Saint Bernard breed guide

The huge head with a wrinkled brow, short muzzle and dark eyes gives Saint Bernards an intelligent, friendly expression.

AKC says socialization and early training are absolutely required for a dog so big and strong, with obedience teaching it not to jump on people, knock into small children or steal food from the table.

Saint Bernards live 8 to 10 years. Large, deep-chested breeds may get bloat, so owners should learn the signs and hip dysplasia and eye disease are sometimes seen.

A Saint can handle hot weather with a cool place to rest and lots of water, but going from air conditioning to high heat can cause serious distress.

Saint Bernards come in long-haired and short-haired varieties, both needing the same care: weekly brushing removes dirt and loose hair and a slicker brush or metal comb works out tangles, with more brushing in the twice-yearly shedding seasons.

Despite size and power, the St. Bernard needs only a moderate amount of exercise: one long walk or a half-hour play session a day should keep it healthy. It will happily go on longer hikes, backpacking or camping trips.

In 1050, at a snowy Alpine pass, a monk named Bernard of Menthon, later canonized, established a hospice to aid pilgrims journeying to Rome. At 8,000 feet above sea level with drifts as high as 40 feet, crossing the pass was treacherous.

Over several centuries the hospice monks developed powerful working dogs able to find and rescue travelers buried by drifts and avalanches. AKC busts a myth: the dogs of the Great St. Bernard Pass did not carry casks of brandy around their necks.