Dog Breed Profile - St Bernard

Author: Stephanie Bayliss

History of the St Bernard

In AD980 St Bernard de Menthon founded the Hospice of the Great St Bernard Pass as a refuge for travellers through the precarious Alpine pass between Switzerland and Italy. The St Bernard took its name from this hospice, after Monks in the area began to realise the benefit in using dogs to find and rescue lost travellers thanks to their superior sense of smell, their strength and resilience in poor weather conditions and their innate sense of direction.

Monks established their own breed of ""Alpine Mastiff"" to be used as rescue dogs, and eventually came to cross these dogs with Newfoundlands, Great Pyrennes and perhaps Great Danes, to establish the St Bernard that we all recognise today.

The image of the St Bernard in the mountains carrying a brandy cask (which they never really did!), is one that we all summon when we think of the beautiful St Bernard.

Appearance of the St Bernard

The St Bernard is an enormous dog, tall and muscular with a large head, thick set neck and broad shoulders.

St Bernards can be rough or smooth coated and their coats are can be a number of colours; orange, mahogany-brindle, red brindle or white in colour, with patches of any of the previously mentioned colours.

Temperament of the St Bernard

St Bernards are wonderful dogs; kind, trustworthy and courageous. They enjoy the company of all of the family, particularly children and can be trusted completely around them. Despite their enormous proportions, these are very gentle dogs and make wonderful companions for anyone with the room for them!

They are intelligent but slow thinkers, so require kind and patient training. Excellent lead training at an early age is essential; imaging being pulled along on a walk behind a dog of this size and strength!!

Grooming a St Bernard

St Bernards require a moderate amount of grooming, once a day particularly for the rough coated variety: their sheer size makes this a timely job!

St Bernard's eyes should be kept clean and checked regularly; particularly in dogs with droopy eyes.

St Bernard Exercise Requirements

St Bernard's enjoy a moderate amount of exercise - in the region of a hour a day for adults. Puppies should be exercised with care; their fast growing bones can be damaged with excessive exercise so they should be ead-walked as youngsters with limited free running. They should also be stopped from going up and down stairs.

St Bernard Health Problems

As with most large dog breeds, St Bernard's are at risk of hip dysplasia so care should be taken in selecting a puppy from hip-tested parents.

About the author: Stephanie has written many articles on dogs. Visit Kennel Corner for more Dog Breed Profiles and other interesting dog resources, including a Dog Obedience School Directory .