Dog breed
The St. Bernard or Saint Bernard (UK: , US: ) is a breed of very large working dog from the Western Alps; they were originally bred for rescue work by the hospice of the Great St Bernard Pass on the Italian-Swiss border, with Switzerland recognized as its country of origin by the FCI. The hospice, built by and named after the Alpine monk Saint Bernard of Menthon,
acquired its first dogs between 1660 and 1670. The breed has become famous through tales of Alpine rescues, as well as for its large size and gentle temperament.
Temperament: Known as a classic example of a gentle giant, the Saint Bernard is calm, patient, and sweet with adults, and especially children. Overall, it is a gentle, loyal, and affectionate breed, and if socialized should be very friendly. While generally not instinctively protective, a St. Bernard may bark at strangers, and their size makes them good deterrents against possible intruders.
The St. Bernard was bred to be a working companion and to this day it lives to please its master, and is an amiable yet hard worker. St. Bernards have retained their natural ability for scent work and depending on the skill of the trainer and the talents of the dog, they can participate in tracking events or even become involved in search and rescue work.
Description: The St. Bernard is recognized internationally today as one of the molosser breeds. It is a giant dog. The coat is smooth being close and flat. The colour is primarily white with smaller or larger red patches with a clear to dark red mantle and reddish-brown mantle being the most 'valuable'. A brindle reddish colour and brownish-yellow colour are both allowed but less desirable. The tail is long and heavy, hanging high. The eye colour ranges from light brown to dark brown and should have naturally tight lids, with haws only slightly visible.
Health: A 2024 UK study found a life expectancy of 9.3 years for the breed compared to an average of 12.7 for purebreeds and 12 for crossbreeds. A 2005 Swedish study of insurance data found 74% of St Bernards died by the age of 10, higher than the overall rate of 35% of dogs dying by the age of 10.
Osteosarcoma (bone cancer) has been shown to be hereditary in the breed.
A study found a mutation in the gene ARHGEF10 to be highly associated with a juvenile-onset inherited polyneuropathy similar to Charcot-Marie-Tooth disease.
The Saint Bernard is predisposed to several skin conditions, these include: acral lick dermatitis, intertrigo, dermal arteritis, hygroma, and pyotraumatic dermatitis.
An American study of veterinary records found the Saint Bernard to be predisposed to dilated cardiomyopathy (DCM), with 2.6% of dogs having the condition compared to 0.2% for mixed-breeds. A study in England found 20 out of 369 cases of DCM to be Saint Bernards with 72% of those all presenting for atrial fibrillation.
History Of The St. Bernard: The earliest written records of the St. Bernard are from monks at the Great St Bernard Hospice at the Great St Bernard Pass in 1707, with paintings and drawings of the dog dating even earlier. Early British accounts of the breed described the breed as the Alpine Spaniel. The first evidence that the dogs were in use at the monastery is in two paintings dating to 1690 by Italian artist Salvator Rosa. 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 Cimetière des Chiens, and his body was preserved in the Natural History Museum in Bern.
Another famous dog was Rutor, the faithful companion of the Italian priest Pierre Chanoux, named after the peak Tête du Rutor located above the Little St. Bernard pass. The classic St. Bernard looked very different from the St. Bernard of today because of crossbreeding. Severe winters from 1816 to 1818 led to increased numbers of avalanches, killing many of the dogs used for breeding while they were performing rescues. In an attempt to preserve the breed, the remaining St. Bernards were crossed with Newfoundlands brought from the Colony of Newfoundland in the 1850s, as well as with other breeds. This led to a significant change in their appearance and abilities. The long fur they inherited would freeze in the snowy climate of the Alps, weighing them down and reducing their effectiveness as rescue dogs.
The dogs never received any special training from the monks. Instead, younger dogs would learn how to perform search and rescue operations from older dogs.
