Where the Saint Bernard came from
The Saint Bernard comes from the Great St. Bernard Pass in the Swiss Alps. The hospice there got its first dogs between 1660 and 1670, and two paintings from 1690 are the first evidence of dogs at the pass. The dogs helped find travelers in the snow.
The most famous dog was Barry, who worked at the hospice from 1800 to 1812 and died in 1814. Sources say Barry saved somewhere between 40 and 100 lives. Severe winters from 1816 to 1818 killed many of the breeding dogs, and in the 1850s the remaining dogs were crossed with Newfoundlands. That led to a long coated type, but the long coat froze in the snow and hurt rescue work.
The Swiss St. Bernard Club was founded in Basel on March 15, 1884, and the breed was the first entered in the Swiss Stud Book. The AKC recognized the Saint Bernard in 1885. Today they are gentle family dogs.
- 1660 to 1670 The hospice on the pass gets its first dogs
- 1800 to 1812 Barry works at the hospice and becomes famous for rescues
- 1850s Remaining dogs are crossed with Newfoundlands
- 1884 Swiss St. Bernard Club is founded and the breed enters the Swiss Stud Book
- 1885 AKC recognizes the Saint Bernard
The job a Saint Bernard was bred for
The job was helping find lost travelers in snow and keeping them calm until help came. That shaped a gentle, patient dog with a strong nose. At home they are mellow.
Sports that fit a Saint Bernard
- Scent work. Use that nose
- Tracking. Natural fit
- Carting. Strong when conditioned
- Therapy work. Gentle nature
- Rally. Low impact fun
Training tips for a Saint Bernard
- Use gentle rewards.
- Teach loose leash walking early.
- Teach calm greetings.
- Keep sessions short.
Body and health
Giant size, heat sensitive, and joints need care. Avoid jumping and hard impact.
Fun fact. The brandy barrel on a Saint Bernard's collar comes from an 1820 painting by Edwin Landseer. The monks say no Saint Bernard ever carried one.
Breed is where we start
A study of more than 18,000 dogs found breed explains only about 9 percent of the differences in behavior between dogs (Morrill and others, Science, 2022). So your Saint Bernard is a starting guess, not a label. We find the drive your dog actually runs on, give it a job, and teach you to read them.
Looking for a different breed? See what 75 breeds were bred to do.