Choosing a St. Bernard puppy

How to choose a puppy

• Is St. Bernard suitable for us, what are the pros and cons of this breed?
• How to choose a good St. Bernard puppy?
• On what you should pay attention when choosing?
• Why the prices of puppies are so different?
• Does Saint Bernard love children?
• What documents of puppy should be given to me?
• Does it make sense to “overpay” for a puppy with documents, is it possible to buy a puppy without a pedigree?
• Shorthair or long-haired St. Bernard – what’s the difference? Which is better?
• St. Bernards are really slobbery? Do they moult highly? Will St. Bernard guard our home?
• Can St. Bernard live in an aviary – or does he constantly need the presence of a person next to him?
• Could Shorthaired Saint Bernard be frozen in winter?
• Is it true that the St. Bernard needs a bucket of food?
• How long does it take to walk with St. Bernard?
• Will St. Bernard run, or all time they will just lie down?

Such questions are always asked to breeders by potential buyers, St. Bernard is a fine breed, but before deciding to purchase a puppy, you need to think carefully about whether you made a mistake with the choice and whether you can keep St. Bernard. After all, the dog is purchased not for one year – contrary to popular rumors, the St. Bernards live more than 10 years – are you ready for the fact that the next 10 years of your life you will be accompanied by a giant dog?
St. Bernards are magnificent dogs, they are excellent in everything. Their bright appearance, friendliness and good character make them popular in many countries of the world. Senbernar is a real giant in the world of dogs, it is its great dignity, but all the complexities of its content are connected with this.

A large dog needs a high-grade food and a full exercise in the period of growth, otherwise the bones and muscles will not form properly and the dog will not be healthy. You can not save facilities on walking and eating of the growing St. Bernard.
The dog is very large, uncommonly physically strong – and, despite the beautiful character that makes St. Bernard one of the best among the many breeds of dogs – companions – a puppy and his correct upbringing, one must devote a lot of time, the puppy will not bring up himself. It is necessary to deal with it, it must be taught and developed. Otherwise, instead of obedient giant you will get a huge unmanageable dog.

They say that dogs take after their owners.

Seniors are friendly, moderately active, moderately lazy, relaxed, sociable, noble, beautiful and intelligent, simple-minded, like children, despite their impressive size, they rarely use their enormous physical strength for evil, are very sensitive and gentle with those who are smaller and weaker, the St. Bernards are not initially set up negatively to others. They – unlike many breeds – the St. Bernards do not fight with the owners for the primacy in the family. They are more prone to contemplate than actively fight for a place under the sun. They will joyfully and without struggle give you the palm of primacy – if only my beloved master was good. With their St. Bernards never fight.
But, if they are angry – they can give a serious rebuff to strangers and are able to stand up for themselves. St. Bernards do not seek to take over the world – he initially lives in every St. Bernard. St. Bernards do not create intrigues, do not weave intrigues. They do not have intrigue and cunning. Saints for years remember good and are not capable of  betrayal. Do you recognize yourself? Then St. Bernard is your breed.

Here you have weighed all the pros and cons, compared their desires with their capabilities and are ready to go for the puppy. This is a very important moment, because you get yourself an animal for many years, how not to be mistaken?
My good advice to you is – do not grab the first puppy offered, spend a little more time, study offers of kennels, see photos of puppies, pedigrees of parents, talk to breeders. You need to choose a puppy suitable for you, you will live with him for many years. He should be a joy, not a burden.

Therefore, decide on the maximally and formulate the breeder your conditions and wishes for the pet. What type of hair, color and growth do you like? Shorthaired or long-haired? Are you happy with “cloak” dogs – or  white with spots, taller or smaller, active, or calm? Do you have children in your family? What age are they? Will you go to exhibitions, do you plan to receive puppies from your dog in the future?
The breeder, in his turn, is looking for his puppies the best and perfect for a particular puppy “hands”. Immediately tell the breeder all your wishes. This will make it easier for you to choose and simplify the breeder task – he will be able to help you and advise you to pay attention to a particular puppy, or will offer to wait if at the moment the puppy you need he does not have.

When choosing a puppy, you need to pay attention to its physical state and appearance. Ask before arrival, whether the puppies are vaccinated, ask about the vaccinations that were made to him, before purchasing – look at the veterinary passport of the puppy – there should be given the dates of vaccinations and the names of the vaccines. Unequivocally do not look and take to the house an ungrafted puppy.

A healthy puppy is active and cheerful, he moves easily, he has thick, strong paws, strong ligaments, he is cheerful, playful, willingly goes into the hands, reaches out to people, he has healthy dense hair without bald spots and dandruff, he is well-nourished and blooms with health. He has clean eyes without discharge, clean ears. It smells nice of him – like a puppy.

If the puppy has dull, disheveled hair, there is a discharge from the eyes and ears, he is lean, sluggish, he has a swollen tummy, crooked legs, he is cowardly, passive, hides and does not go to hand – I would not recommend you to take such a puppy.
Never take a puppy out of pity – it’s not the best counselor. Pity yourself and your loved ones – instead of joyful communication with a merry little one, you want to immediately treat – sometimes to old age, and even bury a sick puppy. Do not need to buy yourself problems for your money and encourage the negligent breeders with ruble.

Prices for puppies are often different, remember that the prices for puppies are not assigned by clubs, the prices for puppies are assigned solely by the breeder himself. Call him and ask why his expensive puppy is better than his cheap one.
I think you will hear an exhaustive answer. Expensive puppies, which the breeder considers to be the most promising for exhibitions and further breeding work, they often do not differ much in appearance and origin from the “middle peasants” of the same breeder for you, but, of course, for the breeder himself there are real differences in their exterior or “value blood, “and he knows them, but for a non-professional they are not noticeable and not always significant, if you want a companion dog – pay attention first of all to health, appearance and character if you are interested in dogs for show – listen to the recommendations of the breeder, if he is competent, or ask a professional to help you with the choice of a puppy – club worker, breeder or breed expert.

Never buy a puppy on the market or without documents, the dog can be sick or not thoroughbred. There are a lot of infections on the market, the puppy will almost certainly fall ill with one of them.
A dog without documents is not a St. Bernard, and there are no signs of St. Bernard from her. Well, if you’re lucky, and grow up just a little white-red mongrel, and if a huge aggressive and uncontrolled cross between several breeds? Are you ready instead of a friendly giant-St. Bernard to take this aggressive animal to your home to your children?

Free cheese – it only happens in a mousetrap.

Together with the puppy for you should be given a veterinary passport with marks about vaccinations, treatments from worm and fleas and tick and puppy’s metric of the UKU specimen set.
With all the numbers of the pedigrees of Mom and Dad, the breeder’s full address and contacts – the phones and the address of the club that issued the metric. The club can call and find out if this litter is really listed.
The puppy must have a stamp that corresponds to the stamp in the metric. I recommend buying puppies from breeders and kennels. This is the largest cynological organization in Russia. Do not take puppies from random people, on the roadside, with samples different from the sample or unfilled documents. You can stumble upon unscrupulous sellers of live goods, which are covered by the names of kennels. If you doubt whether the breeder who is listed in the documents and appears on the photo on the kennel’s website is really in front of you, ask him for an identity card. Do not be shy, this will protect you from deception.

What type of wool should I choose? Initially, St. Bernard – like all working dogs – is a short-haired dog, with a thick practical wool of “wild type” – consisting of coarse dense wool coat and soft thick undercoat, it is short wool that ideally protects the dog in hot and cold weather. Do not get dirty, do not elf-lock, do not wash in the rain. Short coat requires minimal maintenance. The long-haired St. Bernard appeared later than the short-haired – when working dogs began to be poured with blood of other breeds because of the increased interest in the breed – he is very handsome, but also more decorative, his coat requires more care, or could be elf-locked, he hardly suffers heat and getting wet more and It could be frozen in bad weather.

The St. Bernards get on well with the children, but do not think that they are born babysitters, and they can be immediately used as nannies, it’s still a very big dog, even if it’s smart. And it is unlikely – even the most intelligent dog is able to independently educate your children. Do not leave children and dogs unattended. St. Bernard – like any dog ​​- needs to be properly educated and taught to communicate with children, and from early childhood to explain to the puppy that it is necessary to play with children extremely carefully, otherwise a large puppy can accidentally push, drop or scratch the child’s teeth in the game.

St. Bernards are really slobbering, especially long-haired, the most active salivation in them in the summer – in the heat, and they really shed. You have to be mentally prepared for this. It’s not as scary as the movie about Beethoven – but it has a place to be. And if you plan to keep the dog in the house or in the apartment – not in the cage – do not forget about wool and drool – the coming years you will have to put up with these additions in your interior.

The St. Bernards perfectly live in the courtyard in the enclosure, with sufficient walking and full communication – they are perfectly adapted to frost and are well tolerated by the heat, they need to equip a cozy place for rest and shade to protect themselves from the sun and constant access to water in the summer. St. Bernards love to communicate, but they also tolerate temporary loneliness – they remain quietly on their territory for the night or while you are at work – you do not have to constantly entertain the dog and be with her 24 hours a day.

The St. Bernards were sent out to guard the monastery, it’s an excellent companion, a guard, a watchman, a fine farm dog, this is also written in the modern breed standard.
St. Bernard never cattle, did not fight at battles with his own kind, the protection of the territory of the monastery is his only historical pedigree mission. And saving people in the mountains is a side function.
The St. Bernards perfectly guard their territory.

St. Bernard – neither short-haired nor long-haired – will not freeze in the street in winter, this is a Swiss breed, snow is the element of St. Bernard. St. Bernards adore winter.

The St. Bernards eat a little. The healthy stomach of St. Bernard does not exceed two liters in volume, it needs to be fed with high-nutritious food in a small amount, these are meat rations, or a good dry food, according to your choice. An adult St. Bernard weighing 80 – 90 kilograms does not eat a kilogram of dry food per day, and it is better to feed the dog in 2-3 meals, otherwise the dog’s stomach will constantly overstretch, and the dog runs the risk of dying from a stomach turn. You can not give the St. Bernard food buckets. It’s deadly dangerous.
Senbernar needs quiet long walks, he does not need to drive specifically and run crosses and marathons with him – but he needs to provide the full movement. If you do not have a site where the dog can move during the day – think about who will walk with him – at least once a day he will need a full, minimum – an hour walk.
St. Bernards are active dogs, despite their size – they run easily, I think if you take a puppy – you’ll soon see it yourself.

We wish a successful choice for you.

Author of the article: Anastasia Finger p. To “House Stessy”