Minnie and Boone
Everyone knows that the Saint Bernard was originally used to hunt and rescue travelers stuck under feet of snow, created from avalanches and snowfall. The breed now uses his strength and determination for contests and trials. These trials range from conformation and obedience competitions and even cart pulling and weight pulling. They are powerful, their bones and build of course acknowledge this. But even so, their temperament ranges from comforting to gentle giants, somewhat like the Newfoundland (stated earlier in my blog).
The breed of the Saint Bernard was bred from a dog that was located in the Swiss countryside. The original make of the breed was shorthaired, and was introduced as a guard dog, a carting dog and even that well-known figure of an avalanche rescue dog.
Their coats can be long or short haired now, ranging in colors of deep brown to brown-yellow. Their white markings are always going to appear on their large overweight coats too, which complements the brown. They shed regularly too so usual and almost daily grooming is a must for this breed. Once the time is right, they will shed their coats; but with the right grooming and brushing daily, the hair won’t be as thick on your couch!
Boone and Minnie
I have a friend who owns three Saint Bernards! They don’t look at any other breed, primarily based on the fact that they are the gentle giants who are also really good guard dogs. Having three can be a hassle though because the dog can get up to 27 inches tall at full grown size! Not to mention the weight that can range between 130-180 pounds! That’s not all, like the Newfoundland, these dogs are permanent droolers. So if you think you can find a Saint with a dry mouth, well there is no such thing so make sure that you know you are going to be dealing with a lot of drool!
You might be interested in this breed, for their prime good behavior and their lovable features. Not to mention their awesome guard dog attributes. If you are hoping this is a good dog for your family, you might be in luck. Their awesome temperament and cuddling traits, these dogs make great family companions. With obedience training and daily exercise, they can become that perfect family dog. Although, an apartment will be quite small for this type of dog, so if you live in the suburbs or the countryside, maybe you can make a really nice home for a huge dog like this!
Once again, here’s another video from Animal Planet’s TV show “Dogs 101″ that talks more about the Saint Bernard. Enjoy!
Posted by Joe B. on April 29, 2010 at 9:18 am
I remember some classic film series from the 80′s (or even as far back as the 70′s?) that featured Saint Bernards. I also think there was a Tom Hanks movie from the 80′s where he had a Saint Bernard sidekick.
Those movies really, really hammered home the drooling tendencies of Saint Bernards…
Posted by Aubrie on April 29, 2010 at 11:33 am
I really enjoyed reading your blog over the semester. You informed me on many different dogs!
btw- Saint Bernards are sweet!
Posted by sean on April 29, 2010 at 11:37 am
Start with the newfoundland and finish with the St. bernard two big beautiful breeds. I really enjoyed your blog I think it was a great idea to cover all sorts of dog breeds, you could keep it going for ever. When I grew up I had a pure bread wheaten terrier and he was a great dog. Now, my favorite dog in the world is a dog name louie, whose a mutt but pretty generally a mix between a boxer and a blue heeler, and he is cute and well behaved and has the funniest personality to go along with his underbite.