Saint Bernard Puppies Blog

Considering neutering your dog?
Since it is an irreversible action, timing is very important. Neutering a dog before reaching sexual maturity is a big mistake. According to most experts a dog should not be neutered before the age of 6 months, which can vary with different breeds. Usually, the bigger the breed is, the more you have to wait. Some vets don’t recommend spaying or castration before the puppy is over 1 year old, because neutering before long bone growth has finished may increase the risk of bone cancer and joint problems.
For females it is quite controversial whether to wait for the first heat period or not. According to some researchers, spaying a pup before the first one can help prevent various health problems, but on the other hand, some other experts say that it can cause even more risks.
Find out more about castration.

Is it normal, anyway?!

Yes, it is. Just imagine the situation from the point of view of your Saint Bernie. He is part of the family, often treated as “the kid”, and then, suddenly, a new creature arrives and takes all the attention of his beloved family. It is quite similar to what older children feel, when a little brother/sister arrives. One of the differences is just that the dog can’t speak English

Actually, if we are aware of this ‘problem’ in advance, the situation can be handled, but it needs consciousness and to be started in time, long before the baby’s arrival. Let’s see how we can prepare our Saint Bernard for the new family member.

If your dog’s daily routine has to be changed with the baby’s arrival (it probably will), you should start changing the rules much earlier, giving him plenty of time to get used to the new set up. This way it isn’t going to be so sudden and shocking. If your Saint Bernard hasn’t really been trained before, it’s high time to start. He should learn at least a few commands, like sit, stay, etc. This way, he’ll be easier to handle.

Many families worry about their dog endangering the health of the child, so the best thing to do is to take your pet to the vet, get him checked and get some advice. Get your Saint Bernard used to the new smells, sounds in advance (blankets, lotions, toys). It’s also a good idea, that just after your baby was born, send home a blanket that the baby had been in, so your dog can experience the child’s smell in advance. It is very important to know that your  Saint Bernard will get a lot less attention from the mother, so when taking the baby home for the first time, the mother should greet the dog, so it is better if someone else is carrying the baby.

It is also a good idea not to leave them alone together at the first times, until your Saint Bernard feels comfortable with the baby, because, for example, it is very possible that the dog won’t tolerate the child’s crying very well in the beginning. You have to teach him that this is a normal sound, and you should motivate him not to bark (with treats, for example).

And the most important rule for last, maybe it seems too obvious, but it’s still worth mentioning: try to give as much attention to your Saint Bernard as you can. The point is that he has to feel that you do care about him. If you keep this in mind, most probably there will be no problem. You could also try Preparing Fido, which is an amazing collection of Baby sounds designed especially to get your dog ready for the arrival of the new Baby!

The narrow line between training and abuse

Many dog owners think that their Bernie is the smartest in the world. There’s no problem with this, up to certain a point. This point is when the owner expects as much from the dog as if it really was the most intelligent creature the world has ever seen. They expect them to learn everything right away, whereas dogs need time to learn things, the same way as we, humans do. Just in a different way Well, the point is, that training requires time and patience. It can be different for all dogs, but we do have to keep this in mind and take the time and energy to train our Saint Bernard.

Another common mistake (also because of the lack of patience) is to give up. Many people think that they have already tried everything but the dog doesn’t want to learn. In this case, maybe the methods are not the best, or they need more time. There are no dogs who wouldn’t be able to learn at least a few commands. Giving up is never a solution.

So, if we have the time and the patience we can avoid the next, and maybe the biggest mistake: to turn training into abuse. Probably you expect me to tell you where this line is. I can’t. This is something the owner should know. Training is all about communication. If you know your Saint Bernard, if you pay attention to him, you see how he feels. Unfortunately many dog owners don’t have this ability, because they only keep pets for entertainment, while a dog is much more than that.

Going back to training, a very important rule is that your goal should be that your Saint Bernard obeys to commands because he is keen to do so. NOT BECAUSE HE IS AFRAID. Many-many owners forget about this, and feel the training successful, but actually they are making their dog unhappy. How can someone live happily in fear? No way. These owners are only keeping a dog to make themselves happy, and don’t feel the responsibility they should.

So the point is, that ‘positive training’ is possible. Actually, that’s the only way.

The first difficulties most Saint Bernard owners face is potty training their puppy. As with general training, the main principles remain the same: a positive, rewarding approach and a lot of patience is required. There are, however a few tips and tricks that will make the whole process faster and easier for both puppy and owner. Find out what Sharda Baker has to say on the topic, who has developed her best practices by years of trial and error.

Please comment if you have something to add.

My owner is very boring. He thinks his whistling interests me. Whatever, I’ll pretend a bit of attention to make him feel better.

Check here how to become a responsible owner of a dog like me.

Like any other breed, Saint Bernard needs to be trained and socialized as well and this should be done as early as possible, especially if you want to keep them as a house pet. Training this breed requires upbeat activities and daily walks as Saint Bernard are very active. When you walk it out, it might run ahead of you and might go after smaller animals. To avoid this, you must walk it out with a leash tied to it. this is to keep it from encountering any untoward incident such as jumping over fences or running across the street.

Since a leash in an important tool when training your Saint Bernard, it is essential that you keep it in a place where you can easily find it or hang it on a Saint Bernard Leash Holder to avoid misplacing it. You can place your leash holder beside the door or behind it for easy access whenever you need it your pet’s leash.