All about the Saint Bernard Dog

There are many who believe in the adage that a dog is a man’s best friend. The best part about having a Saint Bernard is that he can be as lazy as you would want him to be! I for one love this breed and can go about for hours to handle one. But the real secret to success with a Saint Bernard, as with any large dog, is its early training. Its best if you would teach the pup to obey you.

Caring for a Saint Bernard
At first what may seem as the toughest job to do, might turn a pleasure for him, especially as large and bulky size may intimidate you when he grows. Saint Bernard is a family dog and does hates to be alone. Most kids love him and surprisingly he/she’s most palpable with females. Probably a good reason for this behavior is that women get cuddly faster than males. Moreover, they are treated as equals along with children.

Here are some of the steps that might help you while training your Saint Bernard.

* Vaccinate your Saint Bernard and follow up with yearly booster vaccinations to maintain the dog's immunity to diseases. Like babies, its essential that you worm your adult dog every three months, and consult your veterinarian about defleaing products. Thanks to their playful nature, like the Labrador, the Saint Bernard can catch ticks and fleas because of their sole purpose in life is t laze around; amongst people.

* Plan to feed your Saint Bernard 6 to 12 cups of food a day. This breed is more like us, humans. Best to feed them with frequent small meals rather than allow him to bloat. So in case you’re planning to lose weight and keep his weight and activity level high, don’t force down his meals to one or two in a day. Feed him several small meals.

* Of course it’s needless to say that you need to provide him with high-grade dog food. The first ingredient should be meat if you want a quality product. The protein, crude protein in this case should be no less than 30 percent, with crude fat no less than 20 percent. Also, the fiber content needs to be 4 percent or less. Protein would provide him with energy and crude fat necessary.

* Contact the Orthopedic Foundation for Animals to learn more about hip dysplasia. Hip dysplasia is a skeletal defect in dogs. The ball portion in this condition (especially the femoral head) of the hip is not securely seated in the socket portion. This condition is quite common in working and sporting breeds of dogs. It would be typically essential to check a saint Bernard for that matter!

* Train your Saint Bernard early in life to socialize with children, people and other pets. Although a loyal and obedient dog by nature, the Saint Bernard can be difficult to manage because of its size alone. Its best to keep him busy either with some task or with the kids, that way he’ll be able to manage his moods, and yes they get moody too and also be occupied all the time.

* Like all other dogs, take him out for daily walks, but keep it on a leash. Because of its size, a Saint Bernard can quickly become unmanageable if it so desires. Bear in mind that they are slow-moving. Also you could proof your house bearing in mind that he is around as there could be any amount of damage done by him thanks to his size! It’s best if you would keep your expensive cutlery, crystal and show pieces away from his reach, or else one whiff of his tail and your dollars go in the drain.

* As lazy as Saint Bernard’s may be, be careful not to over-exercise them. This is essential especially in its first two years of life, when its delicate bones are still being formed.

* Brush your Saint Bernard's coat with a firm-bristled brush, as and when required. Bathe your dog as often as possible. Keep in mind that they do shed a lot, so the more often you brush, the easier it is to handle the large amounts of fur.

* Clean your Saint Bernard's eyes frequently with a moist cotton-wool pad. Be sure to use a new one for each eye.

* Make a definite effort to understand the health problems that a Saint Bernard is prone to. These would include wobbler syndrome (a spinal disorder), heart and skin problems, hip dysplasia and extropion (folding eyelid).

All and all be prepared to enjoy a full 8 to 10 years with your Saint Bernard - this is generally, the dog’s average life expectancy.

Additional Tips:
* Saint Bernards rarely bark unless there is just cause. Its best to make note of this though! Like most men in this world, (no pun intended!) it takes a couple of years for a Saint Bernard to mature mentally and most of them reach an impressive size of about 27 inches, especially in males and weigh between 110 and 180 pounds. Females on the other hand reach a height of at least 25 inches and also weigh between 110 and 180 pounds.

* This breed does not do well in the heat, so be sure that he remains cool.

* Watch your Saint Bernard around small children. Although they are the best pals, children would get, and would never intentionally harm a child, the dog may accidentally knock one over!