces and spins. Throw it he does the same as Ollie did runs after it and straight past it.

Only dogs I've ever had who 'fetched' were GSDs. Bella is a mystery - she has never fetched ANYTHING back but will bug you to throw stuff for her if she sees other dogs having stuff thrown for them. She hares off after it then stops dead pointing her nose at it. Then looks at me as if saying 'well it's here - can't you see it?'

But, throw something into a lake or the sea and she will swim for it and bring it right back to my feet? Very strange. She will even do that with bits of stick that I didn't throw but were just floating there?

Strange aren't they ? Ollie and now Dillon get all enthusiastic so you throw it they hare after it and straight past it then stop dead as if to say you threw it you fetch it.
Fair enuff I spose.

Well at least they don't look as daft as my CKCS used to. She too used to bark at me to throw sticks and things when we were in big Bakers Park in Devon where lots of other dogs and owners were doing their throwing and fetching stuff.

I'd throw the stick and she would head in the rough direction of it and then suddenly walk off to left or right but never continue towards the thing I'd thrown? Maybe she had very short term memory?

You threw it - you fetch it! LOL! Yes I know that one! Or worse when they don't even set off but just look at you like 'what did you do that for?'

Maybe he was thinking well I've shown her where it is - I've got better things to do than to wait for her to follow and catch up!

I've never met a Berner that knows or likes to play fetch! Some can be taught to retrieve formally but that's certainly not the same thing.. My Wassily (Landseer ECT) never did either, whatever you threw, he loved running after it.. but never came back with it!

I'm curious as to how difficult it would be to get a Berner through a Rescue? I always thought that some day I'll have one myself but now I don't live in the home country anymore and I don't want to get a puppy, I imagine it would be really hard to find an adult one as they seem quite rare over here! (also looking at Entlebuchers but that would be even more difficult).

As for LGDs I think they can make good pets but you just have to take extra care with socialisation because of their natural predisposition to distrust strangers. I think a lot of people who get them because they're cute and fluffy end up disappointed because their mentality isn't cute, fluffy and cuddly. So it's important to bear that in mind. Having said that though I once met a pyrenean mountain dog and she was lovely!!

There a few in rescue now more than there use to be some due to people not realising they can be hard work during the teenage years and the same as lots of breeds peoples circumstances changing finance or splitting up.

Not sure of this allowed but here is a start of where to look for rescue Bernese. Scroll towards bottom of the page.

http://bernesenews.btck.co.uk/

There a few in rescue now more than there use to be some due to people not realising they can be hard work during the teenage years and the same as lots of breeds peoples circumstances changing finance or splitting up.

Not sure of this allowed but here is a start of where to look for rescue Bernese. Scroll towards bottom of the page.

http://bernesenews.btck.co.uk/

There a few in rescue now more than there use to be some due to people not realising they can be hard work during the teenage years and the same as lots of breeds peoples circumstances changing finance or splitting up.

Not sure if this allowed but here is a start of where to look for rescue Bernese. Scroll towards bottom of the page.

http://bernesenews.btck.co.uk/

Oh dear now its come up 3 times goodness knows what went wrong there.