Saint Bernard
Dogs

Saint Bernard

4.4
8 reviews
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The Saint Bernard is a giant Swiss rescue dog famous for its work finding lost travellers in the Alps. Despite their enormous size, Saints are famously gentle, patient, and calm with families and children. They are devoted companions who need space, moderate exercise, and owners prepared for their considerable size and grooming requirements.

Pros

  • Gentle, patient, and devoted family companion
  • Excellent with children due to tolerant nature
  • Calm and relatively low energy indoors
  • Historically used for mountain rescue work

Cons

  • Heavy drooling especially after drinking
  • Heavy seasonal shedding
  • Short lifespan typical of giant breeds
  • High food, space, and veterinary costs

Reviews 8

V
VividTrot84
5/5

Calm and devoted in every season

My Saint Bernard thrives in cold weather, loves snow with unalloyed joy, and is equally calm in moderate weather. His instinct for finding distressed people seems real. He once located my daughter who had gone further into the woods than intended and guided me to her. Whether that was instinct or lu…

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G
GoldenPaw74
4/5

Surprisingly manageable daily

Day-to-day living with a Saint is more manageable than people expect if you have the right setup. He is not highly energetic. Two good walks a day satisfy him. He is quiet in the house and not destructive. The practical issues are the drool and the size of everything associated with him. But his tem…

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W
WittyClaw96
5/5

The perfect nanny dog

We have four children ages three through twelve and our Saint Bernard has been their gentle guardian through every phase. He moves carefully around the smallest ones, positions himself between them and anything he finds concerning, and accepts their affections with endless patience. He has never sho…

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B
BreezyNuzzle17
5/5

The gentlest giant in existence

My Saint Bernard weighs one hundred and eighty pounds and is the most gentle, patient animal I have ever shared my life with. My children have grown up climbing on him, sleeping against him, and treating him as a large, furry piece of furniture. He accepts everything with serene good nature. The dro…

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Z
ZestyLeap60
3/5

Too much dog for our home

I love my Saint Bernard but I underestimated what living with a dog this size in a three-bedroom house would mean. He takes up the entire hallway. He drools on walls. He leaves muddy paw prints on ceilings somehow. He needs a large car. He costs significantly more than I budgeted. He is wonderful an…

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H
HappyBound26
5/5

Most patient dog alive

I have owned many breeds and my Saint Bernard is the most fundamentally patient. Nothing seems to disturb or upset him. Children can be rough, visitors can be loud, and the house can be chaotic and he observes it all with calm, benevolent attention. He is the anchor of our household. When things get…

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C
CalmBound63
4/5

Magnificent family dog

My Saint is wonderful with my family and completely devoted to our household. He is calm indoors, friendly with visitors, and gentle with children. The practical challenges are real. He eats a great deal, requires a large vehicle, and drools on the ceiling somehow. His coat needs brushing three time…

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VividBound85
4/5

Worth every challenge

The list of practical challenges with a Saint Bernard is real and long. Size, drool, shedding, cost. But when he rests his enormous head on my knee and looks at me with those warm, deep eyes I cannot remember why any of it mattered. He is a remarkable animal and the years we have had together have b…

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