DON'T BUY A SAINT BERNARD

This article has been adapted from: DON'T BUY A BOUVIER! by Pam Green (c.1992)(This article, written many years ago, has become a notorious classic in Bouvier circles. It has been reprinted many times by clubs to use for the education of prospective Bouvier owners. She gives her permission freely to all who wish to reprint and distribute it in hopes of saving innocent dogs from neglect and abandonment by those who should never have acquired them in the first place).

Interested in buying a Saint? You must be or you wouldn't be reading this. You've already heard how marvelous Saints are. Well, I think you should also hear, before it's too late, that SAINT BERNARDS ARE NOT THE PERFECT BREED FOR EVERYONE. As a breed , they have a few characteristics that some people find charming, but that some people find mildly unpleasant, and some people find downright intolerable.

There are different breeds for different needs. There are over 200 breeds of dogs in the world. Maybe you would be better off with goldfish, a parakeet, a hamster, or some house-plants.  

The appearance of the Saint Bernard you have seen in the show ring is the product of many hours of bathing and grooming. This carefully constructed beauty is fleeting: a few minutes of freedom, romping through the fields or strolling in the rain restores the natural look. The natural look of the Saint is that of a large, shaggy farm dog, usually with some dirt and weeds clinging to his tousled coat. The true beauty of the Saint lies in his character, not in his appearance. Some of the long-coated and most of the short-coated breeds' appearances are less dependent on grooming than is that of especially the long-haired Saint. 

Saints were bred to share in the work of their master (they are service dogs, used for saving lives, hiking, pulling carts, etc.) and to spend most of their waking hours working with their master. They thrive on companionship and they want to be wherever you are. They are happiest living with you in your house and going with you when you go out. While they usually tolerate being left at home by themselves (preferably with a dog-door giving access to the fenced yard), they should not be relegated to the backyard or kennel. A puppy exiled from the house is likely to grow up to be unsociable, unruly, and unhappy. He may well develop pastimes, such as digging or barking, that will displease you and/or your neighbors. An adult so exiled will be miserable too. If you don't strongly prefer to have your dog's companionship as much as possible, enjoying having him sleep in your bedroom at night and sharing many of your activities by day, you should choose a breed less oriented to human companionship. Likewise if your job or other obligations prevent your from spending much time with your dog. No dog is really happy without companionship, but the pack hounds for example, are more tolerant of being kenneled or yarded so long as it is in groups of 2 or more. A better choice would be a cat, as they are solitary by nature. 

Basic obedience and household rules training is NOT optional for the Saint. As an absolute minimum, you must teach him to reliably respond to commands to come, to lie down, to stay, and to walk at your side, or on or off a leash and regardless of temptations. You must also teach him to respect your household rules: e.g. is he allowed to get on the furniture? Is he allowed to beg at the table? What you allow or forbid is unimportant, but it is *critical* that you, not the dog, make these choices and that you enforce your rules consistently. You must commit yourself to attending an 8 to 10 weeks series of weekly lessons at a local obedience club or with a professional trainer, and to doing one or two short (5 to 20 minutes) homework sessions per day. As commands are learned, they must be integrated into your daily life by being used whenever appropriate, and enforced consistently. Young Saint puppies are relatively easy to train: they are eager to please, intelligent, and calm-natured, with a relatively good attention span. Once a Saint has learned something, he tends to retain it well. Your cute, sweet little Saint puppy will grow up to be a large, powerful dog. If he has grown up respecting you and your rules, then all his physical and mental strength will work for you. But if he has grown up without rules and guidance from you, surely he will make his own rules, and his physical and mental powers will often act in opposition to your needs and desires. For example: he may tow you down the street as if competiting in a sled-dog race; he may grab food off the table; he may forbid your guests entry to "his" home. This training cannot be delegated to someone else, e.g. by sending the dog away to "boarding school," because the relationship of respect and obedience is personal between the dog and the individual who does the training. While you definitely want the help of an experienced trainer to teach you how to train your dog, you yourself must actually train your Saint. As each lesson is well learned, then the rest of the household (except young children) must also work with the dog, insisting he obey them as well. Many of the Saints that are rescued from Pounds and Shelters show clearly that they have received little or no basic training, neither in obedience nor in household deportment; yet these same dogs respond well to such training by the rescuer or the adopter. It seems likely that a failure to train the dog is a significant cause of Saint abandonment. If you don't intend to educate your dog, preferably during puppy hood, you would be better off with a breed that is both small and socially submissive. 

Leadership and training are inextricably intertwined: leadership personality enables you to train your dog, and being trained by you reinforces your dog's perception of you as the alpha.

DON'T BUY A SAINT BERNARD IF YOU DON'T VALUE