St. Bernard
The St. Bernard is a working breed from Switzerland, standing males 28–35 in · females 26–31 in at the withers, weighing males 140–180 lb · females 120–140 lb. Recorded lifespan is 8–10 yrs.
- Breed group
- Working
- Origin
- Switzerland
- Height
- males 28–35 in · females 26–31 in
- Weight
- males 140–180 lb · females 120–140 lb
- Lifespan
- 8–10 yrs
Among the 500 breeds here with recorded measurements, the St. Bernard is taller than 99% of the measured breeds, heavier than 98%, one of 31 in the Working group, one of 9 from Switzerland.
Living with the St. Bernard
Two breed references score every breed they cover from 1 to 5 on the things an owner lives with day to day. These are the St. Bernard’s, with what a 1 and a 5 mean on each row.
- Affection with family
- 5 of 51 independent · 5 devoted
- Good with young children
- 5 of 51 not suited · 5 very good
- Good with other dogs
- 4 of 51 not suited · 5 very good
- Openness to strangers
- 4 of 51 reserved · 5 everyone is a friend
- Watchdog / protective nature
- 5 of 51 unbothered · 5 vigilant
- Energy
- 3 of 51 couch potato · 5 busy all day
- Exercise needs
- 2 of 51 a short walk · 5 a job to do
- Playfulness
- 4 of 51 only when invited · 5 non-stop
- Barking
- 1 of 51 only to alert · 5 very vocal
- Shedding
- 4 of 51 barely · 5 constantly
- Drooling
- 5 of 51 a dry mouth · 5 keep a towel
- Tolerates being alone
- 1 of 51 poorly · 5 well
- Tolerates hot weather
- 1 of 51 poorly · 5 well
- Tolerates cold weather
- 5 of 51 poorly · 5 well
Rated 1 to 5 by the American Kennel Club and DogTime, averaged where both rate the same thing, and read from their breed pages in 2022. Nobody at Woof & Beyond has met this breed — these are the publishers’ judgments, not ours.St. Bernard on AKCSt. Bernard on DogTime
Breeds that look like the St. Bernard
A neural network trained to tell breeds apart by sight read all 510 photographs in this reference, and these are the 6 it placed closest to the St. Bernard.
Height 0–38 in
- St. Bernard28–35 in
- Landseer26–28 in
- Tornjak25–27 in
- Romanian Bucovina Shepherd27–31 in
- Rize Koyanno recorded figure
- Romanian Raven Shepherd28–31 in
- Kooikerhondje14–16 in
Weight 0–220 lb
- St. Bernard140–180 lb
- Landseer100–150 lb
- Tornjak62–100 lb
- Romanian Bucovina Shepherd110–200 lb
- Rize Koyanno recorded figure
- Romanian Raven Shepherd110–132 lb
- Kooikerhondje20–40 lb
Lifespan 0–20 yrs
- St. Bernard8–10 yrs
- Landseer~11 yrs
- Tornjak12–14 yrs
- Romanian Bucovina Shepherd10–15 yrs
- Rize Koyanno recorded figure
- Romanian Raven Shepherdno recorded figure
- Kooikerhondje12–15 yrs
Nothing here was grouped by hand. The ranking is an opinion about appearance, not about ancestry, which is why it sometimes puts together breeds no kennel club would — and why it is worth looking at the photographs rather than taking the order on trust.
Guides that mention the St. Bernard
Every guide on this site whose text actually discusses this breed.