Im thinking of getting a St Bernard, im a little worried about getting the right one as i believe they can have problems with joints etc.

Any tips would be welcome.

Thanks.

Can't really advise on the breed but a friend of a friend recently sold their 9 month old St B because it ate their house! Poor thing must have been bored because it would chew the plaster on the walls and then it managed to find one of these partitioning walls that are just a frame and plaster board, when they came home from wherever they had been the dog had kindly knocked the pantry through into the living room! Don't know if excessive chewing is usual for the breed, but the owners obviously didn't consider it before they bought the pup (which was huge at 10 weeks by the way, lol).

Do you breed dogs??

Hi Paul - have you tried contacting the Breed Club? Normally best place to start for honest opinions... :)

Thanks, how do i do that ??

Try here

Thats the page for the Kennel Club which gives a bit of info and details to contact.

I have danes, so you are right to look into joint problems, hips, etc...and definitely cost of feeding, because I seriously had NO idea how much it would cost and I did loads of research :Rolleyes: :D

Hi,
The Breed clubs will be listed at the bottom of this link.
:)
Edit: Typical, too slow again!

beat ya ;) :D :D

:p :p :D

Me breed dogs? Oh no no. My love is Bulldogs and I wouldn't have time for the 24 hour supervision. Plus, I am a big wuss, and couldn't cope with the loss of puppies very well. Heaven help me if i had to witness this fading puppy syndrome that breeders talk about!
I will stick to buying a dog from people that have put their care and effort into breeding...

I know what you mean, thats why i want to get the right pup.

Is it worth me visiting a St Bernard breeder ??

It is always a good idea to visit a breeder before deciding finally on your breed of choice. Another good idea is to visit shows and look around the various dogs there

Melody :)

I agree with Mel.

I met a St Bernard once, I have always loved BIG dogs, and I thought I would love them. But it slobbered badly all over me, it was like egg white - stringy but thick - and it absolutely STANK. I nearly threw up all over the dog. Thats why its always a good idea to meet them first. I have danes now and one doesn't slobber at all, but Phoebe does...but it doesn't smell at least ;) It was probably the dogs diet, but it was vile.

Where is the best place to see one of them ?? Are there any shows coming up ??

Manchester Championship show is being held at the County showground Stafford.  Working breeds are on Friday 16th January.

what time is it on till

Probably until about 4 or 5pm.  Just checked the judging order and it would appear that Saints do not have clsases at the show :D  Any entered would be in the Not Seperately Classified section in ring 14 of the Bingley hall seond in the ring after gian Sch. (so lunchtimeish). 

As that is the case I think your best bet would be to coatact the National or regional Breed club nearest to you and ask when their next shows are before Crufts, and if nothing available, then have a trip to the NEC in March, or visit a couple of breeders.

Visiting breeders, especially when they haven't got a litter is a very good idea.  It will give you a chance to hopefully see dogs of differnt ages, and maybe both sexes.

I often invite prospective new owners of the breed that make contact, to test drive my lot.  go for a walk with me, see how they are out and about with other dogs, and what their idea of obedience is :D

A breeder may also be able to steer you to an owner of the breed near you who has similar circumstances so you can see how one owned by an ordinary person as a pet gets on.  You do of course have to take owners abilities nd experience into account.

I recently sent a couple to meet with a lady near them who has one of my adolescent pups living near them.  The lady is a first time dog owner, so they had to take this into account.  they phoned me back with some more questions after their meeting, and realised that they werein fact much more experienced than the owner. 

They went on to buy a pup from a fellow breeder.  Have had other people find that it wasn't the breed for them, even though they were mad keen to have one.  both excellent results, as one new Elkhound lover, and one less unhappy match or potential rescue situation.

I have a freind who does obedience with the breed, and often refer enquirers who have a background in this to her so they can get a realistic idea of the abilities and training of the breed for such work.

There are people in our breed that use their dogs for beating and deer stalking, and if a potential owners interests lay in this directiopn then that is where one would refer them for a realistic assessment.

Hi Paul, you are right to be worried about getting the right one, from what I know they suffer from various health problems such as entropia, ectropian, epilepsy, bloat, skin allergies, narrow ear canals, hot spots, cruciate problems, cardiomyopathy and hip displasia also the breed average for life expectancy is very low, 6 years being not uncommon.  If you do decide to go ahead and get one I would make sure you see the pedigree before making any commitments, if there is any sign of inbreeding i.e half brother sister matings steer well clear.  The parents should be hip scored.  If you do go and view any puppies I would definately make sure you check the breeder out thoroughly, phone other st bernard breeders and ask them if they would recommend them if need be.  If you have ANY doubts about them simply walk away.  If you buy a puppy that needs constant vet treatment be prepared to take out a second mortgage because vet bills for a saint are very expensive. 

How come they have so many problems ??

i cant belive this thread! i have had St. Bernards all my life! was raised around them,the last one i owned lived until he was 9 years old! had no health problems and was non destructive,and hardly ever slobbered at all! his pedigree name was "Fairlord Fancyfoot" AKA Bruno,he was probably the best dog i ever owned,he was fantastic around children,great with other dogs,and a genral good all rounder.
if you do decide to have a St Bernard you can expect to pay between £950 to well over £1000,i would recommend that both parents have been hip scored and eye tested (especially the dogs that have droopy eyelids,however not all St Bernards do) i would also recommend that any said puppy that you have is also insured,this is sometimes expensive to do,as they are classed as an "specialist" breed.i always insured mine through petplan.if you need any more information on them please pm me,i can also put you in touch with a couple of reputable breeders.take care,Brad.

Thanks for that, i would love to meet one , but unfortunatly cannot make the show in Manchester. Do you know any other place in the northwest where i could take a look at one.

Im not saying that all St Bernards have problems, I'm just saying that from experience I know some them do and that Paul M should be aware of this before he makes a decision. 

yes,but theres health issues with almost every breed,which i agree should be pointed out,but the posts about the St Bernard seem so negative,they are fantasic dogs when reared properly,and i have yet to meet a sharp one,i really am fed up seeing posts blown totaly out of proportion,if people are not "bully bashing" they are arguing over something else,i thought forums like this were supposed to a friendly place,where people could post about whatever knowledege they have,have you ever owned a St Bernard?it takes owning some breeds to know all about them,or, at least gain a certain amount of knowledge.and without actually owning one (if you never have) how on earth can you know all about them?

Brad, someone can express an opinion on a breed without owning one - otherwise this forum would be a very boring place to be! No-one is bashing the breed - personally, I didn't like the slobbering on the one I met, and I used it as an example of why someone should meet adult dogs before they go buy a puppy! I am sure not all are the same, but its a big consideration. It left a long, long trail of slobber all over my jacket!

When I went for a dane pup, I had honestly forgotten how big they really were, so I spent a lot of time with the adults and weighed up the pro's and cons. I put up with the downsides because I love them. I'm sure the poster won't be put off if he really really loves the breed, and if he doesn't, and is put off, then thats a good result aswell :)

Hi Brad,
I don't know about you, but I find I have more trust in someone who points out all the failings of a breed before their good points. If people are made aware of the downsides and are still interested, they will probably prove to be good owners. On the other hand if they fall in love with the cute persona that breeds are often saddled with, they often refuse to admit that it might be the wrong breed for them.

Just my opinion.
:)

are you stalking me :p :D

Always one step behind ... ! :p

I have owned one

Brad ...in my humble opinion , you need to chill. No one is bashing anything or anyone. The negatives have been pointed out ..which is a good thing if you think about it :) It is always better to get a true picture of a breed (ie BOTH positives and negatives) before considering a breed seriously

This is generally a friendly forum ...but it IS a place of debate ..and , by its very nature , that means that people will disagree sometimes . The art to being a good forum member is to allow others to have their POV without rubbishing them ;)

Melody :)

I must say that i have not been put off by the comments on the forum, and appriciate the comments made about the breed.

I'm glad to hear that you've not been put off despite the negatives :D Some people only like to hear nice things and get uptight when hearing bad things which makes asking a question on a forum like this a waste of time :)  best of luck to you

lack of sleep maybe has something to do with it,been up all day and night with one of my bitches,and glad to announce she had 11 puppies,that are chunky,cute,healthy and happy,so im off now to take a chill pill.
:-)

:D congratulations :D

I'm not too sure really, I suppose its down to being such a huge size and small gene pool in UK maybe? - who knows.  Ive heard the continental ones are healthier probably due to a larger gene pool, but ive also heard that the tempraments are sharper.  Your best bet is to find someone who is a member of one of the saint clubs, if you look on the website they are more than happy to be contacted.  They are a magnificant breed to own if you really think you can cope im sure it will be worth all the effort :D

I was at the vet's this morning for Fennel to have her stitches out at last and he told me that the vet that did Fennel's op (very skinney vet) had a St Bernard bitch in who was having problems whelping and everyone thought she would need a caesar.  However the vet had a feel and managed to treat the bitch much as they do sheep and get her arm right in and pull the pups out - that must have been one bigggg bitch

Is Fennel feeling 100% again then?