I NEED TO KNOW EVERYTHING POSSIBLE ABOUT SAINBERNARDS???

[Amiee Ross]

I have a Chihuahua named Howie. Me and my husband have recently gotten married and decided to get a female Saint Bernard so that Howie can have a friend. I know nothing about Saint Bernards so if anyone has any information please let me know.....
Thank You,
Amiee Ross

[Schnauzer]

Why in the world would you decide to get a breed that you know nothing of???? That's part of why dogs end up in shelters, when people decide on a breed but don't know anything about it.. then poof! All of a sudden their cute little puppy is a HUGE dog with a lot of requirements, big food bills and behavioral issues! With that being said, I can personally tell you that the Saint Bernard is a WONDERFUL breed! They are not for everyone though... the Chihuahua's size is a big concern if you're getting a puppy. I love them, and would like to have one at some point in time maybe. I know one that comes to the dog park quite often. I haven't learned his name, but he's as sweet as they're rumored to be. Even though a Bernard would be very gentle with your Chi, while she's a puppy, there is a big possibility of Howie getting hurt due to the sheer size. So, be very careful and supervise them at all times until the Bernard is a calm adult. They don't live that long on bad dog food (Purina brands, Hills, Nutro, and other """"""premium""""" foods, etc....), so feed GOOD food. Dogs don't need carbohydrates, and it usually leads to cancer and allergies. Feed her something like Innova Evo, Blue Wilderness, Orijen, Go, and similar grainless appropriate foods if you want her to be with you longer than 8-10 years. Go here: http://dogfoodanalysis.com/ to find good foods. It's more expensive, but you don't feed as much, so less poop! You may have to special order, also. They have been known to make it 15 years on this kind of food I mentioned... That's nearly double the lifespan, and much lower vet bills. Keep in mind that any vet bills you do have, and medicines, will cost a lot more for a Bernard than a Chi, because it takes a lot more medicine to treat them. I recommend rescuing a St. Bernard at Petfinder.com. Purebreds show up from time to time. That way, you already know the temperament, but it's also a good deed. Here are some available for adoption:
http://www.petfinder.com/search/search.cgi?animal=Dog&breed=Sai...
If you insist on getting one from a breeder, do your homework!! This is a must, I repeat, a MUST! Both parents MUST be OFA certified against hip displasia... Have the breeder show you the proof, and don't except anything less! This means that the dam and sire should both have a score of "fair" or better, otherwise you may be dealing with BIG and expensive problems with your puppy, including painful surgery and lifelong mobility problems. I strongly recommend this website for most of your breed research needs: dogbreedinfo.com. Here is the link to their article on St. Bernards:
http://dogbreedinfo.com/saintbernard.htm
St. Bernards come in two coats: long (fluffy) and smooth. If you have hardly any time for grooming, choose the smooth coat. This is my personal favorite, but everyone is different. They are good watchdogs, and their bark is amazing! I love to hear that male at the dog park bark at my arrival because it's just so powerful, yet it isn't annoying or yappy! Keep in mind that this is a dog with a lot of Mastiff blood in it... Mastiffs love to be with their families all of the time. If you and your husband are both going to be gone to work during the day, this is NOT the dog for you, unless you WANT your furniture to be in a million pieces! They have a very strong pack drive, so they bond closely with you, follow you places and don't want to be without you. This is typical of Mastiff-type breeds. They're for people who have a lot of time on their hands. Also, everything is bigger with a dog this size... including problems like Jumping, counter-surfing, etc just because they have more weight to knock someone down, and more height to steal your food off the counter... So training is important. I'm not one of those radical obedience school promoters, and I don't think people need it unless they don't know how to be a pack leader. If you don't know how to be the pack leader, then I suggest you find out as much as you can. I'm also not one of those "positive ONLY" training gurus... I think a dog needs correction sometimes, but it should always be within reason, never cruel, and always consistent. There are a lot of resources out there for behavior and training... Cesar Milan, Victoria Stillwell, Turid Rugaas, Eric Letendre (you can find some good stuff of his on youtube.com channel http://www.youtube.com/user/eletendre1 and http://amazingdogtrainingman.com/), etc. I can also tell you that these dogs really don't like to be yelled at and don't respond well to that... They're just big lovies!
When feeding.... this is very important...
Feed smaller meals throughout the day. Let's say you feed her kibble and she needs 7 cups a day. Feed her 3 cups in the morning, 2 at lunch, and 2 more for dinner. DON'T feed one big meal! Also, don't get raised food bowls, even though she'll be a really big dog. The reason for this is because large breed dogs like Bernards get "bloat" or gastric torsion a lot if you don't do these things. The other important prevention strategy for this is to never ever exercise her 1 hour before or especially 1 hour after she eats. For some reason, this can lead to gas build up in the stomach... which leads to bloat. Bloat is a medical emergency that causes the stomach to twist and cut off blood flow from other organs like the intestines and spleen, and will kill your dog if she doesn't have emergency surgery within hours of noticing it! It's not a given she will or won't get it, but to dramatically lower the risks, follow the above food advice. More food advice, but not related to bloat: Don't let her get overweight! That causes a lot of health issues in any breed, but in a large breed, it's just that much worse because it puts added stress on their joints. Keep her lean. If you can't feel her ribs without pushing on her side, she's too fat and will develop joint issues. It's also bad for the heart, lungs, liver and other organs. Studies show that if you feed your dog to a lean weight, you increase their lifespan on average 1.8 years!
Only get one when you're ready, and be sure Howie's ready too, as that will be a HUGE change for him... but I can tell you that if you love a big sweet lazy dog that slobbers everywhere, you picked a good breed. Just be very careful that the new St. Bernard doesn't accidentally hurt him (she'd never do it on purpose, they're too sweet!).
Here's the big guy at the dog park that I'd just love to take home with me:

If you have any questions, I'd be glad to answer and provide resources. Just send me a comment or message... or reply to this thread. Good luck to you!!

[Juliet Varns]

Honestly, if you are considering getting one don't get it until you do research. Secondly its must easier and less typing if you just look up care sheets for that particular animal on the internet. Do a search, you'll find a lot of information, I guarantee it.