Saint Bernard

Temperament

An adult Saint Bernard is usually a calm, steady dog that spends most of the day watching the family from its favorite bed. It is friendly, patient and generally tolerant of children, although a 70 kg dog accidentally knocking over a small child is a real risk. It tends to be polite with strangers, but its sheer size is a deterrent, and when needed it can announce itself with a deep bark. It is strongly attached to people and copes poorly with long periods alone or life in a kennel run away from the family. It learns willingly, but at its own pace, without the eagerness typical of herding dogs. Puppies and adolescents can be surprisingly boisterous, so obedience, especially loose-leash walking and not jumping on people, has to be solid before the dog reaches its full weight.

Energy

calmvery energetic

Affection

independentvelcro pet

With children

not idealgreat

With other pets

difficultgreat

Trainability

stubborneager to learn

For first-time owners

for experienced ownersyes

With strangers

waryoutgoing

Playfulness

dignifiedeternal puppy

Shedding

minimalheavy

Grooming

easydemanding

Being left alone

strugglescopes well

Apartment living

needs a house and yardgreat in a flat

Barking

quietvocal

With other dogs

difficultgreat

Protectiveness

lowhigh

Drooling

hardly anya lot

Cold tolerance

feels the coldexcellent

Heat tolerance

strugglescopes well

Scores of 1–5 compare the breed with other breeds of the same species, based on the sources at the bottom of the page. Every animal is different. How we score traits

Who is the Saint Bernard for?

The Saint Bernard suits a calm family with a house, a yard and a car big enough for a dog the size of a couch. It's a good match for people who enjoy slow walks and don't mind drool on their pants. Skip it if you live in a small apartment on a high floor without an elevator, spend long hours away from home, can't stand hair and slobber, or aren't ready for the high cost of feeding and vet care for a giant breed.

Size and looks

Care and exercise

A Saint Bernard doesn't need intense exercise: the Royal Kennel Club suggests up to an hour a day, ideally as relaxed walks. Until it has finished growing, a puppy should avoid stairs, jumping and long hikes, and giant-breed food and a lean body protect the joints. It's happiest in a house with a yard and a cool floor; it overheats quickly in hot weather, so summer walks happen early in the morning and in the evening. The short-haired variety needs brushing once or twice a week, the long-haired one more often, especially during shedding. Wipe the corners of the mouth and the lip folds daily, since Saint Bernards drool heavily, and check the eyes. Feed two smaller meals instead of one big one and don't allow wild play right after eating, to reduce the risk of bloat.

Health and breed-related conditions

The Saint Bernard is short-lived, which is typical of giant breeds: usually 8–10 years, and a 2024 UK study reported a median of 9.3 years. The Royal Kennel Club places it in Category 3 of Breed Watch and recommends that breeders at minimum screen hips, elbows and eyes. Typical problems include joint dysplasia, bloat, osteosarcoma, lymphoma, wobbler syndrome and eyelid defects such as entropion, which irritate the eyes. An exaggeratedly heavy head and loose skin around the eyes, seen in some show dogs, make eyelid problems and overheating worse. Choose a breeder who shows the parents' X-ray results and favors dogs of moderate build.

• hip dysplasiaCommon in giant breeds; it leads to pain and arthritis.
• elbow dysplasiaThe Royal Kennel Club recommends screening breeding dogs for it.
• gastric dilatation-volvulus (bloat, GDV)A deep chest makes the stomach prone to twisting, a life-threatening emergency.
• osteosarcomaA malignant bone cancer that is more common in very large breeds.
• entropionAn inward-rolling eyelid irritates the cornea and can lead to ulcers.
• wobbler syndromeInstability of the neck vertebrae that causes a wobbly gait and weak legs.

This is general breed information, not a diagnosis. If something worries you, talk to your veterinarian.

Breed history

On the Great St. Bernard Pass, at 2,469 m above sea level, monks founded a hospice for travelers and pilgrims in the 11th century. From the mid-17th century, large mountain dogs were kept there for guarding and protection; an image from 1695 and a record from 1707 document their presence. The dogs soon began helping to find people lost in snow and fog, and accounts from Napoleon's soldiers, who crossed the pass in 1800, made them famous across Europe. The legendary dog Barry became the symbol of the rescue dog. In 1884 the Saint Bernard got its first entry in the Swiss studbook, and in 1887 it was recognized as a Swiss breed. Today it is Switzerland's national dog.

Fun facts

• The first dog entered in the Swiss studbook, in 1884, was a Saint Bernard named Leon.
• The FCI standard doesn't penalize dogs taller than 90 cm as long as they are well proportioned and move correctly.
• The hospice on the Great St. Bernard Pass sits at 2,469 m above sea level.
• The Saint Bernard is considered Switzerland's national dog.

Frequently asked questions

This breed also appears in

• Large dog breeds
• Calm dog breeds

Sources

1. 1FCI standard nr 61 – St. Bernardfci.be
2. 2Royal Kennel Club – St. Bernardroyalkennelclub.com
3. 3PetMD – Saint Bernardpetmd.com
4. 4McMillan et al. 2024, Longevity of companion dog breeds (Scientific Reports)pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov

Last reviewed: November 12, 2026. Spotted a mistake? Tell us.