Videos Saint Bernard Breed Information
Alternative names -
St. Bernhardshund,
Bernhardiner,
Alpine Mastiff,
Saint Bernard,
Country of origin -
Switzerland
Classification and breed standards
FCI:|Group
2 Section 2 #61|Stds
AKC:|Working|Stds
ANKC:|Group 6
(Utility)|Stds
CKC:|Group
3 - Working Dogs|Stds
KC
(UK):|Working|Stds
NZKC:|Utility|Stds
UKC:|Guardian
Dogs|Stds
The St. Bernard Dog is a very large breed of dog originally
bred for rescue and as a working dog.
A full-grown male can weigh between 100 and 300+ lb (45.35 / 136
kg) and the approximate height is 27" inches to 35" inches (70 to
90 cm).
According to several resources they are one of the largest dog
breeds. There are two varieties of the breed: the
short-haired or smooth-coat variety and the
long-haired or fluffy-coat variety.
1. Quick facts
Saint
Bernard Quick Facts
Weight: | 100-200+ lb
Height: | 27.5-35.5 in
Coat: | Smooth coat or Rough coat
Coat (cont): |
Activity level: | Medium
Learning rate: | High
Temperament: | friendly, loyal, loving
Guard dog ability: | Medium
Watch-dog ability: | Very High
Litter size: | 2-14
Life span: | 9-12 years
2. History
The ancestors of the St. Bernard are the herding dogs of Swiss
farmers like the Greater
Swiss Mountain Dog, as well as hunting dogs and watchdogs. Their history has also been
connected with the hospice at the Great St. Bernard Pass. First
reports of the dogs' presence at the pass date to the 17th century, and they remained loyal
companions to the monks there.
The most famous St. Bernard to save people at the pass was
Barry (sometimes spelled Berry),
who reportedly saved somewhere between 40 and 100 lives. There is a
monument to Barry in the Cimetiere des Chiens, and his body
was preserved in the Natural History Museum in Berne .
The classic St. Bernard looked very different from the St.
Bernard of today, because an avalanche
killed off many of the dogs used for breeding. To
further the breed, they crossed the remaining dogs with other dogs,
but in the process lost much of their use as rescue dogs. The St.
Bernard is among the heaviest and largest dog breeds in the world.
The heaviest and largest dog in known history was a Saint Bernard
named Benedictine, which weighed 152.5kg (336 lbs). Successive studies suggest that
Benedictine was in fact 162 kg (357 lbs). ).
2. 1. Naming
The name "St. Bernard" originates from a travelers
hospice on the often treacherous St. Bernard Pass in the Western Alps between Switzerland and Italy, where the name was passed to the local dogs.
The pass, the lodge, and the dogs are named for Bernard of Benthol, the 11th century
monk who established the station.
"St. Bernard" was in widespread use until the middle
of the 19th century. The dogs were
called "Saint Dogs","Noble Steeds",
"Alpenmastiff", or "Barry Dogs" before, and in
parts of North America, they're still called
"Saints".
3. Varieties
The St. Bernard originally was a smooth-coated dog developed to
rescue travelers from the snow. In the 1830s the monks who owned and bred the dogs
introduced Newfoundland
blood to strengthen the breed, and this gave rise to the rough-coat
St. Bernard. Although more popular,
the rough-coat variety proved to be unsuitable for mountain work
because the long hair tended to collect icicles. For this reason the monks kept the smooth
coat variety for rescue work.
4. Health
The very fast growth rate and the weight of a St. Bernard can
lead to very serious deterioration of the bones if the dog does not
get proper food and exercise. Many dogs are affected by hip dysplasia, elbow dysplasia. Osteosarcoma (bone cancer) has been shown to
be hereditary in the breed .
St. Bernards are susceptible to eye disorders called entropion and ectropion. The FCI standard indicates that this
is now a major fault. The breed is also susceptible to epilepsy and seizures, a heart disease called
dilated cardiomyopathy,
and eczema.
The average life span of a St. Bernard is about 8 years,and some
insurance companies will not issue a life insurance beyond 8
years.
5. In media
St. Bernards are often portrayed, especially in comics and
cartoons, with small barrels of brandy
worn around their necks. This was supposedly used to warm the
victims that the dogs found. However, the monks deny that any St.
Bernard has ever carried casks or small barrels around their necks;
they believe that the origin of the image is an early painting. The
monks did keep casks around for photographs by
tourists.
One magazine cartoon showed a grown St. Bernard, presumably
female, with several puppies; she and each puppy had a cask around
the neck. The man with the dogs told a visitor, according to the
caption, "Of course, I only breed them for the
brandy."
6. Movies
* In 1977, Wonderful
World of Disney played a TV movie about St. Bernard rescue
dogs, Barry of the Great St. Bernard.Part
2 was made in 1985.
* A St. Bernard is also the title dog of the 1992 film Beethoven and its sequels.
* Cujo is a 1983 film, based on
the novel by Stephen King, about a
rabid St. Bernard terrorizing a mother and child trapped in a
broken-down car.
7. Famous St. Bernard
* Bolivar, Donald Duck's pet
* Cujo, a fictional portrayal of a rabid
St. Bernard
* Nanna, from various Peter Pan
movies
* Buck, from Jack London's The Call of the Wild
* Gumbo, team mascot for the New
Orleans Saints
* Neil, the martini-slurping St. Bernard of George and Marion
Kerby in Topper (TV
series)
* Beethoven, the movie Beethoven
Copyright (c) 2008 Kitt Killion Permission is granted to copy, distribute and/or modify this document under the terms of the GNU Free Documentation License, Version 1.2 or any later version published by the Free Software Foundation; with no Invariant Sections, no Front-Cover Texts, and no Back-Cover Texts. A copy of the license is included in the section entitled "GNU Free Documentation License".
Taken or modified, in whole or part, from Wikipedia.org
