Although St. Bernardines are generally calm and friendly, and are extremely gentle with children, this breed is not for everyone - due to their tendency to aggression, they need an experienced owner. What should I know about a Bernardine when deciding to introduce him to the family?

Bernardynyare distant relatives of Bernese Mountain Dogs - both of these breeds are descended from the Tibetan Great Danes. It is not known exactly when the first Bernardine dogs appeared in the monastery on the Great Pass in the Alps, founded by the archdeacon Bernard de Menton. However, already around 1000 AD monks used them for protection against bandits and for guarding.

With time, these huge, red-brown dogs started to save travelers buried by avalanches. There were always four dogs in the rescue team: two of them lay down next to the victim, one licked his face, and the last one returned to the monastery to bring the monks.

The most famous Bernardine was Barry - a dog who, according to legend, saved forty people and was killed while trying to save another.

Initially, the Bernardines were exclusively shorthaired. In the early 1830s, however, the monks began to cross the Bernardines with the Newfoundlands, and long-haired puppies appeared in the litters.

The breed was officially recognized in 1887, then they were also given the name: the dog of St. Bernard, for short - Saint Bernard.

What does a Saint Bernard look like?

Bernardine dogs are giants - dogs are up to 90 cm high at the withers, bitches - up to 80 cm. They can reach an impressive weight of 100 kg.

Short-haired Bernardines have smooth and thick topcoat hair and a profuse, thick undercoat underneath. In the long-haired variety, the topcoat is semi-long, usually slightly wavy.

These dogs have a long tail.

The most common are the tricolor Bernardines: white, black and mahogany, with a distinct dominance of one of these three colors (usually white is predominant).

Another color variety is the so-called a coat variety in which white hair is predominant and white is arranged in a characteristic way, which is deceptively similar to an outer garment.

Bernardines are not long-lived breeds: they live an average of 8-10 years and reach sexual maturity at the age of 3.

Bernardine character

OBernardines are sometimes said to be very calm dogs and rarely have any breeds so difficult to upset.

This is not entirely true: these dogs are very intelligent and are aware of their strength and size advantage over other animals.

Untrained, they can be aggressive. Sometimes they attack themselves, and when hooked, they can bite off sharply.

Therefore, from the first months of life, they should be properly trained: learn commands and the basics of obedience. Ideally, the dog should be trained by an experienced trainer who can handle him calmly, but at the same time be firm and demanding.

A well-trained St. Bernard is gentle towards people, especially children, towards whom he is extremely attentive. In contact with the youngest family members, he can be extremely gentle and caring.

Although dogs of this breed need constant contact with people, they usually do not favor any of the household members.

They can grow up together with other dogs, they accept cats, they are not disturbed by strangers, other pets walking outside the gate.

However, they are very vigilant and can sense when someone has impure intentions, which is why they work well as guard dogs.

Bernardines need exercise, but its excess can be harmful especially for young dogs - that's why a dog of this breed must not be forced to excessive physical effort.

Bernardyny: he alth and disease tendency

Dogs of this breed may suffer from hip dysplasia, they are also prone to diseases of the shoulder joint, especially cartilage degeneration in this area, as well as degeneration of the joints and spine.

They also have stomach problems and suffer from heart and circulatory diseases.

They are also often troubled by eyelid diseases, incl. inflammation and eyelid curl.

Finally, Saint Bernards are prone to purulent ear infections. Frequent infections can be prevented by washing and thoroughly wiping the auricle and inner ear canals once a week (ask your vet for detailed care instructions).

What can a Saint Bernard eat?

You should feed Saint Bernards with a well-balanced, high-quality food for giant breeds.

Due to the tendency to joint diseases, the food should contain glucosamine and chondroitin.

The daily amount of food should be given to the dog in two meals: morning and evening.

How to take care of a Saint Bernard?

Although St. Bernardines have dense hair, they do not require special care - their hair isself-cleaning properties. It is enough to brush the dog once a week (puppies more often).

During the molting period, the dog must be brushed daily as it sheds lots of hair. Instead, you need to remove all the tangles as soon as possible, especially those behind the ears, because the sebum and exfoliated epidermis accumulating under them can lead to inflammation.

It's a good idea to bathe St. Bernard once every six months using a good dog shampoo.

If the water in the tap is hard, the dog may have dandruff after such a bath - then, after bathing, its hair must be rubbed with vinegar mixed with water (2 tablespoons of vinegar per glass of water).

Other dog breeds:

  • French Bulldog
  • Pug
  • M altese
  • Labrador retriever
  • Amstaf (American staffordshire terrier)
  • German Shepherd Dog
  • Shih tzu
  • Great Dane
  • Cane corso
  • Border collie
  • English Bulldog
  • Bernese Mountain Dog (Bernese Mountain Dog)
  • Akita inu
  • Beagle

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