St Bernard

deejer

Hi All,

First time posting here. But I think I am going to be hanging around here a bit! Girlfrien bought a St Bernard pup yesterday. We are only collecting him next Sunday so I am trying to get prepared.

We have always had dogs at home so I am well used to looking after them. This is our first dog together however and also my first time spending this kinda money on a dog :eek:. I am just looking for some advise in relation to food and general care. I know a dog like this will take a little more looking after and I want to make sure I am doing it well.

Also wondering about suggestions on insurance and is it worthwhile?

Thanks for the help!

andreac

Have you done any research on Saint Bernards?

Make sure you get insurance for def, saints can cost a lot of money when something goes wrong, because of their sheer size and weight.

You need to read up on general care and exercise for saints as they can be quite different from other breeds.

Has the breeder had all the relative health tests done, ie Hip and elbow scoring, heart tests etc? If not i would highly advise you to walk away and go to a breeder that carries these out.

I know of a very good breeder who has just recently lost his young saint to heart problems, even though it was heart tested when it was younger. So it just goes to show how much of a problem these things can be even when tests are carried out.

loveisdivine

I, and most people, would say insurance is a 100% definite. It is with all dogs but especially so with a breed as large as the Bernard.

This website should be of use - http://www.stbernardhealth.co.uk/ Contains lost of info about all the different health issues they face.

Aslong as you do plenty of research you should be fine.

callmekenneth

awesome. very best of luck deejar, get some pics up here asap. i have no experience with st bernards apart from a guy who walks one in a local park. lazy. very lazy dog (but has to be forced to do some exercise apparently)

barbiegirl

Also make sure you are training the puppy from day 1 as they get big very quickly and as my sister has found out a massive 1 year old puppy jumping up on you is not to everyones taste So train, train and more training. They are beautiful dogs and the very best of luck. Piccies please

deejer

thanks for all the advise everyone!

we are collecting him on Sunday so trying to get as much sorted before then as we can. Have been doing a good bit of reading up on them this week. Will take a good bit of looking after but I am looking forward to it!

Lady we are buying from was very helpful on the phone and dog has all the checks done so it will be up to us to look after him from now on

andreac

deejer wrote: »

thanks for all the advise everyone!

we are collecting him on Sunday so trying to get as much sorted before then as we can. Have been doing a good bit of reading up on them this week. Will take a good bit of looking after but I am looking forward to it!

Lady we are buying from was very helpful on the phone and dog has all the checks done so it will be up to us to look after him from now on

Did you see the certs of the Hip and Elbow score results? Where did you find the breeder? Was she recommended by the kennel club or anything?

deejer

andreac wrote: »

Did you see the certs of the Hip and Elbow score results? Where did you find the breeder? Was she recommended by the kennel club or anything?

No I guess I am going to have to ask her about that in more detail. She wasnt recommended, we just came across the add online. They are registered if that makes any difference.

andreac

deejer wrote: »

No I guess I am going to have to ask her about that in more detail. She wasnt recommended, we just came across the add online. They are registered if that makes any difference.

No, unfortunately it doesnt make any difference. Registered counts for nothing really, its only a piece of paper to say who the parents are and what the name is etc, its no guarantee of a good breeder, healthy parents and so on.

I would be very wary of online ads for dogs, as there are so many dodger back yard breeders, not carrying out health tests on dogs before they breed.

Saints are notorious for suffering with their health so its extremely important that the parents have been health tested and you should insist on seeing the certs and if they arent done, i urge and highly recommend you walk away from this breeder.

anniehoo

deejer wrote: »

They are registered if that makes any difference.

Not for any underlying health issues nope!

andreac wrote: »

Did you see the certs of the Hip and Elbow score results? Where did you find the breeder? Was she recommended by the kennel club or anything?

Cant stress this ENOUGH!!! Please check her out thorughly before buying as you will regret it sooner rather than later when you're attached. You wouldnt buy a car on word of mouth without checking its service history etc, that would be madness...same goes for buying a puppy. People will tell you anything in order to sell pups. Please be very vigilant. Andreac has give great advice. Hips and heart are a big think in SBs.

For your sake im hoping shes a good breeder and you get a good representation of the breed.Best of luck...but keep your eyes wide open.

deejer

andreac wrote: »

No, unfortunately it doesnt make any difference. Registered counts for nothing really, its only a piece of paper to say who the parents are and what the name is etc, its no guarantee of a good breeder, healthy parents and so on.

I would be very wary of online ads for dogs, as there are so many dodger back yard breeders, not carrying out health tests on dogs before they breed.

Saints are notorious for suffering with their health so its extremely important that the parents have been health tested and you should insist on seeing the certs and if they arent done, i urge and highly recommend you walk away from this breeder.

Just to confirm here. I would be looking for health certs for the parents to show the pup has good breeding?

unclebill98

+1 on everything said so far.

I've two rescue SB. Biggest issue for us was their lack of training. My latest rescue was given away because it kept knocking over their small children and he was only nine months old.

A hyper SB running into you can be sore.....


So training is our focus ATM.

andreac

deejer wrote: »

Just to confirm here. I would be looking for health certs for the parents to show the pup has good breeding?

You would be looking at health certs for the parents yes, to show they have been hip and elbow scored and heart tested as well. Its nothing to do with good breeding as such, but would show that the parents are healthy enough to be bred from in the first place.
You shouldnt even contemplate taking this pup if these tests arent carried out and you can see the results.
If the breeder even queries as to what these tests/certs are then they arent good responsible breeders and shouldnt be breeding in the first place.

Irishchick

Cant add anything here. I just want to back up the claims that have been made. I am a vet nurse and can confirm that they can suffer terribly

You may feel disappointed to walk away but it will give you the opportunity to try and get the healthiest pup you can.

Plus your wallet will thank you for it.

deejer

Well after an hour long chat on the phone with the lady last night I am happy that she is a responsible breeder with the relevant certs. I am calling to her on Sunday where she will be able to show me all the paper work, the two parents and our new pup.

Again thanks everyone here for the advise, much appreciated. I was not the most popular person at home when I said we may not be taking the dog though.

Irishchick

deejer wrote: »

Well after an hour long chat on the phone with the lady last night I am happy that she is a responsible breeder with the relevant certs. I am calling to her on Sunday where she will be able to show me all the paper work, the two parents and our new pup.

Again thanks everyone here for the advise, much appreciated. I was not the most popular person at home when I said we may not be taking the dog though.

Please just make sure you SEE The Certs in person. If your fobbed off then walk away.

You would be even less popular at home if the pup became ill and you came home with huge vet bills

andreac

Yes, make sure you see them. They are certs from the BVA in the UK, that have results for scoring of the hip and elbow and then there should be heart test certs as well.
The scores should be the average at minimum or preferable below the average for a Saint.
Saint Bernards have a score of 21 so the parents should be in and around that but preferably lower.
Heres the link from the BVA website with all the scores for you to have a look at.
http://www.bva.co.uk/public/documents/Breed_Specific_Statistics_2012.pdf

The Sweeper

+1 to all of the above.

Deejer, understand this: when you take that puppy, there's no way on this planet you'll ever give him back. Unscrupulous breeders RELY on the empathy of the ordinary person. You adopt a pup, you become attached to it, you adore it, and if it ends up being a poorly bred pup, you feel like you're its chance for a happy life and you'd never give it back to the mean person who it came from. Some folks even convince themselves they've rescued the pup.

With that in mind, just be aware that the following are standard excuses:

"I don't have the papers, I'll send them on"
"The vet okayed them, I'll get a copy of the certs and post them to you"
"The vet said I didn't need the x-rays - they're expensive and he said the dogs were fine"
"They're the picture of health, sure, look at them"

And so on.

tk123

DEFINITELY walk away if they don't have the proper certs. Don't feel sorry for the pup, don't con yourself into thinking you're "rescuing" it or that "everything will be grand" either. I love my dog more than anything but let me tell you handing over your little baby puppy to the vet for xrays (and in our case 2 operations) is extremely worrying and stressful.

Sorry if my post may seem harsh but you'll melt the minute you see the puppy and won't have your wits about you!!

star-pants

Everyone - just a note, if someone else has said something you wanted to say you can thank their post and quote that you agree along with any other extra points you have. Everyone repeating the exact same thing can come across a bit gang like. Thanks!

tk123

God I can't wait until Sunday to see pics of our new boards puppy!! That fuzzy puppy 'huh?!' look they have lol

Taltos

Hi OP

Great choice in a dog

Hope some of the following helps.
we got 2 St Bernard-Bernese crosses from a breeder in Wexford nearly 19mts ago now during the heavy snows (which meant they weren't socialsed in time) - (her Bernese got into her St Bernard that she was breeded).
Were told bone scores etc were all fine, no history of issues in the mother but never checked the papers and to our shame never saw the mother. Our trust here has come back to haunt us - just wanted to get home while the roads were reasonably open before the next snow fall.

We did however get pet insurance - saved our lives and our bank balances.
For the first while all seemed fine - then when getting them neutered we chose to get an x-ray of their hips just on the off chance of any issues - gawd - both of them have really really bad hip dysplaysia - for a year now we have been bringing them to hydrotherapy every single week...

Some other things to watch out for.
1. Do research on the right food - you want to ensure you don't get a food that encourages growth. We are now feeding ours Orijin and boiled chicken and rice. As well intentioned as vets are they are dealing with sales guys so do your research online and talk to a number of breeders.
2. Walks - the Bernard does NOT need long walks - start very very slowly - say 5 minutes max and following vet guidance increase per month. We now walk ours a max of 30 minutes a day. With a rest day after the swim.
3. Begin training immediately - and I mean asap - ours are quite good on the lead - though then they get excited at seeing another dog they can pull a bit - combined they are nearly 15stone - but normally they are great - we use the front harnesses. Be careful of collars you want to protect their necks. Also you may have to repeat the training cycle 3 or 4 times as much as for another dog - St Bernards sometimes really need a command drilled in. For us - Stay sometimes works; Come here - well depends; Sit - can't use with the hips; Look - very good now.
4. Stairs - keep them off stairs - again can impact the onset of hip dysplasia.
5. Socialisation - expose them to as much good experiences as possible. Mine unfortunately had issues with some kids our neighbours mind while left alone a few times. Now meeting kids is a big problem... Similarly when they meet old folk with hats and sunglasses they get spooked. Cannot stress this enough - we found when we put ours into day care it worked wonders for us outside as our short walks just could not introduce enough new dogs. They are now great with other dogs mostly - just not people - one had a hip socket pop out so missed out on some early people socialisation - we are getting there though.
6. House proof - ours have
> chewed our skirting boards - destroyed sections.
> Licked the plaster off the wall back to bricks.
> Chewed wooden furniture to make it rickety - including our really good antique table and chairs - cost a fortune a few years ago - but who cares they are happy.
> Ate their way into a section of our leather sofa - a blanket and tape hides this.
> Ate and tore up some small trees and shrubs - they love wood - and for some reason sometimes like muck - so a few holes in the garden now.
7. House Training - we were using paper etc - and it was a mess. Someone suggested crate training - and this worked fantastically. For the first week get up every hour or so and take the puppy out to the toilet, and slowly extend the time. When introducing to the crate don't close the door straight away - again check online for guides on crate trainging - worked wonders for us and for another guy in work who used to get up to an absolute mess every morning.
8. Jumping up on you - Don't ever ever encourage this - your dog will soon be 7 or 10 stone - this will crush a kid if they try to jump up in excitement.
9. Bite inhibition - start it very early - use the yip to train the dog.
10. Handling - get your puppy used to you checking it all over - with their coats it is easy to miss a tic or a cut.
11 Eyes - check that the eyes are not too diamond shaped - this can cause problems but again you can find more online on this - we were lucky so don't need to worry about it.

Be prepared for everyone to come racing over to pet "Beethoven" - while this is good control it so that your little puppy doesn't get scared and learn to dislike interaction - always praise them afterwards and reward them.

I personally find this breed to be really really intelligent with very expressive faces when you know what to look for. They have definitely have firm ideas of self - so quite often you might find that if you say want them to go outside they will decide "fopp you matey" and stay where they are.

Take as many photos as you can - in a few months they will be huge - you won't see much of a difference but trust me without the photos you won't believe how little it was.

portgirl123

please also, which i havent seen anyone else mention on here is health of their eyes. apparently more and more saints are suffering with genetic problems with their eyes. my dog who is just 11 months has already had 4 ops on her eyes, 2 on each one. has also now had 2 ulcers on each eye. she has been treated for this but the ulcers keep coming back. vet is now sending her to a specialists. my concern now is that she is going to lose one or more of her eyes as they are so bad.
i knew when i got her she had eye probs, i got her for free as owner couldnt get rid of her and some of her brothers and sisters because of their eyes, didnt realise though how bad things where going to be. also one of the other pups is now suffering from her hips as well.
so please do urself a fAVOUR and make sure all the relevent health checks have been done. as others have said if she dont have the certs dont take the pup. if people started to turn away from puppy farmers/back yard breeders it would help to get rid of them. while it may be hard to walk away from a pup you have your heart set on i will tell you its harder still to watch them suffer.

Irishchick

OP will you let us know how it goes?

deejer

Irishchick wrote: »

OP will you let us know how it goes?

I sure will!

Jaz I am really nervous bout this now.

Taltos

No need to be nervous - St Bernard's make great pets - actually now after a year and a half I prefer - companions...

portgirl123

OP,i didnt post to turn you of getting a saint just to be careful when you buy one that you are aware of the possible health risks. as saints are big dogs everything is so much more expensive. so far with my dogs eyes vet bills have cost me over €2000. i know i got her for free and was aware of her eye problems but now when i look at i would have saved myself a fortune if i had of gone to a reputible breeder, also the heartache it would have saved.
there is no way now in a million years i would get rid of her now or would i swap her for a health saint as he is part of the family. saint are brill dogs.
just op please make sure you get her health certs and by this the proper ones not just a card from the vets. if she has got them do your self and the dog and walk.

good luck with sunday

tk123

What happened OP??

deejer

tk123 wrote: »

What happened OP??

We ended up collecting her yesterday actually. It was a long drive to collect her but he was well behaved in the car. To be honest I was not sure about the breeder. She has owned bernards for years and the dogs just happy but I still wasnt convinced. (i guess this thread has alot to do with that:)). She had all the certs tracing the blood line of the dogs and she had the BVA certs which gave me some relief.

The mother and father were out the back and we had a look at them too. They both 3yrs old and I have to say that the father was a very impressive looking dog and looked in good shape. I was not so convinced by the mother though but maybe after popping out all those pups I should cut her some slack!

The pup, well as soon as he walked into the room I dont think my girlfriend was ever going to leave the house without him. He pulled out all the stops! I was trying to remain focused on asking all the questions and checking all the certs while she was busy rubbing his belly and thinking what name might suit him best.

So we bought him, he is home, and we are both happy. Im not sure he is so happy yet but I guess it will take him a while to settle in. It was late when we got home last night and I am in college "studying" today so when I get home this evening I will put up a photo.

Let the fun begin!

tk123

Ah can't wait to see a pic!

Dodd

F5.......F5........F5...... for pictures.

deejer

Meet Charlie everyone

Dodd

So lovely and cute.

The rug suits him .He will so own that.

PurplePrincess

Just gorgeous.:)

calfmuscle

deejer wrote: »

Meet Charlie everyone

Omg!! If you need a baby sitter let me know!!

anniehoo

deejer....welcome to the forum! You WILL be here A LOT!!! He's flippin gorgeous. Best of luck with him.;)

tk123

Ah lovely! Thou your letters won't last long there on the bottom shelf - puppies are furry paper shredders!

Léan

Omg he is so handsome!

Irishchick

deejer wrote: »

To be honest I was not sure about the breeder. She has owned bernards for years and the dogs just happy but I still wasnt convinced.
I was not so convinced by the mother though but maybe after popping out all those pups I should cut her some slack!

I was trying to remain focused on asking all the questions and checking all the certs while she was busy rubbing his belly and thinking what name might suit him best.

This all seems a little worrying to me. What about the breeder made you unsure?

What was it about the bitch that made you so unconvinced?

What certs did you see exactly? Hip scores? Elbow scores?

deejer

Irishchick wrote: »

This all seems a little worrying to me. What about the breeder made you unsure?

What was it about the bitch that made you so unconvinced?

What certs did you see exactly? Hip scores? Elbow scores?

First point I should make on this is that I know very little about dog breeding, I don’t know any dog breeders and I know very little about the St Bernard breed itself. My natural scepticism probably had a lot to do with how I approached the situation on the day. She had the hip and elbow scores. The bitch just didn’t look in the best condition, but then I was comparing her to the dog who was a monster of an animal.

Since coming home I have to say I am not 100% happy with Charlie’s eyes. I notice a small drop in his bottom eyelids but they don’t seem to be bothering him that much. I am hoping this doesn’t become an issue.

He is 3mths old on the 31st January and is going to be a handful id say. For a dog that hasn’t been toilet trained he is also doing fairly well – we are all learning on this point! Once we take him out after his meal he does his business (he even seems to have found a spot outside that he likes). At night he is also going on the paper we have left in this room. We are in the process of building a house so once we move we will set up a run for him out the back. (live on a farm so plenty room).

cocker5

OP – he is just gorgeous... enjoy the puppy days! All puppies are a handful.... he’s just going to be a very big handful

Can i ask how do you mean a “drop” on his bottom eye lids?

As in sticky goo or something? This could just be a small eye infection nothing to worry about a trip to the vets will sort that out no problem.

My cocker got eye infections a lot as a pup... and now hasn’t had one in 6 years!

portgirl123

deejer wrote: »

First point I should make on this is that I know very little about dog breeding, I don’t know any dog breeders and I know very little about the St Bernard breed itself. My natural scepticism probably had a lot to do with how I approached the situation on the day. She had the hip and elbow scores. The bitch just didn’t look in the best condition, but then I was comparing her to the dog who was a monster of an animal.

Since coming home I have to say I am not 100% happy with Charlie’s eyes. I notice a small drop in his bottom eyelids but they don’t seem to be bothering him that much. I am hoping this doesn’t become an issue.

He is 3mths old on the 31st January and is going to be a handful id say. For a dog that hasn’t been toilet trained he is also doing fairly well – we are all learning on this point! Once we take him out after his meal he does his business (he even seems to have found a spot outside that he likes). At night he is also going on the paper we have left in this room. We are in the process of building a house so once we move we will set up a run for him out the back. (live on a farm so plenty room).

thats why i tried to warn you about the eyes. as i said so far i have spent over €2000 in vet bills for my guys eyes back at vets today another €80 have to bring him back next monday again. not looking at all good for one eye. the other eye thankfully has slightly improved. it is hard to walk away when you met the dog but, as hard as it is for me to say it, im sorry i didnt. as i said there is no way on earth i would give up on him now but its not only the money side though, that is a factor, its also the time and heartache.
anyways goodluck with ur doggy. oh just thought, make sure you feed him a good quality low protein food. very important for his growth and joints

Taltos

OP - get that insurance as early as possible - assuming you don't already have it - I think some of them have to be in place for maybe 15 days or so.

In terms of a droop - this is classic with many Bernards.
It can be a point of concern if the droop is excessive with the lid turning outwards/inwards - can lead to infections and discomfort for the pup.
My two ladies droops a fair bit when they get very tired - also the whites of their eyes go red (also if they are upset / scared).

A small droop is OK - a large one may not be - but only a vet can tell you - hence the insurance....
If your dog is 3 months in just a few days they are near the end of the 12 week socialisation period - do as much as you can between now and then - carry loads of treats with you and reward them for every new experience letting them know everything is great.

Charlie is a great name by the way - beautiful dog.
Oh finally - learn to relax - for the first while I was in bits anytime anything went wrong.

Taltos

ps.
Make sure Charlie gets used to being handled and brushed very fast.
Run your hands all over him - getting him used to you checking later for tics etc.
Check his nails and gently raise his lips so you can check his teeth, and get him used to you checking his ears for wax buildup - keep treats handy and keep rewarding him.

Our two girls both seem to get bad knots just behind their ears, on the inside of their legs where the hair is long and sometimes on their tails - all of this handling and brushing every few days makes it easier to deal with - they basically just chill and almost sleep while we make sure everything is ok.

Think I mentioned this before but do practise the bite inhibition. You really are a lucky guy - before I got my girls I had no clue about the St Bernard (or in my case St Bernese) - they really are loveable pets who just love getting some pets and plays.

Don't forget - take photos almost daily - that little pup will soon be over 7 stone, or as a male maybe as high as 10.

deejer

Hi All,

Well first week nearly down! Just wanted to give a quick update and also need a little advise

Charlie seems to have settled in fine. He have set up a run for him out the side of the house and have a kennel there and all for him (this wont last him too long though!). He still comes inside during the day when we are around and he is very good at going to the toilet only outside.

One thing we are a little worried about is his appitite. Im not sure if it because the change in his diet. The nut we got was recommended in the pet shop to us for large breed puppies. Also his droppings were very loose for the first couple of days. The vet was on our farm the other day and he had a look at him for us. He said he looked healthy, wasnt dehydrated and unless the droppings were a dark coffee colour there shouldnt be much to worry about(which they werent). We have been giving him Benadate for the last couple of days and that seems to be doing the trick.

So its mainly just the appitite thing has me thinking. We are feeding the recommended as per the feed but he is taking his time getting through it.

He has been a big hit - plenty of visitors and he also gets on with the dogs next door ok. As recommended we are trying to get him used to people and other dogs as much as possible.

andreac

What food have you got him on? Did you change over gradually? If its done too quickly it can give them an upset tummy.

Is there a reason you changed his food? What did the breeder have him on? I would have stuck with that unless it was a really bad quality food.

Whats Benadate and did your vet give it to you?

deejer

andreac wrote: »

What food have you got him on? Did you change over gradually? If its done too quickly it can give them an upset tummy.

Is there a reason you changed his food? What did the breeder have him on? I would have stuck with that unless it was a really bad quality food.

Whats Benadate and did your vet give it to you?

I could have the name wrong but ya the vet recommended it alright and we had some at home. I didnt realise that changing the food would make such a difference so I didnt pay that much attention to the food she was feeding him

I think what we are feeding now is probably better going on the advise I got at the pet store though

anniehoo

Its better to transition a new food slowly with dogs as it can (not all the time though) cause an upset tummy or diarrhoea. Could you go back to what the breeder was feeding and start to introduce the new food slowly? Also not all dogs eat their food straightaway, some are grazers (like my last dog), although with a puppy i would think he'd be more likely to eat quickly. The food may just be too much of a shock to him too soon.

Has he completed his worming regime too?

Anymore pics?:D

deejer

anniehoo wrote: »

Its better to transition a new food slowly with dogs as it can (not all the time though) cause an upset tummy or diarrhoea. Could you go back to what the breeder was feeding and start to introduce the new food slowly? Also not all dogs eat their food straightaway, some are grazers (like my last dog), although with a puppy i would think he'd be more likely to eat quickly. The food may just be too much of a shock to him too soon.

Has he completed his worming regime too?

Anymore pics?:D

Thanks. I am going to call the breeder today and get the name of the stuff she was feeding and see if that makes any difference.

As someone said here before they grow really fast so going to take photos every week to keep track. Should get a chance to throw a few more up tomorrow evening

lyingeyes

I have a female saint who will be six in June. She is in good health, she has never been to the vet. She isnt as supple jointed as she was when she was a pup but is still well able to go. My advise for looking after them, is as follows.
Dont bother with vets, my dog has never been vaccinated or neutered, i think that happy dogs are healthy dogs and as long as you take really good care of them they will be unlikely to be ill. Vets will always find somthing wrong. She is wormed and gets flea drops regularly and during the summer is washed about once a week or every two weeks depending on how dirty she is. We use warm water and dog shampoo or any shampoo really. We never clipped her, we just snip the tangles on her bum and behind her ears. She hasnt been neutered, i think neutering them makes them age prematurely. They are notoriously hard to breed so she still roams free even in heat and it has never been a problem.
I think health is dependent on how happy the dog is. A dog will get ill and die young if you keep them in a cage or tied up, my dog has never been tied up or caged, ever. She is constantly with us, if she is not off in the car somewhere then she is usually waiting in the car to go, but whatever is going on she constantly has company. She is left at home on warm days (13degrees or more). She is always in and out of the house or asleep in someones bed. (put shower curtain on bedspread if your dog has similar bad habits). We bring her for short walks regularly, mabe 1km at a time more because she looks idle and bored than for exercise.
She is fed, 1/2 of a kg of mince a day, usually with dog nuts (cheap ones) or spagetti and mabe some carrots. She is a fussy eater, some days she eats nothing and some days she eats everything. You can get cheap mince in dunnes/ tesco/ aldi/ lidl for 3eur/kg. She has been fed on this since a pup 8weeks old, but sometimes dad puts a drop of cod liver oil or veg oil in her food. She is 75kg.
She has never been trained as such, she kind of learned on the job, like i said she comes everywhere with us, we usually let her off the lead and she potters about and does her own thing. This may sound really irresponsible, but she has done this since a pup so we have never had any issues with it. She is very protective at home and would stop strangers from coming in, but when in strange places she is very gentle and quite clingy. Adults and children are drawn to her and she is constantly being rubbed and played with and she never had a bad reaction to anyone.
She sleeps on a single bed in a well ventilated shed at night. it is really important their bed is up off the ground and that they are in cool places at night as they tend to overheat, but having said that on the rare occasion she does sleep in the house. (very rare, she doesnt like it and i think it is really bad for her).
We never had any dogs before her and im sure others wont agree with the way we keep her.Saints are alot of work, they are very hairy, shed alot, take a long time to mature, can be hyperactive, will chew everything as pups, cost alot to feed, need alot of space and alot of company. If i had realised all this before i got her, i probably would have thought twice, but having said that my whole family adore her, everyone in the house thinks more of the dog than they do anyone else.

Irishchick

You said yourself you have never had dogs before. I don't think your qualified to tell people not to bother with vets . The don't "always find something wrong".

That's an extremely irresponsible thing to say.

Your dog could have many ailments that you do not recognise or know about.

OP please ignore this persons ridiculous post.