Saint Bernard Puppy And Dog Information
The Saint Bernard can even be kept in an apartment if walked often. They are better suited to a fenced in enclosure for exercise. They are said to be easy to train. It might be a good idea to obedience train early as this breed becomes very large and can be hard to handle even for the strongest person. They can get along well with other pets, especially if well socialized with them early on. They generally love children. As a reminder, never leave a child unsupervised with a puppy or dog.
*Approximate Adult Size. The approximate adult size (two years old or older) of the Saint Bernard is 24 to 28 inches to the withers (highest point of the shoulder) and 110 to 200 pounds.
*Special Health Considerations. Most dog breeds have certain inherited health problems associated with that specific breed and the Saint Bernard is no exception. Be on the look out for heart defects, bone problems, arthritis, hot spots, Canine Hip Dysplasia (genetic based looseness in the hip joint that can lead to arthritis pain and lameness) and bloat (Gastric Dilation-Volvulus, the second leading killer of dogs, can kill within the hour, this space is too limited for a complete explanation but you should read up on this). Feeding more then once a day and avoiding exercise right after meals may help guard against bloat. This disease list is an informative guideline only. Other diseases may also be significant threats, please contact your veterinarian for a complete list.
She should visit the veterinarian several times in the first year for shots, boosters and check up. Then, as an adult, she should visit the veterinarian yearly for shots and check up. As she gets older, six years and on, she should visit the veterinarian twice a year for check ups and shots. Remember; avoid feeding your dog sweets.
*Grooming. The Saint Bernard has a dense, short-haired, tough and smooth coat. She should be brushed regularly. Brushing will help her maintain a clean and healthy coat, help you keep a closer eye on her health and strengthen your emotional bond with her.
Her teeth should be brushed at least twice a week with toothpaste and toothbrush designed for dogs. Brushing removes the accumulation of plaque and tartar which can cause cavities (rarely) and periodontal disease. Dog periodontal disease can lead to pain, loss of teeth, bad breath and other serious disease.
Her toenails may need to be examined for growth and clipped regularly. The toenails of the rear feet grow slower than the toenails of the front feet.
*Life Span. The Saint Bernard can live between 8 and 10 years with proper nutrition, medical care and excellent living conditions.
*History. The Saint Bernard comes from Switzerland where they were used for locating lost people. They were first registered by the American Kennel Association in 1885.
Some Registries:
* Saint Bernard Club of America
*UKC United Kennel Club
*NKC National Kennel Club
*CKC Continental Kennel Club
*APRI Americas Pet Registry Inc.
*AKC American Kennel Club
*FCI Federation Cynologique Internationale
*NZKC New Zealand Kennel Club
*KCGB = Kennel Club of Great Britain
*ANKC = Australian National Kennel Club
*ACR = American Canine Registry
Litter Size: 6 to 8 Saint Bernard puppies
Category: Working Group
Terms To Describe: Powerful, intelligent, gentle, tolerant, faithful, kind, affectionate, mellow, lazy
*SPECIAL GOOD POINTS
Very good watch dog.
Easy to train.
Tolerant and good with children.
*SPECIAL BAD POINTS
Not a good guard dog.
Do not like hot weather.
Can be a drooler.
*Other Names Known By: St. Bernhardshund
*Every dog is an individual so not everything in this information may be correct for your dog. This information is meant as a good faith guideline only.
Mitch Endick
http://www.articlesbase.com/pets-articles/saint-bernard-puppy-and-dog-information-91148.html
My Saint Bernard diet?
I recently adopted a Saint Bernard mix puppy. He is about 4 months old and weighs about 25lbs. This is the first dog I’ve had that will get huge and I’ve done much research. I’ve read that they are prone to hip problems and they need to be fed and exercised well. I, however, can’t find any information on what to feed him or how much. I have also read that I should give him vitamins and minerals, but which kinds?
Thanks in advanced to anyone who can help me.
Any good large breed diet, a meat based food, read the labels.
References :
http://www.dogfoodanalysis.com
Learn to read the labels, then go shopping. The bag will have guidelines about how much to feed.
References :
Simply go to the store, and look at ALL the puppy/dog foods that are available. Read what it contains, such as minerals, vitamins- try buying the food that contains a lot of healthy benefits for a dog. Then, once that is accomplished, it is up to You to exercise your dog properly. Good luck and God bless. Saint Bernards are a favorite of mine.
If this isn’t enough, please look at my source; it might help if you haven’t looked there yet.
References :
http://animal.discovery.com/guides/healthcenter/dogs/nutrition/labels.html
High quality meat-based dog food with no corn,wheat,soy,gluten,or by products. Supplemented with two raw eggs a week,yogurt,and pieces of veggies and fruit.
References :
Just get him on a good, high quality dog food.
Not all pet food is made equally. A lot of it is full of corn, by-products, dyes, unhealthy preservatives, filler grains and all sorts of nasty stuff. A lot of pet food companies are perfectly happy to the dump cheap leftovers and things that aren’t safe for human consumption (from human food processing plants) into their foods. Will it kill your dog? No, it has to be nutritionally complete and safe to even be marketed. Is it healthy? Not by a long shot.
Corn is a low quality ingredient you never want to see in your pet food. Corn and low quality grains are two of the biggest culprits when it comes to food allergies in our pets.
Thankfully, there are some excellent dog foods being made these days that include organic, human grade ingredients rather than trash not fit for human consumption.
Examples of low quality foods to avoid: Anything you can find in a grocery store will be low end, Purina, Iams, Eukanuba, Science Diet, Royal Canin, Pedigree, Kibbles n’ Bits, Beneful, Ol’Roy.
Examples of high quality foods to look for: Innova, Wellness, Solid Gold, Canidae All Life Stages, Fromm Four Star, Merrick, GO Natural, Nature’s Variety Prairie, Nature’s Logic, Artemis Fresh Mix, Timberwolf Organics.
Although the high quality foods are more expensive, you’re getting what you’re paying for. Less filler material means more concentrated nutrients… this means you typically need to feed far less of the high quality food than you would of the low quality one. Which also means less poop!
Before following your vet’s food recommendation, keep in mind that vets get /very/ little nutritional training during their schooling. Besides that, what training they /do/ get is usually sponsored or taught by the crappy pet food companies! They also often get paid to sell some of their products at their clinics (Science Diet, Royal Canin etc.)
A great option is to go with an entirely grainless diet. Many of the high quality foods now put out grainless formulas. Some good grainless diets include: Innova EVO, Wellness CORE, Blue Wilderness, Nature’s Variety Instinct, Orijen, Horizon Legacy, Merrick Before Grain, Canidae Grain Free All Life Stages, Fromm Surf & Turf, Now! and Sold Gold Barking At The Moon, Taste of the Wild.
Some pretty decent foods can even be found in common pet stores. Petsmart carries Blue Buffalo products (such as the excellent grain free diet Blue Wilderness). Petco carries Wellness, Solid Gold, Natural Balance, Eagle Pack Holistic, Blue Buffalo, Castor & Pollux Organix, Pinnacle, and Halo. If you can’t find a food, most of the high quality food brands have websites with store locators on them.
Another option, if you can’t find anywhere around you that sells good foods, is to order your pet food online. Here’s an excellent place to do so: http://www.petfooddirect.com/store/
Remember that foods should be switched gradually (mixing new slowly in with the old over about a two week period), especially when switching to a higher quality one, so as not to upset tummies.
Another option for feeding dogs is to feed raw. This is something that should be thoroughly researched before being attempted:
http://www.barfworld.com/
http://www.rawfed.com/
http://www.rawlearning.com/
http://www.wysong.net/controversies/rawmeat.shtml
Also remember that freefeeding (leaving food down) is the fast lane to canine obesity. Make sure to have scheduled feeding times based on the feeding instructions on your dog’s food.
More on dog food:
http://www.dogfoodanalysis.com/dog_food_reviews/ (Dog food reviews. Four stars is a decent food, five stars is a great food, and six stars is an excellent food.)
Darksong~
References :
A quality food is better, as more of the food is utilized in their growth and metabolism. Better food, you use less of it, and then there is less clean up in the back yard. I believe that they do not recommend "free feeding" (leaving food out for him all the time).
Many Saint breeders would recommend that you have him on adult food at this time. They grow so quickly, but feel that the puppy food boosts the growth too much, too quickly. As a Saint, at his age, sometimes they can put on a pound of weight a day! You don’t want him to get too fat, as this puts too much stress on the joints. If you are using a quality food, I don’t believe that you should have to supplement.
Basic exercise is good, but no "road work"…again because this is hard on their joints.
Good luck with your new "fur kid".
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