Living with Saint Bernards
Lucy and Norman lead glamorous, indulgent lives, but owning a Saint Bernard is not for everyone.
Please don't invite a Saint into your family without serious consideration. Saint Bernards are BIG, and they cost a lot of money to own. Spend time with the breed and the breeder, read everything you can, ensure you have the time and space to train and care for them, talk to your vet, and really imagine having your life turned upside down before saying yes.
As a breed, Saint Bernards are known for being calm, watchful, fun-loving, sweet, gentle, strong, and patient. All of this is true. They are also natural protectors with a gentle instinct to watch over the people they love, including children. They are slow to grow up, not reaching their full size until age two or three, which makes for a wonderfully long chapter of giant, clumsy puppyhood. During that chapter, they will have absolutely no concept of how large they are. They will barrel into furniture, ricochet off doorframes, and land in your lap with the grace of a small avalanche. And they will stop traffic. Strangers will interrupt your walk just to tell you how incredible your dog is, and honestly, they are not wrong. But based on our experience with this gorgeous Swiss breed, there is a lot more to know.
One thing worth knowing from the start: Saints typically live 8 to 10 years. It is one of the hardest truths of loving a giant breed, and it makes every muddy trail, every leaning hug, and every slobbery road trip count that much more.
They Will Run Your House
Let's be honest: the couch belongs to them now. Don't bother fighting it. Saints will claim every soft surface with complete confidence and zero apology, and they will block every doorway, follow you from room to room, and plant themselves directly in your path the moment you are in a hurry. Slumbering tripping hazards are simply part of the decor.
Their paws are enormous, and they know exactly how to use them. Expect to be pawed for attention with the subtlety of a sledgehammer. Expect your feet to be sat on, stepped on, and pinned to the floor on a daily basis. This is how they say "stay." It is annoying. It is also unbearably sweet.
When a Saint does not want to go somewhere, they will let you know. They will plant all of their considerable weight into the ground and simply refuse. The stubbornness of this breed is legendary, and no amount of coaxing, treats, or dignity on your part will move them before they are ready.
When they do bark, you will know about it. A Saint Bernard's bark is thunderous, a full-body, room-rattling event that they deploy sparingly but memorably.
And then there are the naps. Saints sleep deeply and often, and snoring will quickly become the soundtrack of your home. You will also have wet floors. Always. Whether from a water bowl, a post-drink shake, or a Saint who has simply decided the kitchen tile is a good place to sprawl, wet floors are a permanent feature of life with this breed.
You Will Not Be Getting Anywhere Fast
If you are the kind of person who likes to move through the world efficiently, a Saint Bernard will cure you of that. Saints are slow moving by nature and tire more quickly than you might expect for such a powerful breed. Plan accordingly, because every outing will take at least twice as long as you think it will.
This is partly because of the dogs, and partly because of everyone else. You will not make it half a block without being stopped. People will want to meet them, photograph them, and stand next to them for a size comparison that never fails to delight. You will become very familiar with the questions. Do you have a saddle for that thing? How much does she eat? How much does he weigh? You will answer them cheerfully, every single time, because you will have heard them a hundred times before and somehow they never get old. Outings with a Saint are never just a walk. They are a community event, whether you planned it that way or not.
Dealing with Drool
Our Saints drool at the sight of food, in hot weather, after drinking, when excited or upset. Pretty much all the time. Despite carrying drool towels everywhere and wiping the dogs throughout the day, our walls, truck, clothes, furniture, and unsuspecting friends all show the evidence. We use plain soap and water or Lysol wipes for tough dried drool, and we wear a lot of light-coloured clothing to hide both the drool and the fur.
Maintaining Their Coats
Lucy and Norman love to be brushed, and as you might expect, brushing produces mountains of excess fur. We use a Furminator brush to address their undercoats and have never shaved them except for veterinary procedures. Even after rolling in mud, their coats somehow find their way back to white.
Truth be told, Saints shed more than any breed we have ever encountered. We know two very furry Newfoundlands who shed less. We could vacuum twice a day and it still would not be enough. We have tried several vacuums and the Dyson handles the fur best. Basically, if you live with a Saint, your house, furniture, car, and clothes will be covered in fur. Always.
Training a Saint
Saints are intelligent, eager to please, and take well to training. They prefer to be inside with their people, require an average amount of exercise, and make wonderful family pets. That said, they can accidentally knock over small children or aging family members, and they will drag you down the street on a leash if they feel like it.
Adequate socialization when they are puppies is essential. A nervous, scared, or aggressive Saint is very difficult to control, and at this size, that matters. Please take the time to train your dog. We used a local training company and it took only a few weeks. Worth every minute.
One more thing: Saints are heat sensitive and genuinely struggle in summer. Plan your walks and adventures around cooler parts of the day, and if you are road-tripping with one, air conditioning is non-negotiable.
Feeding Giant Dogs
Lucy and Norman eat two to three pounds of food twice per day, and they would happily eat more. We keep them on a highly varied raw food diet to reduce the amount of poop they produce, and source most of our food and treats from Raw4Dogs and The Offal Good Treat Company, a wonderful family-run business near Barrie, Ontario.
If we could offer one piece of advice on food, it would be this: invest in the highest quality you can afford. Unhealthy Saints lead to significant vet bills. We won't pretend it's cheap. Feeding our two runs about $6,000 a year. Saints are not for the faint of heart or the empty of bank account.
Travelling with Saints
Lucy and Norman love to travel, so much so that we had to buy a bigger truck and a 37-foot camp trailer with air conditioning to accommodate them. They fill the entire back seat and stretch across the whole trailer floor. Both dogs also need a boost getting into the truck every single time. We push on their butts. It is as funny as it sounds.
Getting Along with Other Dogs
Lucy and Norman are dog lovers through and through: small dogs, big dogs, fancy breeds, and plain old mutts. Their best friends include Echo, a 20-pound Havanese, and Grady and Ariel, two giant Newfoundlands. When they meet smaller dogs, they actually try to make themselves appear smaller to reduce the intimidation factor. When aggressive dogs lunge at them, they turn to their humans for guidance. They have never fought with another dog and avoid confrontation at all costs. We have even fostered other dogs so Lucy and Norman can model good behaviour and take on a mentoring role.
Getting Along with Cats and Other Pets
Lucy and Norman are sweet, gentle, and pretty much love all people and all creatures. They have met horses, flying squirrels, and even a Mexican Coati that gave Lucy a hug at a local dog event. Life is never dull with a Saint.