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St. Bernard (dog)
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The St. Bernard Dog is a very large breed of dog, a working dog from the Swiss Alps, originally bred for rescue. The breed has become famous through tales of alpine rescues, as well as for its enormous size.
St. Bernard is a very large dog with a large and massive head. A full-grown male can weigh between 160 and 240 lb (73–110 kg) or more and the approximate height at the withers is 27˝ inches to 35˝ inches (70 to 90 cm).
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Encyclopedia
The St. Bernard Dog is a very large breed of dog, a working dog from the Swiss Alps, originally bred for rescue. The breed has become famous through tales of alpine rescues, as well as for its enormous size.
Appearance
The St. Bernard is a very large dog with a large and massive head. A full-grown male can weigh between 160 and 240 lb (73–110 kg) or more and the approximate height at the withers is 27˝ inches to 35˝ inches (70 to 90 cm). The coat can be either smooth or rough, with the smooth coat close and flat. The rough coat is dense but flat, and more profuse around the neck and legs. The coat is typically a red colour with white, or sometimes a mahogany brindle with white. Black shading is usually found on the face and ears. The tail is long and heavy, hanging low with the end turned up slightly. The dark eyes should have naturally tight lids, with "haws only slightly visible". Ectropion or entropion are listed in the breed standard as serious faults, indicating that the dog should not be bred. Other faults include aggressiveness, flews of the lower jaw turning outwards, eyelids too loose, curly coat, and sway back or roach back. See the article Dog terminology for an explanation of terms. Faults do not always indicate that a dog would not be a good companion, only that the dog should not be bred.
History
The ancestors of the St. Bernard share a history with the Sennenhunds, also called Swiss Mountain Dogs or Swiss Cattle Dogs, the large farm dogs of the farmers and dairymen of the Swiss Alps, which were livestock guardians, herding dogs, and draft dogs as well as hunting dogs, search and rescue dogs and watchdogs. These dogs are thought to be descendants of molosser type dogs brought into the Alps by the ancient Romans, and the St. Bernard is recognized internationally today as one of the Molossoid breeds.
The earliest written records of the St. Bernard breed are from monks at the hospice at the Great St. Bernard Pass in 1707, with paintings and drawings of the dog dating even earlier.
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 Cimetiere des Chiens, and his body was preserved in the Natural History Museum in Berne.
The classic St. Bernard looked very different from the St. Bernard of today, because avalanches killed off many of the dogs used for breeding between 1816 and 1818. Severe weather during this period led to an increased number of avalanches that killed many St. Bernards while performing rescue work. In an attempt to preserve the breed, the remaining St. Bernards were crossed with Newfoundlands in the 1850s, and so lost much of their use as rescue dogs in the snowy climate of the alps because the long fur they inherited would freeze and weigh them down.
The Swiss St. Bernard Club was founded in Basle on March 15th 1884. The St. Bernard was the very first breed entered into the Swiss Stud Book in 1884, and the breed standard was finally approved in 1887. "Since that time the St. Bernard has been a Swiss national dog."
Naming
The name "St. Bernard" originates from traveler's hospice on the often treacherous St. Bernard Pass in the Western Alps between Switzerland and Italy, where the name was passed to the local dogs. The pass, the lodge, and the dogs are named for Bernard of Menthon, the 11th century monk who established the station.
"St. Bernard" wasn't in widespread use until the middle of the 19th century. The dogs were called "Saint Dogs","Noble Steeds", "Alpenmastiff", or "Barry Dogs" before that time.
Related breeds
The breed is strikingly similar to that of the English Mastiff. This can be attributed to a common shared ancestry with the Alpine Mastiff. It is suspected that St. Bernards were used to redevelop this breed to combat the threat of their extinction after World War II.
The four Sennenhund breeds, the Grosser Schweizer Sennenhund (Greater Swiss Mountain Dog), the Berner Sennenhund, (Bernese Mountain Dog), the Appenzeller Sennenhund, (Appenzeller), and the Entlebucher Sennenhund (Entlebucher Mountain Dog) are similar in appearance and share the same location and history, but are tricolour rather than red and white.
Kennel Club recognition
The St. Bernard is recognised internationally by the Fédération Cynologique Internationale as a Molosser in Group 2, Section 2. The breed is recognised by The Kennel Club (UK), the Canadian Kennel Club, and the American Kennel Club in the Working Dog breed group. The United Kennel Club (US) places the breed in the Guardian Dog Group. The New Zealand Kennel Club and the Australian National Kennel Council place the breed in the Utility Group.
Activities
St. Bernard dogs are no longer used for alpine rescues, but do participate in a variety of dog sports including carting and weight pulling.
Health
The very fast growth rate and the weight of a St. Bernard can lead to very serious deterioration of the bones if the dog does not get proper food and exercise. Many dogs are affected by hip dysplasia or elbow dysplasia. Osteosarcoma (bone cancer) has been shown to be hereditary in the breed.
St. Bernards are susceptible to eye disorders called entropion and ectropion, in which the eyelid turns in or out. The breed standard indicates that this is a major fault.
The breed is also susceptible to epilepsy and seizures, a heart disease called dilated cardiomyopathy, and eczema.
Temperament
St. Bernards, like all very large dogs, must be well socialized with people and other dogs while young if they are to be safely kept as a pet. A St. Bernard not properly introduced to and socialized with children from a young age can pose a threat, not having learned to distinguish between a child and other, smaller animals.
Extremely loyal, the St. Bernard is eager to please its owners. Due to its large adult size, it is essential that proper training and socialization begin while the St. Bernard is still a puppy, so as to avoid the difficulties that normally accompany training large animals. An unruly St. Bernard may present problems for even a strong adult, so control needs to be asserted from the beginning of the dog's training. While generally not as aggressive as dogs bred for protection, a St. Bernard will bark at strangers and their size makes them good deterrents against possible intruders.
Notability
Record size
St. Bernards were exported to England in the mid 1800s, where they were bred with mastiffs to create an ever larger dog. Plinlimmon, a famous St. Bernard of the time, was measured at 95kg (210lbs) and 87.5cm (24 1/2ins), and was sold to an American for $7000. Commercial pressure encouraged carelessly breeding ever larger dogs until "the dogs became so gross that they had difficulties in getting from one end of a show ring to another".
The world's heaviest and largest dog in known history was a Saint Bernard named Benedictine, which weighed 162 kg (357 lbs), even though there have been unconfirmed reports of heavier Newfoundland (dog). Benedictine surpassed Zorba, the largest English mastiff on record, which measured 8 feet, 3 inches long and weighed 343 lb. Benedictine currently holds the world record for the heaviest dog that ever lived. This weight was provided, not by direct measurement, but by "successive studies", and the lower weight of 152.5kg (336 lbs) is sometimes cited, which would put Benedictine back into second place among all time heaviest dogs.
In media
St. Bernards are often portrayed, especially in comics, cartoons and old live action comedies such as Swiss Miss, with small barrels of brandy worn around their necks. This was supposedly used to warm the victims that the dogs found, although in reality, alcohol (which acts as a vasodilator) would worsen the situation of a person suffering hypothermia. However, the monks of the St. Bernard Hospice deny that any St. Bernard has ever carried casks or small barrels around their necks; they believe that the origin of the image is an early painting. The monks did keep casks around for photographs by tourists.
One magazine cartoon showed a grown St. Bernard, presumably female, with several puppies; she and each puppy had a cask around the neck. The man with the dogs told a visitor, according to the caption, "Of course, I only breed them for the brandy."
Famous St. Bernards
- Barry, famous Alpine rescue dog (see above)
- Bolivar, Donald Duck's pet
- St. Bernard whom Stan Laurel tricks of his keg of brandy in the film Swiss Miss
- Cujo, a fictional portrayal of a rabid St. Bernard by Stephen King
- Nanna, from various Peter Pan movies (but originally a Newfoundland in the text)
- Buck, from Jack London's The Call of the Wild, is half St. Bernard
- Gumbo, team mascot for the New Orleans Saints
- Neil, the martini-slurping St. Bernard of George and Marion Kerby in Topper (TV series)
- Beethoven, the movie Beethoven 1992, and multiple sequels
- Bamse, a Norwegian dog honoured for exploits during World War II memorial statue in Montrose Scotland where he died in 1944
- Bĺtsman, a St. Bernard in Astrid Lindgren's story Vi pĺ Saltkrĺkan
- Schottzie, one of a number of St. Bernards owned by Cincinnati Reds owner Marge Schott
- Schnorbitz, on-stage partner of British comedian Bernie Winters during his later career
- Gumbo, Bradley Brannings pet dog in EastEnders
Legends
The famous Barry found a small boy in the snow and persuaded the boy to climb on his back, and then carried the boy to safety.
A St Bernard is often credited with being the dog that helped save Manchester United, currently one of the world's largest football clubs, from financial ruin. The legend goes that in 1902 when the club owed sizeable debts, the then captain Harry Stafford was showing off his prized St Bernard at a fund-raiser for the club when he was approached by a wealth brewery owner, J.H.Davis, who enquired to buy the dog. Harry Stafford refused the offer but managed to convince him to buy the club thus saving Manchester United from going bankrupt.
See also
External links
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