St bernard

[realwoodlogs]

Weve been considering a dog for some time but I am not q huge dog person. However I do like st Bernard's. I like their nature and relationship with others.

Does anyone have one. What can you tell me about them. I know they grow ridiculously big. We have 3 kids, but the youngest is nearly 6 and no chance of any more. We have plenty of space and time to walk it/socialise/train/be with it. We do have cats.

Opinions on them as pets especially in our situation.

Never had a St. Bernard myself but hope you like vacuuming!

They're lovely but there's a reason for my mn nickname!!

MyFriends is bang on with an enjoyment of vaccuming/wiping down walls is a bonus, because hair & slobber can get all over the place. Even with a fairly dry mouthed St they still slobber after eating & drinking.

They are stubborn!

There are also health concerns regarding hip, elbows, heart & eyes within the breed. At a minimum parents should have hip & elbow scores done, preferably a clear heart test too & both should have tight eyes.

They aren't cheap to buy & if you need vet treatment that isn't cheap either, food wise it's not a expensive as you might think. I pay around £40 a month for a combination of dry & raw.

Have a look on Champdogs, attend breed shows & if you have fb join the St Bernard UK group.

They are fantastic though

This is Phoebe, she's 4.5 & has been with us since November, we sadly lost her litter sister suddenly in October & her breeder asked us to take her on. She's fabulous with my children, 6, 5, 3 & almost 1.

A friend of mine has one, he is a lovely natured lump of dog who managed to accidentally to knock me over with one paw when I once bent down to speak to him :). She has to wash down the walls on a regular basis, and the combination of even more slobber and a lot of hair is not great, unless you are a true dog person genuinely not bothered by it.

But.... At 9 months old he developed Degenerative myelopathy, which is desparately sad. ( and extremely difficult to manage in a pup this size, it's not as if you can just pick him up )
He also has very poor eyes which are going to cause problems. He is now just under a year old, so it's very sad.

We see one on our walks. Gorgeous and just like a bear, but I could NOT put up with the slobber that perpetually hangs from his mouth.

I had one many years ago and they leave a big hole in your heart when they go, but yes they aren't for the house proud and when little they can be quite destructive, mine ate a hoover, an iron, a hard hat and a very expensive leather jacket, my fault entirely as I left them all within her reach, but still I didn't really expect her to chow down on a hoover.

You need to get from health tested parents as they can and do suffer from hip problems and you have to be careful not to over exercise when they are growing and stairs are a big no no for their growing joints, but as they are giants, you need to factor in that every will cost so much more, like vets bills as the require more of everything.

My dog used to hang out with my inlaws terriers so for all her life I believe thought she was the same size as them, but she was beautiful and I still miss her now.

I love the breed but couldn't cope with the slobber!

I think if I was going to get a giant breed I would opt for a leonberger as they don't drool as much!

Thank you very much.

I'm most certainly not overly houseproud!

Definitely food for though there.

Nature never intended dogs the size of ponies, so be prepared to spend a lot at the vet. Also plan from a practical point of view how you will transport it there if it collapses due to dilated cardiomyopathy or GDV in the middle of the night.

My friend has one and he looks gorgeous but he's huge and heavy and only now he's a year old becoming more manageable. A fourteen stone puppy running and jumping on you isn't fun tbh.I like to look at him and give him a fuss but I'm always glad he isn't coming home with me.

A good book about the breed is The Complete St Bernard by Pat Muggleton & a useful website is www.stbernardhealth.co.uk

Have you thought about contacting a breeder (who doesn't have a litter ) & asking if they'd be willing to let you go & meet them & have a fuss/ find out a bit more about them? Most will be only to happy to let you! Good luck!