St. Bernard

(Breed Standard)

Partha Sekhar Chatterjee

International All Breeds Dog Show Judge

Almost legendary in the world of dogs this great breed spent a good deal of its time sloughing deep through the snow surrounding the Hospice of St. Bernard Pass which crosses the Valais Alps between Martigny, Switzerland and Aosta, Italy and the other lies between Mont Blanc and the Graian Alps, connecting Bourg St Maurice, France to Courmayeur, Italy.

With a small keg of brandy fastened to his collar, rescuing snow bound travelers. The Saints are large and powerful enough dogs to perform the deed that it is reputed to have done around the Hospice. The breed was first introduced there during the years 1660 to 1670 where it was originally used as a watchdog. They are said to be the descendents of the old Roman Mol Ossian dogs. Due to their very good sense of direction and excellent path- finding ability in fog and snow, the monks took the St. Bernard through the mountains when going out on long trips . The association developed into a wonderful combination of man and beast in service of life – saving in the snow. The renowned BARRY who is credited with having saved forty lives between 1800 and 1810, and whose mounted likeness is in the Berne Natural History Museum, is representative of the older type of St. Bernard.

They were capable of scenting out travelers lost in the snow and act as guides to them in extreme weather conditions, and the monks still keep these striking animals even though the pass is now completely negotiable and more modern and safer methods of rescue are used. At that time the dogs there would probably have been the Alpine Mastiff or some similar dogs used as a guard. It is learnt that the dogs at the Hospice virtually died out and the monks had to recourse to using other breeds as an outcross, the Newfoundland and the Pyrenean Mountain Dogs are suggested as possibilities. 1866 saw the first St. Bernard being shown in Britain, they had been imported from the Hospice of St. Bernard where reputedly the worse specimens were allowed to leave by the monks. They created an immediate sensation, and a club was formed shortly afterwards to look into the interest s of the breed.  The dogs at the Hospice are said to have been half - coated, neither rough nor smooth. , But the out – cross with other breeds resulted in two coats, and dogs that were brought into Britain produced stock that was both smooth or rough indiscriminately, something that still happens. The original Alpine Mastiff was a fairly smooth – coated dog and it is probable that the smooth – coats of today are a reversion to this type. After considerable popularity around the turn of the century, when a great deal of breeding took place and dogs changed hands for very large sums of money (Sir Bedivere being sold to the United States of America for instance for 1,300 Pound Sterling which was a fortune in those days) the breed went into a decline. The St. Bernard club is one of the old established clubs in Britain, but even they could not prevent the fall in numbers that took place. But fashion is fickle and ever changing so after the Supreme award at crufts the breed started picking up again and an upsurge in its fortune was noticed.

He is still one of the heaviest dogs in the world, weights of 200 pounds not being unknown, and his strength is enormous. It would be foolish to pretend that he is an easy dog to maintain. First of all he takes up a great deal of space, and requires large amounts of high quality food to keep the immense bulk in condition. In the search for size soundness was for a long time sacrificed , and even now in order to rear a St. Bernard, a great deal of correct exercising is needed to prevent weakness of the hindquarters. He has moreover a habit of drooling, and it is not unusual to see one of these dogs sitting in a car with a bib tied round its neck to prevent him soiling the upholstery. 

The first St. Bernard was introduced into England from Switzerland in 1810. This dog called Lion, was comparatively large, standing 32” to 33” at the shoulder. The first exhibition showing of a St. Bernard took place in 1863. In 1823, the writer Daniel Wilson first spoke in Britain of the so- called St. Bernard but it was not until 1880 that the name was officially recognized. Previous to 1830, all St. Bernard’s were short – haired but, in that year, in an attempt to give added size and new vitality to the breed, this is the time they were crossed with Newfoundland’s. As a result, the first long – haired St. Bernard appeared. Schumacher, who in 1884 arranged for the first collection of the Swiss Kennel Club records to be published, is also to be thanked for the first systematic breeding to be carried on outside the Hospice. He idealized the old BARRY type and many such dogs were sold in England. By 1887, a new type, neither English, nor German nor Swiss, had come into being and a congress was held in Berne in that year, at which an International standard was set up.

Between 1875 and 1885, America had come under the spell of this giant dog and in 1988, the St. Bernard Club of America was formed and it adopted the International standard set up at the Berne congress.

There were two St. Bernard Clubs in England, the English St. Bernard Club and the United St. Bernard Club. There was also the St. Bernard Club of Scotland. The breed is now very popular and the standard of type and quality is very high. Really good sizes have been achieved; like 36”for dogs at the shoulder and for a bitch 33”.

COLOR

Orange, mahogany – brindle, red – brindle; white with patches on the body of any of the above - named colors. There should be a white blaze up the face, white muzzle, chest, legs and tip of tail, and a white collar round the neck. Black shadings on the face and ears give the dog a very attractive appearance and are greatly appreciated. Fawn or self – colored are faults.

CARE

The chief factors in raising a St. Bernard are regularity in diet, time of feeding, exercise, sleeping and the administration of such medicines and health aids as one proves by success. A puppy of 2 to 4 months should be fed 4 times a day, 4 to 6 months 3 times a day, 6 to 12 months twice a day. After 12 months one meal a day is sufficient. Giving a St. Bernard puppy lot of exercise can do much harm. Short frequent walks are better than long, tiring ones. Care of the coat is very important and a daily grooming will keep it clean and lovely. Care must be taken to ensure that the dog is kept free from worms as these pets derange the system and cause the coat to fall.

CHARACTER

The St. Bernard has a wonderful disposition. Its grace, dignity and great devotion to children, make it a highly popular breed to many dog – lovers. It is easy to train and has a wonderful brain. It is a very steady and faithful companion at all times. It must be noted that it is very difficult to breed a St. Bernard sound enough, at the same time excellent in breed points, to compete successfully with the top dogs of other breeds – therefore even a group win at a championship show is highly commendable for a St. Bernard.

STANDARDS

The coat is long or short according to whether the dog is rough or smooth – coated. The smooth – coated specimen should have a dense, close, hound – like, tough coat, but it should not be rough to the touch. The thighs should be slightly feathered. The rough coated dog should have moderately long flat hair: not curly or shaggy. The hair should be longer on the neck and the tail should be bushy but never rolled.

The large massive head and skull should in circumference be rather double the length of the head from nose to the occiput.  . Muzzle short full in front of the eye and square at nose end. Cheeks flat, with great depth fro eye to lower jaw. Lips deep but not very pendulous. From nose to sop perfectly straight and broad. Well-defined stop. Broad skull slightly rounded at the top and with a somewhat prominent brow. Nose large and black. The eyes should be somewhat small and deep-set and dark in color, the lower lid drooping to show a fair amount of haw at the inner corner. It should have good body and bone portraying power and endurance and it should have a free and easy movement.

Given those slight drawbacks he makes a magnificent show dog. The rich mixture of colors and well-defined markings distinguishes him from all the other large breeds, and his sheer size makes his presence felt specially when a number of these dogs are grouped together.

Like most large dogs the SAINTS have a very steady temperament and what he dislikes most is the close attention of another dog, he is very friendly with people in general and especially with those that he knows.

Back