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Saint Bernard

The breeds · working

AKC Working · UKC Guardian · FCI standard 61

Saint Bernard.

FCI 61 utilization: companion, watch and farm dog; history: guarding at the hospice from the mid-17th century, then rescue of travellers lost in snow and fog. UKC: judge faults by how much they interfere with the historical task of alpine rescue. SBCA: the hospice dogs were first watchdogs and companions, and lifesaving work began about 1700. Wikipedia: no longer used for alpine rescue, the last recorded rescue was in 1955, though 18 dogs were still kept at the Great St Bernard Hospice in 2004 for tradition..

Breed sets the odds. The parents set the dog. Every number here shows its source, its spread and how sure we are. Nothing on this page is a prediction about one dog.

9.3YRMedian lifespan9 to 9.8, measured on real dogs.
30 / 28INHeightdogs 30, bitches 28. An ideal from the standard, not a range.
120–180LBWeight, all linesbreed dogs 140 to 180 lb; breed bitches 120 to 140 lb.
1HRSExercise, every dayUp to 1 hour per day (RKC). The constraint most homes get wrong.

The body

What the breed is built like. Registry standards give an ideal, not a range.

Height at the shoulder

dogs 30 in (27.5 to 35.4) · bitches 28 in (25.5 to 31.5)

Breed clubUnited Kennel Club

Center is the single ideal UKC prints. Low is the AKC minimum; high is the FCI maximum.

Weight

dogs 140 to 180 lb · bitches 120 to 140 lb

Breed clubAKC

Registry breed page band only; no standard sets a weight.

Coat

Two varieties in one AKC standard. Shorthaired: very dense, lying smooth, tough, thighs slightly bushy, bushy tail without a flag. Longhaired: otherwise as the shorthaired, coat medium length, plain to slightly wavy, never rolled, curly or shaggy; forelegs slightly feathered, thighs very bushy. UKC and FCI 61: double coat with plenty of undercoat in both. Colours: white with red or red with white (red in shades, brindle patches allowed), white chest, feet, tail tip, noseband and nape required (AKC). RKC: the monks kept some short-coated stock because a longer coat could ice up.

Breed clubAKC breed standard, 1998

Lines (shorthaired and longhaired) are not modelled: the AKC, UKC and FCI standards give one size for both.

Shedding

Shedding 3 of 5 (AKC breed page trait score)

Breed clubAKC

AKC breed page trait score, 1 to 5: a breed-club tendency, never a measurement.

Heat tolerance

2 of 5 · Shorthaired: very dense coat lying smooth and tough. Longhaired: coat of medium length, plain to slightly wavy. UKC and FCI 61: double coat with plenty of undercoat in both varieties

DerivedAKC breed standard, 1998

Derived from the standards' coat description on the library scale: dense double coat on a very large dog = 2. The longhaired variety would sit no higher.

How long they live, and what they cost

Measured on real dogs, with the sample and the spread. Never a guess.

Median lifespan

9.3 years (9 to 9.8)

MeasuredMcMillan KM, 2024

Low and high are the Dogs Trust 95% CI. Giant breed with a short life; registry bands and the Swedish figure stand in the text and are not averaged in.

The dog at home

What the breed asks of a day. The first thing most homes get wrong.

Exercise need

Up to 1 hour per day (RKC)

Breed clubThe Royal Kennel Club

RKC band mapped: up to 1 hour = 60.

Exercise need

Up to 1 hour per day (RKC). AKC breed page energy level 3 of 5.

Breed clubThe Royal Kennel Club

Energy

AKC breed page: energy level 3 of 5, mental stimulation needs 3 of 5, playfulness 3 of 5.

Breed clubAKC

Grooming load

3 of 5 · More than once a week (RKC grooming band); coat length short in the RKC listing (the breed has smooth and rough coats); sheds. AKC breed page: coat grooming frequency 2 of 5, shedding 3 of 5, drooling 5 of 5.

Breed clubThe Royal Kennel Club

RKC band mapped: more than once a week = 3. The longhaired variety may need more.

Grooming

More than once a week (RKC).

Breed clubThe Royal Kennel Club

The work

What it was built to do in the field, and what a test or trial asks of it.

Role

FCI 61 utilization: companion, watch and farm dog; history: guarding at the hospice from the mid-17th century, then rescue of travellers lost in snow and fog. UKC: judge faults by how much they interfere with the historical task of alpine rescue. SBCA: the hospice dogs were first watchdogs and companions, and lifesaving work began about 1700. Wikipedia: no longer used for alpine rescue, the last recorded rescue was in 1955, though 18 dogs were still kept at the Great St Bernard Hospice in 2004 for tradition.

Breed clubFederation Cynologique Internationale, 2016

Mountain rescue history at the Great St Bernard Hospice (Great St Bernard Pass, 2,469 m per FCI). Not a gun dog; no game traits recorded.

Also used on

Guardians, draft animals, turnspits and bed warmers at the hospice (UKC); draft and carting events and weight pull today (SBCA); scent work, tracking and search and rescue for some dogs (Wikipedia).

Breed clubSaint Bernard Club of America

Search pattern

SBCA history: the dogs accompanied the monks on patrols after storms and seemed to sense impending avalanches; later, male dogs were sent out in unaccompanied packs of two or three to find lost or injured travellers. They dug to people buried in snow, roused them and lay on them for warmth, while another dog returned to the hospice to alert the monks. Travellers who could walk were led back. The instinct to dig to buried people and rouse them is described as still evident.

Breed clubSaint Bernard Club of America

Historical rescue pattern from the club's history article, not a field-trial standard.

How common the problems are

Evaluated dogs skew toward breeding stock; the numbers are still the best there are.

Hip dysplasia

49.9% · 49.9% dysplastic of 2,970 OFA hip evaluations (current all-data, accessed Oct 9 2026); normal 47.9%; mild 27.7%, moderate 18.6%, severe 3.6%; breed rank 8 among OFA breeds

MeasuredOrthopedic Foundation for Animals

OFA's database is voluntary and skews to breeding stock, and affected dogs are under-reported, so true prevalence is probably higher. Giant-breed figure shown plainly. Wikipedia cites a 27-hospital US review in which the Saint Bernard was the second most hip-dysplasia-predisposed breed (14.70%). Stated plainly: about one OFA-evaluated Saint Bernard in two is dysplastic.

Elbow dysplasia

15.3% · 15.3% abnormal of 862 OFA elbow evaluations (current all-data, accessed Oct 9 2026); normal 84.6%; grade 1 11.0%, grade 2 3.1%, grade 3 1.2%; breed rank 33

MeasuredOrthopedic Foundation for Animals

OFA's database is voluntary and skews to breeding stock, and affected dogs are under-reported, so true prevalence is probably higher. Giant-breed figure shown plainly.

Most common disorders

Wikipedia, summarising published studies: very predisposed to gastric dilatation-volvulus (odds ratio 4.2 in a review of 1,934 cases; UK survey: 4.6% affected and 15.1% of deaths), dilated cardiomyopathy (2.6% in a US record review), hip dysplasia, cruciate ligament deficiency, hereditary osteosarcoma, juvenile polyneuropathy (ARHGEF10), skin conditions. Parent-club tests (AKC CHIC): hips, elbows, cardiac exam, eye exam, degenerative myelopathy DNA. UK Good Practice: hips, elbows, eyes (RKC).

EditorialWikipedia

Secondary summary. No Saint Bernard VetCompass paper was opened.

More

akc bands

AKC breed page trait scores (1-5): Energy Level 3; Mental Stimulation Needs 3; Trainability Level 3; Barking Level 1; Watchdog/Protective Nature 5; Good With Young Children 5; Openness To Strangers 3; Good With Other Dogs 3; Shedding Level 3; Coat Grooming Frequency 2; Drooling Level 5; Affectionate With Family 5; Playfulness Level 3; Adaptability Level 4.

Breed clubAKC

Fourteen AKC bands in one row; the selector reads each by name. Breed-club ratings: a tendency, never a measurement.

What to ask a breeder for

The health clearances the breed’s own club and registry name. Reference only: what to ask for, never a statement about any dog’s health.

How to read this page

Every value carries a label. Measured means peer-reviewed data on many dogs. Studied means peer-reviewed, smaller or indirect. Breed club means a club or registry states it. Editorial means expert opinion with no measurement behind it. Where two good sources disagree, both are shown and neither is averaged.

Published when the entry rests on the best information available from no fewer than three independent sources, checked by a second pass that did not write it. 10 sources on this page. Found something wrong? Tell us and the correction is logged with its date.

Also called
St. Bernard, St Bernard, Bernhardiner, Alpine Mastiff (historical)

Every breed, read the same way.

The breed index grows as entries clear the standard. Gun dogs first.

All published breeds

Your saint bernard, on the record.

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