Congratulations! You’ve been waiting forever, and now your Bernese Mountain Dog puppy is home! But instead of that joyful, bounding puppy you saw, you have a scaredy-cat cowering in corners, sniffing at a food bowl he clearly doesn’t care about, and keeping you awake all night with crying. You want to cry, too. Something’s wrong. This can’t be right. Did I make a mistake? Hold that thought. Stop for a second and take a deep breath. It’s all normal.

In hundreds of Bernese Mountain Dog puppies we’ve sent to their new homes, this is the same story over and over. The first few days are tough for all new puppy parents. This is also when much of the critical bonding takes place. Once you understand what your puppy is going through emotionally, you’ll be able to do what they need you to do instead of just fretting. Here’s what’s happening and how to help your new little family member make the transition home.

How Your Puppy’s Brain Feels

Your puppy has spent every waking and sleeping moment with the same mom, the same littermates, the same surroundings since the day they were born until they left Blue Diamond Berners at 8-12 weeks of age. They have never had any alone time. Every night of their lives, they have slept in a pile of littermates. Every morning is the same: littermates greet them and expect them to play, eat, and go potty.
And now it’s all gone. Strange smells everywhere. Unfamiliar sounds. Unknown people. Different textures under their feet and paws. And most of all, missing siblings.

Imagine how it feels from their perspective. It’s like you woke up and found yourself in another world, where nothing is familiar, and no one around you is anyone you’ve ever known before. You would be crying, too.
Puppies experience stress differently than adult dogs. Anything new and different from what they’re used to triggers a spike in stress hormones. These stress hormones directly affect eating, sleeping, and potty habits. Your most outgoing puppy may suddenly turn into an introvert. It’s not that they’re sick or that there is something wrong. It’s just that their developing brains are responding to a huge change in their lives.
The good news is that puppy brains are hardwired to adapt. Resilience is built into their development. The period of adjustment typically lasts two to seven days. And because all Blue Diamond Berners puppies experience Early Neurological Stimulation protocols during their first days of life, your puppy has better coping skills for stress than most. You’ll see this difference in the transition because your puppy will bounce back from this difficult period faster than most.

Normal Transition Period Behaviors

So, those first 72 hours are going to be full of behaviors that can baffle or stress you. Understanding the “why” behind them will help.

The Disappearing Appetite

Puppies whose families worry the most are usually the ones who won’t eat. Your Berner approaches the bowl, sniffs it, maybe tastes a kibble or two, then wanders away. Some won’t eat anything for 12 to 24 hours.
Stress suppresses your puppy’s appetite. Even if you’re feeding them exactly the same food we sent, it will look different to your puppy: a different bowl, a different location, different sounds around the bowl. In their new world, everything is scary, and eating triggers them to say, “Eat with caution.”

Tips: Offer small amounts of food frequently rather than letting them have full bowls. Skip the bowl and try hand-feeding if your puppy is motivated by food but won’t approach the bowl. Warming food and adding warm water to kibble helps release aromas. Berners are not known for being picky eaters, so a lack of appetite will be especially noticeable in this breed. If your puppy still won’t eat after 24 hours, and there’s no vomiting and it’s not completely exhausted, keep giving it some time; most puppies eat regularly within 48 hours as they begin to feel more comfortable. But if your puppy spurns all food after 24 hours, contact your vet or us. Medical issues such as food intolerances should be ruled out.

Sleeping, Sleeping, Sleeping

Because of all this stress, your puppy will sleep and sleep and sleep for hours. When they wake up, they will look like they’re on sleeping medicine, and all they want to do is go back to sleep.
Emotional processing takes an incredible amount of energy from developing puppy brains. If your puppy traveled (whether by flight nanny or ground transport), they’re also dealing with physical fatigue from travel. Bernese Mountain Dog puppies grow incredibly fast in their first year of life, and sleep is essential to that healthy growth.
Give them as much uninterrupted rest as you can. If you get the hankering to play with or cuddle your puppy, be prepared for them to fall right back asleep after ten minutes. Sleep is restorative and healing for them. You will feel like they have all the energy in the world once the adjustment period takes hold. The only time sleep should concern you is if your puppy cannot be awakened, or if your puppy is having difficulty awakening in the morning, even when food is presented. Then you should contact your vet.

Crying at Night

We’re just gonna say it. You’re gonna lose a lot of sleep and lose your cool. Your puppy will cry in their crate and whine when you leave their line of sight. They could possibly wail through the night for hours.
You have to understand your puppy is lonely and afraid. For eight-plus weeks of their life, they have never, ever slept alone. Every night since birth has been a snuggly pile of littermates on all sides. The best sleep they can get now is in the crate by themselves. According to their brain, this is a very scary situation.
The Sibling Scented Heartbeat Puppy Pal we offer with every Blue Diamond Berners puppy adoption is going to become their best friend. That Puppy Pal was specially prepared before the puppy left the litter. It has the scent of your puppy’s littermates, and it has a heartbeat feature. That heartbeat becomes another layer of comforting familiarity to puppies when they’re stressed.

Put the Puppy Pal in the crate at night and every night after that. Do not wash the Puppy Pal for at least two weeks. Scent works powerful magic on puppy brains. It’s not unusual for Berners to sleep with their Puppy Pal as 100+ pound adults. Put the crate near your bed so your puppy can smell you, too. When they start crying, first take them outside to be sure they don’t need to potty. If the puppy doesn’t have to go, go back in the room and quietly reassure your puppy, but do not bring them out of the crate to play, or you may be doing nighttime playtime for the next 18 years. The first night is the hardest. The second night is better. By the fourth or fifth night, most puppies are sleeping for longer stretches.

Attachment and Attention Seeking

Your puppy might follow you around instead of hiding behind furniture. The second you walk away, they freak out because of their new surroundings and feel the need to be constantly petted and held.
They are processing a lot of big changes, and the one thing that’s still the same is you. This is healthy attachment and bonding taking place, even if it’s exhausting for you. Bernese Mountain Dogs are famous for being people-oriented dogs. Many Berner owners describe them as “velcro dogs” because they love to be where you are. This is a puppy version of the Berner personality that continues in many Berners through adulthood.
Allow this clinging for the first few days as your puppy adjusts to everything else. They’ll find their center as they begin to feel more secure and balanced. Your puppy will still be connected, but also begin to feel more comfortable exploring on their own.

Seeking Retreat and Hiding

On the other hand, some puppies hide from the stress. They find a corner, a space behind a piece of furniture, or under the bed, and don’t want to come out. They have no interest in exploring their new world.
Temperament plays a role here. That’s why Blue Diamond Berners has professional temperament evaluations done on all puppies before placement. We match puppies with families based on those temperament scores and personality, as well as family lifestyle and experience. A more cautious puppy by nature may take a while longer to get to know you, but they will get there.

Don’t force your puppy to interact with you or the world. Designate a safe space for them, like a crate, exercise pen, or a quiet corner of the room, and put the Heartbeat Puppy Pal there, along with fresh water and a couple of safe toys. We know Berner puppies grow fast, so make it a space that will still be suitable as they fill out. If you have other people or pets in the house, everyone should know this is the puppy’s space, and it’s off-limits to everyone but the puppy. Let them emerge at their own pace.

Potty Training 

Stress hormones will impact their bladder and bowel control. Your home is completely new to them; it looks totally different with new smells and sounds, compared to where they were before you brought them home.     Your puppy has to learn the routine in your house, and the areas in your yard, and the triggers you use for potty time are all completely different from what they’re used to. The best thing you can do is to take your puppy to the part of the yard you want them to go potty in, before you even take them into the house.  
Take them out every waking hour, plus right after meals, drinks, naps, and play sessions. If they have an indoor accident, clean it up with an enzymatic cleaner such as Nature’s Miracle. Regular cleaners just cover up the scent but don’t actually get rid of the urine/poop scent marker that’s left that tells your puppy,  “hey! It’s okay to pee/poop here!” Be patient and consistent. Your puppy will have far fewer accidents as they begin to feel settled and learn their new home and routine.

Changes in Personality

And finally, perhaps the most mystifying: the puppy you have at home seems like a completely different puppy than the one you picked out. The adventurer is suddenly shy and cautious. The relaxed puppy suddenly becomes a nervous wreck, bouncing around the house.
Stress hormones temporarily suppress your puppy’s real personality. This is a puppy brain in survival mode, but it’s not their true personality. Their true personality will shine through after about a week. The puppy you met is still in there. They just need to feel safe before they can show it to you again.
Every puppy Blue Diamond Berners has placed has done this. Every single one has reverted back to their true selves. Trust us. Trust the process.

Timeline for the First Three Days

It helps to know what to expect during the first three days. We are not saying your puppy will do all these things, but there is a good chance they might. 

Day One: Everything is Strange

The first few hours will overwhelm your puppy. Every new thing they encounter just takes up brain space, and they may appear to freeze up or not go explore. Bathroom accidents on the first day are very common. Taking them out every hour will help tremendously with this.
Keep things calm and quiet, don’t invite the whole extended family over yet, let them settle in first. Show them the bathroom area right after they arrive. Make sure they always have access to water.  Let them explore at their own pace. Introduce household members one at a time, rather than all at once.
Day one, from around hours three to six, is when the realization usually hits that the change is permanent, not temporary. Expect more napping at this point. When they wake up, they are likely to be crying or confused. Your puppy may not eat their first meal. Offer a small bowl of the kibble we sent. Encourage them to use the bathroom area after they rest and eat. Introduce the crate with their Heartbeat Puppy Pal in it. Continue gentle, quiet interactions.

Nighttime is when stress is likely to peak, as this is when they are most likely to miss their littermates. The Heartbeat Puppy Pal is the most important tool you have at this point. Set it up so the crate is next to your bed. The closer to you, the better. Partially cover the crate with a blanket that carries your scent to make it den-like. You can also add white noise or a ticking clock.
You will not be able to sleep the first night. Get used to it. Almost all puppies cry the first night, sometimes for hours on end. Expect one or two bathroom trips during the night. If your puppy starts crying, take them outside first in case they need to potty. If they don’t, go back into the room and quietly reassure them, but resist the temptation to take them out of the crate to play or comfort them too much, or you’ll be establishing nighttime play as your new routine. With a Berner, that dog will likely weigh 80-110 pounds of pure energy when fully grown. Habits formed during the transition period last a lifetime. This is the hardest night. But it gets better.

Day Two: Things Get a Little Easier

In the morning, you will usually notice improvement. Your puppy is beginning to understand routine. Be on the lookout for the beginnings of confidence, maybe they wag their tail at you, maybe they perk up over a toy, and maybe they’re a little more active.
Settling into routines is very important during this time. Taking bathroom breaks immediately after waking up, then breakfast, then maybe ten minutes of activity, then rest. Predictable schedules and routines give puppies a sense of security. Limit play sessions to ten minutes maximum with long stretches of rest in between. Sleep is very important for puppies; they need more sleep than adults due to their rapid growth.
Expect appetite to return in the afternoon. Expect to see personality begin to shine through.
Continue taking them outside a lot and introduce your verbal cues for potty time. Start with gentle body handling, touching their paws, ears, and mouth, and brushing your hands through their coat. Berners have double coats and require regular brushing throughout their lives, so this establishes your puppy’s comfort with having their body handled now, which pays off later. Work on name recognition and simple recall now. Berners are smart and respond to positive training methods. But preserve the schedule you’ve established for the first two days. That structure continues to give your puppy a sense of security.
Night two will be an improvement most of the time. Less crying, and when they do cry, it is not for as long.  They usually don’t wake up as much the second night between bathroom breaks. Continue the routine you set up on night one.

Day Three: The Turning Point

On day three, most puppies will visibly turn a corner and be doing a lot better. The stress hormones start to drop, and the brain fog begins to lift, and confidence increases. They will begin to play more spontaneously, eat normally, sleep longer stretches at night, and their true personality will begin to emerge.
You can begin to engage more with your puppy now. More household members can interact with them and establish that connection. You can begin short training sessions with your puppy. Start with name recognition, then simple recall. Keep up the schedule you’ve established over the first couple of days; your puppy still needs that security.

The 72nd hour will be the time when you can see if your puppy has begun to settle in. Eating 75% of meals, spontaneous play without coaxing, excited greetings, confident following without anxious clinging, making eye contact with you and responding to their name, and a personality in line with what we described to you is showing up.  If you don’t see these signals by the 96th hour (day four), call us. Most puppies have definitely turned a corner by this point.

Why Blue Diamond Berners Puppies Adapt and Adjust So Well

We are confident in our puppies because of the work we do with them before they go to their new homes.
Every Blue Diamond puppy is handled daily and experiences five specific exercises that make up Early Neurological Stimulation between day three and sixteen after birth. Developed in military working dog breeding and training programs, decades of research have shown that ENS results in puppies with better cardiovascular health, more stress resilience, superior problem-solving abilities, and more confidence. These puppies demonstrate the impact of ENS during the first two nights after they go home.
Socialization begins in week three with all puppies. Every day, several different people handle them. They are exposed to many sounds, including vacuum cleaners, phones, and the everyday hustle and bustle of a kennel and different people coming and going. They meet other adult dogs besides their mother to get socialization. They walk on various types of flooring, including wood, concrete, carpet, linoleum, grass, and gravel. Our children are constantly playing with the puppies.  By the time your puppy arrives, nothing in your house is completely foreign to them because we’ve been preparing them for all the diversity in the world.

Blue Diamond temperament evaluations also help us to match puppies with the right families. Our dog trainers test each puppy’s temperament for confidence, social orientation, energy level, and sensitivity. Then we match temperament to family lifestyle. Active families get active puppies, and calm homes get calmer, more laid-back puppies. Families new to dogs, particularly those with large breeds, should receive puppies who are cooperative and eager to please. Appropriate temperament matching makes for an easier adjustment.
We are here for you after you get your puppy and can call us any time. We want you to call. Questions, concerns, overwhelmed, need a pep talk? Call. Typical behaviors you’re unnecessarily worrying about? Call. Uncertain if this is normal or not? Call. We’ve walked hundreds of families through this stage of adoption.  We can tell you what’s normal and what’s not. Helping you with this adjustment period is a critical part of our mission. Calling us is not a burden.

What to Do if Your Puppy Is Not Adjusting Normally

Most of the challenges of the transition period will resolve themselves over time as your puppy begins to feel more secure. The symptoms discussed below are very rare, but not ones you should wait to resolve; Instead, bring your puppy to your vet right away.  
Call your vet immediately for: repeated vomiting, especially if blood is present in the vomit; diarrhea that lasts longer than 24 hours or contains blood; extreme lethargy that you cannot rouse the puppy from; difficult or labored breathing or panting when resting; seizure activity; collapse; severe limping; vocalizing when touched or lifted; refusal of water longer than 12 hours.
These symptoms are outside the realm of normal adjustment stress and may indicate a medical problem. Trust your instincts; if you think it’s not normal, call us, or have it checked out.
If it’s not an emergency, call us. Don’t hesitate to call us.  We’ve walked hundreds of families through this process and can help you differentiate between what’s a problem and what’s a normal adjustment challenge. Reaching out to us for help and support is exactly what we want you to do.

Hold On

The first 72 hours will be the hardest time you have with your new puppy. If we sugar-coated that, we’d be lying to you. It will be tiring. You may be frustrated. You may even wonder if you made a mistake. These thoughts and emotions are normal. But they will pass.
What you’re building with your puppy in these first 72 hours is the foundation for the rest of your life together. You’re building trust. You’re building a place to call home. You’re supporting a developing puppy brain through a traumatic time in their life. It’s all important work. Even when you’re too tired to remember that.

Every Blue Diamond Berners family has weathered some version of this transition. They have all ended up with a confident, content, well-adjusted dog. 

Three months from now, the struggles of this first week will have faded, and all you will know and care about is how much you love your Bernese Mountain Dog. You’ll watch them stretched across the floor, or them bounding through the yard, and hardly remember the timid puppy that hid behind furniture. You’ll feel their substantial, warm body leaning against your legs, that classic Berner lean, and wonder how your family was ever complete without them.

That frightened puppy in the corner on day one transforms into your loyal companion by day seven. Your devoted family member for years to come. These 72 hours are merely the opening chapter of a remarkable story. You’re going to navigate this beautifully. Your puppy is going to flourish. And we remain alongside you through every step.

Welcome to the Blue Diamond Berners family.