Giant dogs

[Seekingasaintmaybe]

Could I please get some thorough advice from any giant breed owners please?

There is some conflict between DH and I.
Eventually, after all this covid horror, we want another dog.

I would ideally prefer a smaller breed this time.
DH wants to go the other way, he wants a giant breed.
There is a Saint Bernard breeder near us (though she hasn’t a litter for a while now) and he is hinting at a Bernard.

The thing is though, I know they drool a lot and I HATE drooly dogs.
I don’t mind the hair though.

I don’t find them attractive to look at compared to other breeds, they are too heavy set and clunky for my liking (or are their owners just keeping them fat..?)
I have seen some old photographs of beautiful Saint Bernards (muscular and strong but slim) but none of the real life Bernard’s I’ve seen look like that.

I’m also a little scared about my ability to control it and if it goes ‘bad’/develops aggression problems.
There is a Saint Bernard locally that is quite badly behaved, fortunately i haven’t seen it in ages.
It plonks itself down and refuses to move for its owner whenever it fancies and it doesn’t like my dog and lunges when it sees her which is frankly terrifying.

I’m worried incase we get this dog and it turns out to have issues and i can’t control it.
Our current dog is mildly dog reactive/dog selective but she is perfectly capable of making friends (hence wanting another dog) but I don’t typically let her interact with dogs we don’t know.
She’s fairly small and easily controlled but a giant wouldn’t be...

So I’d really appreciate some advice from giant breed owners.
Good and bad.
Are problem behaviours like dog aggression, resource guarding and the like a known problem as with some other breeds?

A close relative had a lovely dane cross (with doberman and a bit of lab - he was a rescue so we're not sure). He was lovely and trainable, got on with other dogs and was very patient with young DC. No drooling either, but a very big dog.

We have friends with a couple of St Bernards, and they're lovely dogs, well trained (though they worked hard on that!), beautiful nature's etc. They have an enormous house though, so plenty of room for them. My DB has a great Dane, who is lovely, but always in the way! Make sure you have lots of room.
We used to see someone with two Pyreneans (the white ones, yes?) walking in the park...they were enormous, but the owner was 6'4", and strong. his hair was just like theirs!!

Would a large breed not be a compromise? Boxer, Labrador, Setter, Pointer etc.

In turn pups will learn from your older dog, even the bad habits sadly
Reactivity aside she doesn’t have any!
She is truly a perfect pet.
Never barks, not noise sensitive, she does beg but will go to her bed if told and doesn’t steal or counter surf, not destructive in any way, lovely with children, doesn’t dig my garden, polite and friendly with people that approach but won’t go running off to them on her own, lovely and calm and placid in the house.
I honestly can’t think of a single bad habit (aside from reactivity) she could teach a new puppy.

Would a large breed not be a compromise? Boxer, Labrador, Setter, Pointer etc
I think the issue there is our house is small.
Admittedly I am home all day and out with dog/s for most of the day but a large dog that enjoys long walking then comes home and is racing around everywhere won’t work.

It needs to be either a small dog or a dog that will be lazy in the house.

I think that is a major appeal of giants for DH, that they appear to be quite placid and lazy.

Give me a big dog over a yappy little one every day of the week. All dogs need training and good boundaries whether they're a chihuahua or a St. Bernard.

I know a newfy and they're so gentle and loving. They do accidentally knock stuff over because they're so big but oh my god, so gorgeous.

If you can't deal with drool though, then you really don't want a big drooly dog.

"they appear to be quite placid and lazy."

Yes, they do like to sleep and just be where you are in the home.

They can be placid and calm in the house once fully grown at 3 years....there is no way I could have our Swissy pup in a small house. Her zoomies are intense!

Yep giant puppies aren’t calm in the house! Do you have space to separate pup and older dog to avoid clashes?

Greyhounds are pretty big but lazy!

Yep giant puppies aren’t calm in the house!
I am aware that puppies obviously do not sleep all day but I was under the impression that Saint puppies are typically much calmer than other breeds.
Is this not the case?

Do you have space to separate pup and older dog to avoid clashes?
I have a crate.
The last time we had a visiting puppy we let them greet, puppy behaved as pups do and jumped on current dog, ran around nipping her legs, pulling her tail etc.
She was thoroughly pissed off and growled whenever he did that but otherwise fine.
I played with them both for a bit then gave them both a kong and they just chilled away from each other until pup got picked up.
I was planning on doing much the same but using the crate this time to put the puppy in whenever it’s harassing resident dog.

"was under the impression that Saint puppies are typically much calmer than other breeds.
Is this not the case?"

Yes, my Saint puppy is fairly calm. She only runs occasionally in the home so far, fairly calm and mostly contented. No zoomies here!

Our leonberger pups have been the easiest puppies ever

Walked to heel from day 1, easy to housetrain, easy to socialise as they already love everyone.

Give me a leo over a German shepherd puppy any day

The best way to approach getting a puppy is to think what kind of lifestyle you want the dog to fit into, and work back from there. It sounds like you would like a relatively low maintenance (in terms of drool, grooming and exercise), calm natured dog. For this reason I would steer clear of any working breeds - intelligent dogs do learn quickly and you can get so much out of them, but they need a huge amount of stimulation and careful training particularly in the puppy years. St Bernard's drool a lot and are prone to heart, joint and skin problems. Medications are very expensive for this size of dog - think around £100 for a short course of antibiotics. Giant breeds also have shorter lifespans sadly.

As the owner of a juvenile dobermann, one thing I would flag is that when dogs get to their adolescent phase at around 6 months, they start to throw their weight around and suddenly controlling them on a walk can turn into a battle. I had mine walking beautifully on a harness but it was as though at 6 months he realised that he could drag me wherever he wanted - he's on a haltie now until his impulses settle! I also was not prepared for the size of the poos, often two poo bags' worth!

In terms of maintenance, I would echo a previous poster and say greyhound. They're big dogs, usually lovely natured, no drooling and very little shedding. They like a chance to charge around for a bit then couch potatoes for the rest of the day. Only drawback is that you need to be careful around cats or very small dogs as they have a strong prey drive.

It sounds like you would like a relatively low maintenance (in terms of drool, grooming and exercise), calm natured dog
We are looking for a sweet, nice temperament dog. Just a nice, friendly family pet.
Drool, ugh, I’m unsure how I might cope with that but I am happy to do lots of grooming, hair honestly doesn’t bother me.
Exercise; I’m out most of the day dog walking.
I don’t want a running companion or anything like that but i walk a lot, any dog of ours will be fit no doubt about that!
I don’t mind high energy in a small dog but the size of the house means I really don’t want a large energetic dog as it’ll get in the way.
If large I need a dog that will enjoy a (very long) companionable walk then sleep the rest of the day away.

Re greyhounds.
I’m really not comfortable adopting an adult dog (of any breed) as I have young children and don’t know the histories of these dogs

If you want energetic walks, Saints aren't that type of dog to accompany you then. Just a stroll really, got to be careful with their hip joints.

I would also say greyhounds too as PPs have suggested.

Nope Saints don't tend to do big walks😬

Greyhounds are more adaptable for long walks.

I prefer to pick up poo from a smallish dog and I wouldn't be able to stand any drool.

I know a large breed isn't for us. Our dog is tiny and I held onto a friend's cockapoo the other day and I was surprised how much stronger he was than our dog and it made me think if we had gone for a larger breed would I have struggled to control it.

I would never get a dog that you can’t physically control I have fond memories of a well dressed woman walking a Newfoundland in the park. The dog decided to chase the ducks... and towed her waist deep into the pond.

I'd never have a dog that I couldn't lift and carry myself in an emergency

Not ‘energetic’, no running, jumping, ball throwing etc.
Just a long gentle walk..?
How much exercise is too much then?
I know they have a reputation for not needing much exercise and not being able to things like agility or heavy running because of their joints but kept at a healthy weight they can surely manage a long walk?!
I thought they were bred as search and rescue dogs?
They surely must have covered some ground there?

Blimey PoleToPole you could be describing my Skyes.

Pyrs are solemn, intelligent, serious dogs, they are suspicious (to varying degrees from standoffish to hostile) of strangers and other dogs, and they consider anyone who doesn`t live in your house a stranger, no matter how often you see them

They also tend to be one person dogs - PoleDog would jump over the moon for me and will instantly obey even voiceless commands without question.
DH can forget it though.”

Dour Scots isn’t in it. And they are surprisingly big dogs just on short legs, VERY long bodies.

I have the same problem as Leonberger in that I can’t go anywhere with them without being stopped every few yards with people admiring them, questioning what breed, how beautiful & glamorous. All the while my lot are barking at them, cursing & swearing at them, as they loathe strangers
Just once, I’ve met one other person out walking one, a chap in Scotland with a teenage one. Says it was the worst thing he ever did getting it. It adores his wife, will do anything for her, but won’t even speak to him.

The only bigger breed I’ve owned were two Old English Sheepdogs. They could drool for England & I lost one to bloat.