St. Bernard

St. Bernard : BREED BOX
Country:	Switzerland
Size:	110-200lb(50-91kg),24-28in(60-70cm)
Temperament:	Loyal
Grooming:	Brush few times a week
Recognition:	FCI, AKC, ANKC, CKC, KC(UK)

History - This huge, thickset mountain dog is famous as a saver of people buried in avalanches or lost in the alpine passes of Switzerland, and is often pictured with a flask hanging round its neck. The breed seems to have originated when monks living in the St. Bernards Hospice in the Swiss alps took the largest of the local dogs, called Bauernhund, to help drag supplies on sleds. The harsh conditions and isolation resulted in a hardy dog, well adapted to cold but smaller than the modern dog. In the 18th century a series of harsh winters depleted the stock, and the survivors were crossed with Newfoundland dogs to strengthen them. These dogs, with their well developed sense of smell and loyalty to their masters, easily found travellers who had lost their way, and were large enough to drag them to safety. The most famous dog, Barry, is said to have rescued over 40 people.

Appearance - The modern St Bernard exists in short haired and long haired varieties, and stands 25.5" to 27.5", weighing up to 200 pounds. Muscular and with a good fat layer, this is a solid looking animal with a large, heavy jawed head, drooping cheeks and a tendency to drool. The eyes are large and dark, with an intelligent, friendly expression, ears are large, dark in color and lie flat. The forehead is typically wrinkled, and the muzzle is quite short and square. The body is well proportioned and heavily built, the tail is long and hangs straight down. The coat is dense but not double,is slightly longer and rougher in the long haired variety and is water resistant when properly cared for. The color should be white with markings in red, brindle, black, brown and mahogany, in any combination, but with a white chest and feet.

Description - This calm and relaxed dog makes a good family pet. The St. Bernard was immortalised as the 'nursemaid' of the Darling family in the book Peter Pan, and can be relied upon to faithfully watch over and guard family members. It makes a good guard dog, its size deterring attack even though it is a quiet and non aggressive dog. This breed should not be shampooed and needs only brushing to bring out the best in its coat.

Ideal Owners: Perfect for active familes with older children. Requires plenty of backyard space.

Other Names: Alpine Mastiff

Coat Color: Orange, Red-Brindle, Brown Brindle

Life Expectancy: 9-11 years

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St Bernard Reviews

Grooming (67%)

Exercise (50%)

Feeding (70%)

Temperament (100%)

Watchdog (80%)

Low/Unsuitable
High/Excellent

Number of reviews: 3

Sheryl Larew

Murphy

4/16/2008

Rating: TBA (4vote/s)

I just rescued a 3 yr old male St. Bernard and couldn't be happier with him. The only problem we have is his coat was not taken care of properly so he is quite matted. He doesn't eat alot and he is great with my 4 kids. If you can handle the size they are excellent dogs, oh and if you can handle the drool! Mine is one with the thicker, longer hair so he sheds quite a bit, but if you have a vacuum it shouldn't be a problem. I definitely don't regret rescuing this dog and his mix puppy, who is about 6-9 mths old and about 100 lbs.

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Aleshia

St Bernard

3/23/2006

Rating: TBA (11vote/s)

After doing a lot research, we adopted a St Bernard bitch about 4 months ago. She is almost 3 years old. She is WONDERFUL! The previous owners said they were giving her up because she ran and the neighbors were afraid. She was strictly an outside dog. In fact, they said she had never been indoors. She only had 2 potty accidents and one was because of the change in food (if you get my point).

I have a 3 year old daughter that she adores. Allowing her to crawl all over her and pull her around. She ignores our 2 cats. She only eats twice daily equaling 8 cups of chow. She drools after eating, drinking, or when she is hot or excited. She is a great watch dog! We live in the woods and she will warn anything out of the ordinary. She rarely barks. She is super obedient. She LOVES car rides and will sit out side your car door patiently untill you tell her she can go with you. And all of her faults that the previous owners expressed to us are completly unseen. Including her running. We let her roam free when we are outside with her and she will just run around and check things out....If she hears another dog or anything else she just concentrates on it for a minute and proceeds to ignore it. If you are thinking on getting a St. Bernard I wouldn't stear you away from it but the one thing to concider that most new St bernard owners take for granted is their size. They are going to be much bigger than any ordinary XL Dog. Hope I helped... P.S. I do recomend rescuing a homeless animal over buying a puppy.

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H-

St.Bernard

2/27/2006

Rating: TBA (5vote/s)

We have a wonderful Staint! She is excellent with our kids, and they are young. The hardest part is that she can knock them down and not even know it! The up side is that they can jump on her and sit on her and she doesn't even budge. She sleeps a lot...now that she is 6yrs. Beware when they are pups though...they can be a bit much. They get very big very, very, fast. So they are still little inside- but 100lbs out! They don't eat as much as you would expect, but they do make a mess when they eat.

Overall a great family pet! Hope this helps.

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