St Bernard Puppies
St Bernard’s make great family pets for those who have the space and time, they are protective, trustworthy and great with children.
St Bernard’s can grow from 26″ to 36″ (66 to 91cm) tall, and can weigh on average of 110-200 pounds (50 to 91kg).
They come in two coat types, smooth coated and rough coated, and come in a variety of colours red, brown and brindle and all come with white markings. Both coat types moult, but the smooth coated only needs brushing once a week, whereas the rough coat needs daily grooming as dead hair can clog the undercoat and form mats.
This giant breed does not adapt well to apartment living, it can be kennelled outside but would much prefer to be living inside with the family, however they are susceptible to overheating due to such a thick coat.
St Bernard’s for such a large dog make excellent family pets, they are affectionate, loyal and gentle around children. They love to be involved in family activities, but would also quite happily curl up at their owners feet on quiet night.
St Bernard Puppy Sales
Dogs4Us offer St Bernard puppy sales in the UK and for your peace of mind our St Bernard puppies are sold with a 6 Month Guarantee. Please call us before visiting our kennels, to check on availability of St Bernard puppies.
At Dogs4Us we are very proud of our reputation for providing happy, healthy pedigree St Bernard puppies which are suitable for the owner’s circumstances, making the ideal family pet. Most of our St Bernard puppy sales are made to people who have bought puppies from us before or have been recommended to us by satisfied customers. You are most welcome to visit and browse around our friendly, homely and comfortable kennels.
Each of our pedigree St Bernard puppies is temporary vaccinated, wormed and micro-chipped for identification. We pride ourselves in taking great care of our dogs and our vet attends daily to oversee the health and welfare of the St Bernard puppies that we keep. For more information on St Bernard puppy sales or for details of prices and availability, please Contact the St Bernard experts at Dogs4Us.
The History of the St Bernard
The St Bernard breed originated as a working dog in the Swiss and Italian Alps and was first bred to offer help in rescue situations. And St Bernard’s have achieved notoriety through tales of alpine rescues, as well as for their amazingly large size.
The ancestors of the St Bernard share a history with the Sennenhunds, also called Swiss Cattle Dogs or Swiss Mountain Dogs. These early ancestors were large farm dogs belonging to dairy farmers in the high mountains in Switzerland. These breeds were livestock guardians, herding, hunting dogs and also became search and rescue dogs. Like the Rottweiler, the St Bernard breed is thought to be a descendant of large and sturdy molosser dogs brought to the Alps by Roman legions.
The first dated records of the St Bernard were made by monks at the hospice at the Great St Bernard Pass in 1707 although there are paintings and drawings of the dog dating back further. Probably the most famous of all St. Bernard dogs was Barry who reportedly saved between 40 and 100 lives in the St Bernard pass. There is a monument to Barry in the Cimetière des Chiens and the body of this heroic dog was preserved in the Natural History Museum in Berne.
The modern St Bernard breed actually only slightly resembles the original animal due to cross-breeding. Particularly severe winters in the early 19th century led to a large decrease in St Bernard numbers due to avalanches which killed many breeding dogs whilst they were performing rescues. To preserve the St Bernard breed, the remaining St Bernards were crossed with Newfoundlands and by doing so the St Bernard lost much of its use as a rescue dogs as the long fur that they inherited froze easily.
The St Bernard breed standard was approved in 1888 and since that time the breed has been recognised as the national dog of Switzerland.
Breeds Related to the St Bernard
The St Bernard is remarkably similar to the English Mastiff and the Newfoundland. Unsurprisingly this is attributed to a shared ancestry with the Alpine and Tibetan Mastiff breeds. It is thought that these breeds were used to redevelop one other to combat the threat of extinction after World War II.
St Bernard Health Issues and Temperament
The rapid growth rate and the significant weight of the St Bernard can lead to bone deterioration so proper food and adequate exercise is vital. St Bernards can be susceptible to eye disorder when the eyelid turns in or out and the breed standard notes this fault. St Bernards may live beyond 10 years.
St Bernard puppies, as is the case with all large dogs, must be well socialised with people from an early age. It is also important that they become used to other dogs to prevent possible aggression. The biggest threat to small children is being knocked over by this breed’s larger size. The St Bernard is a loyal and affectionate breed and is very friendly if socialised properly.
Due to the large adult size of the St Bernard, it is essential that proper training commences with St Bernard puppies to avoid the difficulty of training large dogs. Unruly and poorly trained St Bernards may present problems for even a strong adult, so control needs to be asserted from the outset. The St Bernard will bark at strangers, and their size means that they are a good deterrent against intruders.
For any questions regarding St Bernard Puppies or for details of of the breed. please Contact the St Bernard experts at Dogs4Us.
