Saint Bernard Dog Breed Summary

Please consider adopting a dog, cat or any other animal from one of the many rescue sites.  There are hundreds of humane societies and rescue Internet websites available for you to select a pet to give a second chance at being in a loving home with you and your family.  I mention only two for your convenience.  “RED” stands for rescue every dog and can be found by clicking:  http://www.rescueeverydog.org   another honest site can be located by clicking:  http://www.theanimalrescuesite.com  A special thank you to wikipedia,  The American Kennel Club and http://www.dogbreedsinfo.com for assisting me to compile this summary for your pleasure and use.

 Saint Bernard dog photo is courtesy wikipedia.com

This is a very familiar dog to many people all over the world.  The Saint Bernard originated in Switzerland/Italy.  You could have heard it called St. Bernardshund, or Bernhardiner with a nickname of Saint.  The dog is named for Bernard of Menthon, who was a monk in the 11th century.

One of the largest breed dogs, the Saint Bernard is categorized as a working dog since they were bred for rescue.  The strength and stamina have proved to be exceptional in people rescues in avalanches or other snow situations.  Long ago a brandy barrel was attached to the neck of this dog so the trapped people could drink and be warmed with the barrel contents until rescue crews arrived.  One famous ST. Bernard, Barry, was credited to saving 40 to 100 lives.  A monument in the Cimetiere Des Chiens (dog cemetery) is erected in his honor.

Many of the original St. Bernard dogs lost their lives in rescue attempts which significantly depleted the breed.  Remaining St. Bernards were then bred with Newfoundlands to preserve the breed, which gave the St. Bernard a very different look from the original dog.  With that new breed the hair was longer, making the snow collect on that fur and weigh the animal down too much to continue using them for rescues.

Bernards are skillful in carting and still do well in weight pulling in dog sporting events.  Several  world record awards for strength have been won by this breed.  In 2008 a Bernard pulled over 2 tons.

Typical  and obvious physical traits of the St. Bernard are the extremely huge head, the large stature and dense muscular body. The color of the smooth or rough coat is red with white and can also be a mahogany brindle with white.  Some black markings around the face and ears is quite usual. Tails are long with a turned up end to them.

Weight of this breed ranges between 160 and 260 pounds with a height of 27.5 inches to 35.5 inches tall.

Grooming needs brushing on a regular  weekly basis with some attention by pet owners to examine the ears for bacteria that can form causing problems. The exercise has to be daily, yet this dog can do well in a small yard if given adequate walks with a pack leader pet owner.  The social and acceptable practices need to be initiated early in puppy hood just because of the sheer strength of this breed. Unruly Bernard dogs can be a real physical problem if lessons are not taught well.  The St. Bernard is highly intelligent and willing to please as well.

Temperament is docile and focused if needed to be called for duty. They make exceptional guard dogs so pet owners can know their children are well protected with thier  St. Bernard.

Because of the bone structure, the medical problems follow this breed as well as limit the lifespan to 7 to 10 years.