Family Dogs | Strong Dog

Dog Breeds: St Bernard Dogs-5 Things to Know About the St Bernard Dog

St Bernard dog!…Did you see it in your mind’s eye? That big black, white and tan dog standing on the snow with a barrel of booze strapped to his neck? A mobile bar tender of sorts. If you’re like most of us, you certainly did. The St Bernard dog breed is best know for saving lives in the Alps, booze under chin, but what else is important to know about the St Bernard dog?

Here are 5 need to know facts about the St Bernard dog that current owners already know, and perspective owners should know. For example, did you know that St Bernard dogs can fit an entire size 12 tennis shoe in it’s mouth? Actually that’s not true, but sometimes the St Bernard slobbers so much you’d swear there were shoe laces hanging from either side of their mouths.

1. This Aint Lassie

St Bernard dogs are an intelligent and incredibly strong dog. They won’t tell you that Billy fell down the well, but they may be capable of pulling the well out of the ground. Proper training for St Bernard dogs is imperative to start early. As with any dog, a solid obedience foundation is required as a puppy, but especially with a St Bernard, otherwise you will have a strong, intelligent dog running your house.

St Bernard dogs may be a little challenging to train, but be patient. They can be independent and stubborn, and are often rowdy when young, but they mellow out very nicely as they mature. St Bernard dogs need daily exercise and mental stimulation, but they will tire quickly. For St Bernard puppies, you will find the most benefits with multiple short burst of play until they are about 2 years old to allow full bone development, whereas with a mature St Bernard dog a long, daily walk will suffice, barrel of booze optional.

2. Ready, Set, Groom!

St Bernard dogs come with two different coat types, smooth and rough. Rough simply means that it’s coat is a little longer. Both coats are extremely dense and St Bernard dogs will shed twice a year almost religiously. If you’re taking notes at home, that was large dog-dense fur-sheds on purpose twice a year. Don’t let that scare you though, grooming schedules for St Bernard dogs are really quite minimal, just remember, whatever fur you catch in a brush is fur you won’t catch in your mouth, every corner of the house, the butter dish, on the furniture, in your bed…you get the idea.

Otherwise, St Bernard dogs should only be washed when they need it, ie: stinky or dirty. They have an oily water resistant coat that can be affected by over doing the ole’ rub a dub. Too much washing will strip the coat of those needed oils. Always remember to use a gentle dog shampoo. St Bernard dogs also have watery eyes. It’s important to keep the St Bernard’s eyes clean and free of any foreign debris to avoid additional problems.

3. Part of the Family

The number one response you will get from St Bernard dog owners when asked what they like best about their dogs are that they are superior family dogs. These gentle giants are great with kids, I mean really great. The thing to be aware of is actually the kids abusing the dog thinking they can ride them like a horse. The St Bernard will ly there and subject themselves to being used as a jungle gym and will be perfectly content.

St Bernard dogs have a very sweet disposition despite their enormous size. They are very much part of their families and do not like being separated from their family for long periods of time. They can be protective but will most often ward off strangers with their deep bark and sheer mass.

4. Keep Your Wallet Handy

St Bernard dog owners need to know that the breed can be expensive. First of all, they are one of the faster growing dog breeds and with an average weight of 100 to 210 pounds, they eat, and eat and eat and eat. Second, and it’s unfortunate about the St Bernard dog breed, but they are prone to a few expensive genetic problems.

With an average life span of 8 to 10 years, St Bernard dogs are prone to heart problems, extropion (where their eye lids fold out, fixable surgically), dry skin and eczema, hip and elbow dysplasia and maybe the worse, bone cancer. With the latter, if you are buying from a breeder, they should be able to tell you about the genetic lines of the dog and if cancer has run in that particular St Bernard’s dog blood lines.

The good news with this is that one can significantly reduce the cost of vet bills simply by ensuring that your St Bernard gets proper nutrition. True with all dogs, but especially for the St Bernard dog, ensuring proper nutrition through diet and supplementation will drastically cut down on vet bills, increase life spans and improve the over-all quality of life for your St Bernard.

5. Size Doesn’t Matter

Although they are huge, St Bernard dogs don’t necessarily need a huge area to live in. They can make a comfortable home in an apartment if needed, but they will require some space to sprawl out inside the house. An ideal setting is a single family home with a fenced yard and a long daily walk. They are playful companions but because they tire easily, you will most often find then snoring in their favorite place. They are also very cat friendly.

Due to their breeding heritage, St Bernard dogs like colder weather. They actually have a very low tolerance to high heat and humidity, but I suppose we all do. Excessive temperature changes aren’t taken kindly either. Going from an air conditioned house to a hot sidewalk may prove to be a short journey.

Dog Breeds: About Bloodhounds

About Bloodhounds

When I think about Bloodhounds, I conjure up an image of a lazy dog sleeping on the porch of a deep swamp cabin under the rocking chair of a one suspender hillbilly. That I can’t help, and although similar in the regard of being slow moving hound, the truth about the Bloodhound is one that dates back more than 1000 years and is consistent throughout history as a tracking dog.

The 1000 plus year old Bloodhound isn’t a descendant of vampires with a thirst for blood, but rather a docile and distinguished dog breed. The term “blood” most likely comes from the term “blooded’ which means pure blood referring back to the noblemen that owned and breed them. This sometimes clumsy scent hound is also referred to as a St. Hubert Hound dating back to a 7th century French monk, St Hubert, whom is said to have not created the dog breed but is credited with originally perfecting the breed. St Hubert later went on the become the patron saint of hunters, go figure, right?

Get on Track!

what we’ve learned about Bloodhounds is that they have a fanatical following, as evidenced by the American Bloodhound Club, and have been used as tracking dogs for their entire existence originally tracking deer and bears, but it was not until the 16th century that Bloodhounds were used to track humans. Prior to that and still, Bloodhounds have tracked animals, criminals, run away slaves and lost children. Mantrailing, a term used to describe just that, a dog trailing a man, has enjoyed a steady increase in modern day police work and search and rescue missions with a proven mantrailing Bloodhound trail being permissible in a US court.

Mantrailing is also a title of a sporting event where bloodhounds (primarily) earn different levels of competency, 4 in all like the different belts of karate, based off their proven execution of being able to trail a scent.

The Bloodhound dog breed is mostly resilient with only a couple chronic issues stemming from the it’s genetic make-up. Ears and ear infections should be the obvious one with their trade mark long, soft, floppy ears making a perfect environment for infections. There are also a lot of mostly unexplained issues with bloat that can be deadly, but it seems to be more common in some bloodlines more than others…and besides, who doesn’t love that deep, throaty howl unique to the Bloodhound?

The Nose Knows

The most prominent trait about the Bloodhound is their nose. Often said that a Bloodhound is merely a highly accurate nose attached to a dogs body, the sensory performance of the Bloodhound nose is almost a thousand times more sensitive that a human nose. That stems from an estimated 230 million olfactory cells within the Bloodhounds respiratory tract.

Bloodhounds are determined and goal orientated working dogs, again, driven by their acute sniffer which makes for an ideal candidate of police and search and rescue outfits. The dog breed is said to have exceptional endurance and had stayed on a trails for 100 miles based merely in the fact that they are stubborn and want to find the end of the scent. I only wish I were as determined.

Is a Scent Hound right for You?

Knowing about Bloodhounds, their traits and tendencies will be critical before choosing one as a pet. Bloodhounds can be terrific family dogs because they are very mild mannered after the “terrible twos” where they are mischievous and independent as puppies and adolescents. They are good natured companions and are great with kids, but can be aggressive towards other dogs.

It is said that you don’t own a Bloodhound, they own you. This dog breed will follow it’s nose at the drop of a hat if not restrained. For this reason, the Bloodhound needs to either be in a fenced yard or on a leash at all times. When on a scent trail Bloodhounds are oblivious to anything around them which includes road ways and speeding cars.

The Bloodhound is stubborn and difficult to obedience train and the alpha dog position needs to be established early or the dog will dominate the pack.

If owners are aware about the Bloodhounds personality and can be patient and consistent with the eventual training of the hound, Bloodhounds will be loving and loyal family dogs.

Dog Breeds:German Shepherd Dogs

The Black and Tan Brigade

Intelligent, alert, confident, never afraid…These are the descriptions you will find most often when talking to anyone who knows and maybe loves a German Shepherd dog. Officially recognized for over 112 years, German Shepherds are most commonly associated with police or military dogs, but they are also terrific companion animals as well, placing second behind Labrador Retrievers for the past two years on the AKC breed popularity charts.

The German Shepherd breed, officially introduced to the world in 1899 by then German army Captain Max Von Stephanitz takes it’s roots from a utility dog used for herding sheep, and evolved into a movie star, then a family dog, to a working dog and now enjoys a combination of all the above.

Rightfully recognized as a herding breed by the American Kennel Club, keeping sheep in line on the German country side in the 19th century entailed strenuous demands. Needing the intelligence to keep a flock in order with the scent ability to track stray sheep and the tenacity to ward off would be predators, the German Shepherd was ideal for this type of grueling work, but it couldn’t be contained to the Bavarian back country.

The First Action Hero

Making it’s first appearance in a 1907 and being officially recognized by the AKC just a year later, the German Shepherd shot to stardom in the 1920s thanks to the iconic popularity of Rin Tin Tin, the first canine action hero of his day. Rin Tin Tin, which was the dog’s actual name, was brought home with an American soldier stationed in France during WWI, was said to receive ten thousand fan letters a week in the mid 1920s. After that, the breed popularity flourished and never looked back. To date, the German Shepherd has appeared in well over 100 big screen movies with recent notables such as Beverly Hills Chihuahua and Hotel for Dogs.

Off to Work We Go

With a 13 year life expectancy and available in 3 color combinations of solid black, solid white (solid white isn’t a recognized variation and is termed an American White Shepherd) and most popularly black and tan, the German Shepherd’s run on fame didn’t go unnoticed. Sought after for the same original qualities that make a good sheep herder, military and police began to engage the breed. The long muzzle of the German Shepherd is keen in scent detection for both drugs and bombs and also provides a bite with forces measured at 238 pounds, second only to the bite power of his German cousin, the Rottweiler. Much like those of a wolf, the “alert”, tenacious looking ears seen on adult dogs are actually a natural occurrence. After a puppy finishes teething, the calcium gets redirected in the German Shepherd’s body to go “north” and begin to harden the cartilage in the ear structure between 5 and 8 months of age. With the desired traits of a good police dog, German Shepherds currently account for roughly 8000 police dogs around the country but are slowly being phased out due to genetic predispositions to hip and elbow dysplasia therefore making these canine officers less resilient to the demands of the job. Although German Shepherd breeders have worked tirelessly to lessen the frequency of dog hip and joint problems, the public protection industry seems to have already moved towards a smaller version of the same dog with the Belgian Malinois.

Loving Family Dog?

Although the German Shepherd is most often affiliated with the big screen and being a police dog, they are also a wonderful family dog with a very loyal human following. There are multiple websites, forums and discussions surrounding German Shepherd experiences and facts. Some folks, however, don’t agree and remain skeptical due to bite statistics, but others, this author included, would argue that the instances of bite occurrences is a skewed statistic with most of those being police dogs. The fact remains though, that the German Shepherd is highly intelligent (There are reports that Hitler attempted to teach German Shepherds to talk in WWII) and very protective. Due to the high level of intelligence, these dogs need to be given structure and an alpha dog established at a very early age. Allowed to act freely German Shepherds are know to establish themselves as the alpha dog in a family situation if not trained which could lead to multiple problems and give the breed an unfair bad name. These dogs respond best in the family that welcomes the dog in under set boundaries and involves them as part of that family sharing affection. It’s in that situation where you have the best possible German Shepherd experience and is probably the reason this breed is number two on the AKC registration list.