Saint Bernard Puppy Information

::::The Saint Bernard in all the pictures is my dog William Rupert Wallace aka Willy.::::

The following shares some information about the breed and what to look for in a puppy, breeder, and nutrition.


Information for those who may wish to get a Saint Bernard puppy:

Saint Bernards are not all like the movie dogs Beethoven or Cujo. Some are calm, some are wild, and some are a pleasant mixture of both. They are an extremely intelligent dog breed which makes them extremely stubborn and strong willed. Saints are master manipulators and will learn quickly how to get what they want from you. Early training is a must because they get very big very quick and can use their muscle power against you and they will usually win whatever battles you may have with them once they hit 60 lbs or more. Try your best to get the basic commands of "come", "sit", "stay", and "lay down" taught before they reach 4 months of age. Now these dogs are rather clingy/loyal, they love their people if their people are good to them. They will wish to go with you EVERYWHERE. Now that isn't true of every Saint, there are exceptions to the rule, but it is true of most. Because of their urge to follow you around, they may break out the front door and go past you on your way out. For this reason you must teach them the first 4 basic commands early and they must know that you are in complete control when you use these words. The word "come" or "stay" could save their life if they get out of the house and make a run for the road or go after a scent.

The Saint Bernard usually knows he's a huge dog and will adjust his play behaviours to the size of the person/animal he plays with. Most are good with children and try their best not to hurt them or knock them around. Some Saints, like mine, know the restrictions of their adult person but like to push the limit during play. They may play bite, but never hard enough to break the skin (if they wanted to, they could crush your arm; their bite capacity is roughly 550 lbs of pressure when full grown), they may jump on you and they may generally tick you off by stealing things they aren't suppose to play with. These are attention getting behaviours which are common in most puppies but can be a bit more unpleasant coming from a huge puppy. So the words "down", "let go", and "gentle" should be taught once the other basic commands have been learned.

A first time Saint Bernard or giant dog owner may find that their puppy is full of beans even though they've read or heard that they should be "gentle giants". Give it time, they do calm down. They will usually be wild for the first year and a half but you'll notice with every passing month that your puppy will start adding some behaviours while leaving others behind. The most difficult months are the "adolescent" months. Depending on the individual dog, these times can start at age 4 months and last to age 12 months. This is a time when some puppies will start to try a variety of behaviours such as: asserting dominance over the people, trying to be independent (not listening/adhering to commands, spending time alone, ignoring the humans), becoming destructive (chewing up a person's clothing or furniture), developing anxieties over separation (which can make them destroy things), etc. Neutering or spaying can help alleviate sexual tension that the dog may have and reduces the risk of mammary and testicular cancers later in life. However, neutering and spaying will not calm your puppy down in any other way. During this time all you can do is keep up with training (introducing new things as well as practicing old commands) and ask for advice from the veterinarian or a dog psychologist if the problems get real bad (if they get super bad, it may not be the dog, but rather how the human has handled situations in the past).

Most dogs like to work and Saints are ones that enjoy doing a variety of work related tasks. Originally trained as farm dogs before the monks of Switzerland started breeding them and training them for rescue, these dogs performed a variety of farm duties but most notably excelled in drafting. Full grown saints are capable of drafting in competition up to 3000 lbs but do best at about 1500 lbs or less when at home. If you can get a good freight-weight harness or drafting harness and a wagon, you can teach your dog to pull light loads (15 lbs-20lbs) while he's a puppy. This must be done correctly though or your dog could end up with sprains, pulled muscles, or other injuries. If you want to teach your puppy draft, you definitely need to do some research first. Saints are also fantastic diggers. If you have a small area you need "tilled", you can teach the dog to dig in the area you want dug up and they will undoubtedly produce a very nice large area of loose soil and holes. While it isn't conventional, Saints could probably also be taught to herd sheep/cattle. They're very smart animals and learn rather quickly. They could also be taught hunting skills/gun dog skills.

Food wise, depending on the brand of dog food you feed (i recommend Innova Large Breed puppy formula), you may spend as much as $200 USD on food a month. Two, 33 lbs bags of dry dog food take us back $120 USD every month. Despite their large size, they don't eat as much as one would think. We feed our Willy 3 cups of dry kibble in the morning and 3 cups in the evening. 6 cups a day isn't a huge amount of food for such a large dog. In the warmer months, Saints will sometimes give up a meal or two here and there due to the heat. You offer it, and they may snub it in favour of many bowls of water instead. That is normal, but always be sure to at least try to get them to eat regular meals, especially if you notice them losing weight (weight that isn't fat). Mixing a little canned food in with the dry kibble can usually get them to eat. For canned food, if you cannot find canned in the brand you want, i recommend Purina's Adult Canned Tender Cuts dinners. Why adult canned food and not puppy canned food? Unless a canned food is specifically formulated for a giant breed/large breed puppy, it will have too many calories and too much protein which leads to rapid growth spurts if fed regularly. You'll want to avoid rapid growth in any giant or large breed dog because it can lead to joint and bone abnormalities. So adult canned food has less calories and less protein than regular non-giant breed puppy foods.

There are two coat types for the saint bernard. The rough coat is the long haired version (ultra-fluffy like Beethoven) and the smooth coat (like Willy) is the short haired version. Do not be fooled, short hair does not equal less shedding. Both the long and short haired saints will shed epically in spring and fall. It is not uncommon for saints to lose a majority of their coat in preparation for summer. Every day brushing may be required for a couple months during each shedding season. The long and short haired saints are both susceptible to heat stroke and dehydration in hot summer weather, so ALWAYS provide fresh water for them to drink outside and inside. They like cool air conditioning but sudden extreme changes in temperature mess with their internal temperature rhythms. Going from spending most of their time in a cool place to one that is very hot and humid can make them sick. Hydration and access to shade is the best way to prevent heat related sickness in these dogs.

Finding the right puppy:
If you decide on a Saint Bernard puppy look for a family or professional breeder that has good quality dogs for show, competition, rescue, or work at home. Ask questions. Do not be afraid to inquire about something that may baffle you or that you do not know about. In the world of dog breeders, knowledge is power. The family we got Willy from were not professional breeders but they were not into breeding dogs for the money. They had just 3 adult saint bernards, 2 females and 1 male. Both breeding adults (Atlas and Lilly Bella) were quality dogs with good build and health. The one female (Lucy) that was far too old to be bred was 11 years old when we went to pick up Willy. That was a year ago and i think she's still living. That's a long time to live for a saint bernard. Their life expectancies are usually just 6-10 years. Lucy was also a rescued dog who had been used in a fighting ring some years before as practice for fighting dogs. Willy's breeders clearly loved their animals and took good care of them, Lucy was proof of that. These people weren't fancy breeders but we can't call them backyard breeders either. His breeders are a farming family that raise cattle and have good space to have a number of Saint Bernards both young and old. The kennel where the puppies were kept was clean and dry. The pups were also allowed out to run about the farm with their mum from time to time. All the puppies were active and healthy with bright eyes and pot bellies. These are things to look for. The living space for the mother and puppies should be clean, the puppies should be full in the tummy (not fat or chubby all over), the parents should be registered with a breed registry like the AKC (Willy's parents were), the puppies should not have excessively droopy eyes, discharge from eyes/ears/mouth/nose/anus, or obvious parasites (sometimes fleas cannot be helped because it's dangerous to use pesticides (aside from worming meds)on young pups, so fleas are an exception). Always ask to view the parents, if not the sire (sometimes the males are not available on site) then definitely the dam. Inquire about previous health issues the mother or father dog may have had. Ask about allergies the parents have/had. The puppies should have their first vaccinations by the time you get one, be sure to ask the breeder if they have had the pups vet checked, vaccinated and if they have the papers for proof. Sometimes if you get a dog from a farming family they may do the vaccinations themselves, this is not uncommon, just get the labels or records of the vaccinations from them so you can present it to your vet when you get your puppy vet checked after you bring him home. You may wish to ask what will happen to any unsold puppies. That question is somewhat important because it gives you an idea of what kind of people the breeders are. The people we got Willy from were keeping one of their puppies and told us that if we found we could not care for Willy we could give him back to them and that they'd keep him if they couldn't find him another home. This shows that these people love their dogs. Beware of breeders that say they will give their left over puppies to research companies/doctors or will have them euthanized or sent to a pet store to be sold. Those are terrible things to do to a dog and if you find a breeder like that avoid them and/or tell them off if you feel you need to.

If you are a fan of the Dog Whisperer show, please do not attempt Cesar Milan's techniques on your puppy. If you find you have a dominant or sassy puppy, ask your vet what to do and how to show your dominance properly. Cesar Milan usually works with adult dogs and the techniques for adult dogs with "issues" are different than techniques for puppies just starting out in life. He would tell you that as well if you were to ask him i'm sure. Dominance in puppies usually comes from the puppy not knowing that you are the person who is in control or he may feel he can get away with whatever he wants. The Saint Bernard is a puppy that gets very big very quick and they do use that against you to get their way. Discipline must be consistent. Do not hit a Saint Bernard puppy (or any puppy for that matter). Smacking these dogs makes them aggressive and some may even think you're just playing rough. Do not pin the dog on the floor in a dominant fashion unless you have been instructed to do so by your veterinarian or dog psychologist. If that is done too often during puppyhood it loses its effectiveness and the pup can turn it into a game. Sometimes, being human, we can mistake behaviours for dominant behaviours when that isn't the case at all. If in doubt, ask your vet. If the vet doesn't know how to help he/she can refer you to someone who does.

Outdoor Potty Training:
Thankfully saint bernards are very easy to train to use the bathroom outdoors. Most learn that behaviour in a couple weeks. But for those that don't i will provide the steps necessary for properly potty training a dog.

1. Unless paper training had already been started with the breeder, do not do paper training. It is an unnecessary step unless you must be gone for extended periods of time during the day (which, if you're getting a Saint puppy, you shouldn't be). Throw out ideas of paper training (but these steps can be used for paper training/wee-wee pads if that becomes necessary for the dog at some point in time).

2. Once you have brought your puppy home from his/her breeder, take him/her outside and let the pup explore the surroundings. Make sure all gates are closed, all gaps under fences are filled or blocked by a solid object and if your yard isn't fenced, keep a leash on the pup (you don't have to actually hold it if you don't want to, but if he starts running off you can step on the leash to stop him). Stay outside with him the entire time he is out there. If he urinates or defecates during this time, go up to him and in a high pitched jolly voice say "good boy (or girl)". Then take him inside and let him explore the rest of the house.

3. When you catch him going on the floor, which he undoubtedly will at some point, pick him up mid-urination if he's still going (he will then propably stop going) and take him outside. If he continues going outside, praise him.

4. Clean ALL urine and poop spots immediately after they happen. If your dog has pooped, place the poop outside in the area you want the puppy to go to the bathroom in. Take him outside, show him where his poop is. DO NOT rub his nose in it or yell at him. Dogs usually associate a bathroom area with scent. A quick whiff will tell him all he needs to know and he will sniff it usually on his own. His poop being outside will help him realize that the outside is where he is to go poo. To clean the areas inside where he had the accident/s, use white vinegar with or without baking soda mixed in or use an enzyme floor cleaner specially produced for animal urine/feces. It is extremely important to clean any and every place your puppy has gone to the bathroom in your house with either of these two cleaning recommendations. Dogs that can smell their urine or feces in a place will continue to use that place as a bathroom. Regular carpet cleaner detergent will not remove the odor. Dogs, as you know, can smell things better than we humans. Vinegar and enzyme cleaners remove the smell completely.

5. Be consistent. Do not yell. Do not smack the puppy. Do not rub his/her nose in the mess. Be patient. Praise the dog for doing well.

6. How will you know he needs to go outside? Most dogs develop their own ways of telling their person they need to go to the bathroom. Some will bark or whine, some will pace, some will sit by the backdoor (or any other door in the house), and then some will just give you a look. We had a golden retriever that just gave us a look when she had to go outside. For nearly a year we struggled with getting her to go outside and the whole time it was just a bunch of miscommunication. Our vet told us that sometimes a dog will just get a look. Then the light came on for us and we realized that poor Georgette had been telling us but we didn't know. So there are a variety of ways a dog will tell you he needs to go. Our saint bernard, being a very loud and rowdy dog, just barks at us when he has to go. There are times though when he will sit at the front of the hallway and stare at us to tell us he needs to go. Be observant and patient. There's also the bell ringing technique that dogs can be taught. I do not know much about how to teach that technique because we do not use it.


The Consequences of Too Much Protein in Giant Breed Puppies:

In a previous paragraph on what puppy food to feed i spoke of too much protein in a giant breed puppy's diet being a bad thing. You may wonder why. Well, too much protein, like when you feed a regular sized puppy food to a giant puppy, results in rapid growth spurts. These growth spurts cause joint and bone abnormalities because the growth happens so quickly. Giant breed dogs need a slow growth formula food (not a protein-less or protein restricted diet but a diet with the right amount of protein) so these growth spurts do not happen. Growing pains in a large breed dog should not occur. If they do there is something wrong. Through the years we've found that diet plays a key role in how the bones and joints develop. It was common practice back in the early 90's to administer cortisone shots for giant breed dogs with growing pains. This is no longer recommended by most vets because we have learned diet can eliminate the growing pains and that cortisone shots made the dogs eat more. At the end of this article i'm going to post links to a variety of sites and in that listing will be the website for the "Great Dane Lady". She is a dog nutritionist who specializes in giant breed dog diets. She recommends slow growth dog foods for giant breed dogs.

Health Issues Common to the Breed:
Bloat also known as gastric torsion is one of the bigger killers of saint bernards and other giant breed dogs. It's a brutal gas build up in the stomach that can lead to complications. The deadly form of it occurs when the stomach flips thus making it impossible for a dog to vomit, burp, etc. These gases build up quickly. If not operated on immediately it often results in painful death. Some dogs are more genetically prone to it than others, however, cautions should be taken with all giant and large breed dogs. To help prevent bloat, feed 2 or 3 smaller meals over the course of a day rather than one large meal at one time. Do not let your dog run, jump, or act crazy for an hour after eating or drinking large amounts of water--try to keep a dog from drinking excessive amounts at one time-- (in other words, keep him/her inside and calm, if they must go outside right after eating, put them on a 15 ft. lead). Prevent gas by elevating the feeding bowls; some places will say this contributes to bloat, do not believe it as there is no exact evidence to support that theory. Bloat can occur for a number of different reasons or a combination of reasons. Studies done on bloat with elevated feeding have not listed all other possible contributing factors. Elevating the bowls decreases gas and reduces strain on the neck, shoulders and arm joints of the dog. Some dogs literally cannot get to the food on the floor without standing in a goofy position. My dog is one of those. The benefits of elevated feeding do outweigh the risks. There will be a link in the link list at the end of this post with information on this lethal condition.

Other health issues common to the saint bernard are: Entropion (folding inward of the eyelid so that the lashes and lid rub on the eyeball), Ectropion (a folding outward of the eyelid sometimes resulting in conjunctivitis), Epilepsy (seizures), Heart Murmur, Cancers (unfortunately, cancer is extremely common in most dog breeds now), Wobblers Syndrome (which encompasses a variety of cervical spine abnormalities that produce similar symptoms), Benign Tumors (not cancerous but not a good thing to have).

Raw Diets: I'm going to be frank, raw diets are a pain in the ass, both literally and figuratively. Literally for the dog if he is not fed the diet properly or eats something contaminated resulting in diarrhea or constipation. Figuratively for the human who goes into it not knowing diddly about how to administer it other than going by some crazy online people's advice and thus spends a ridiculous amount of time and money. Unless you are a dog nutritionist or are following a dog nutritionist's real world advice (not internet crazy people's advice), do not feed a raw diet. Malnutrition, contamination, and nutritional imbalances occur far too often by feeding a raw or even a cooked home diet. Feeding a giant breed dog a raw or cooked diet isn't very economical anyway. Yes, you want the best for them. You can give them the best by feeding a high grade holistic natural diet of canned or dry kibble food. There are many brands, do some deep research and some deep thinking when looking for the proper diet. If your pup starts off with bad nutrition that could set him up for years of pain and years of high vet bills for you. If you must feed raw (and if your dog will eat it) and you can afford it, please put some extra money into a dog nutritionist's advice. Take into consideration though that our dogs are not wolves, they have become more omnivorous over the centuries. They are not obligate carnivores like cats. They do need some vegetable matter in their diets and to a point even need some fruit.

By-Products?:

And just so you know, by-product listed in the ingredients on a dog food label isn't a bad thing. By-products are what the dog would be eating in the wild. The by-products usually consist of bone, marrow, muscle, kidney, liver, intestine, stomach, skin, etc parts of the dead animal. Yes, it is gross to us, but to dogs and their wild wolf cousins, it makes for fantastic dinners. Chicken, turkey, fish, deer, bison, etc by product meals are high grade. Beware of the labeling "meat meal". "Meat meals" and "meat by-product meals" aren't the same as chicken, turkey, fish etc meals and by-product meals. Meat meal, unless its in treats, should be avoided in the dogs main diet. The labeling of "meat meal" is usually seen on inferior dog food labels that you see at the dollar store. Always check the ingredient labels. For more information on the terminology of "meals" and "by-products" refer to the links at the end of this post.

EDIT January of 2013::::  The bite capacity of the adult Saint Bernard may not be 550 lbs (i uncovered some bad information).  Mastiffs and other dogs of similar sizes have the highest bite capacity of all dogs (pitbulls don't have sh** on taller, square muzzled breeds, so do not fear the pitbulls so much).  Despite this fact, little is known about the bite capacity of the Saint Bernard as they are not usually aggressive and therefore are not usually studied but if we go by common knowledge of the bite capacity of other Molosser breeds we can conclude that the bite capacity of a Saint Bernard is around 500 lbs depending on the size of the animal and its jaw muscles. 



Informational Links:
Great Dane Lady Dog Nutritionist
Saint Bernard Club of America
Bloat Definitions and Information
Wobblers Syndrome
What the Terminology on the Dog Food Labels Means
Specifics on Nutrition for Large and Small Breeds