HOUSING
Your St
Bernard is an alpine dog and most St Bernards will not be comfortable
permanently living in a house at the temperature you keep your home for your own
comfort.
They will
seek out the kitchen or bathroom tile floor, the bath, doorways where there is
maximum draught, the garage floor etc. to lay down. (Those Saints that live on
carpet can suffer from skin conditions).
This is why
it is important to offer your dog a variety of places to live.
Even if
your intention is that your Saint live in the house with you, they should have
their own outdoor kennel and secure run with a bed, shade and water for when –
you are not
home
it’s too
hot to be inside
visitors
arrive who are not ‘dog people’.
someone
arrives who is scared of dogs or has very small children.
they need
to rest from exercise.
they need a
private place to eat.
they need
to ‘calm down’.
they need
to be secure.
they need
to be safe.
they are
‘in season.’
they are in
need of a bath.
they need
to be separated from other dogs.
An inside
Saint should have its own bed or mattress on the floor that is ‘their bed’. (It is unwise
to let them sit/sleep on your couch or bed – dominance issues can arise) ‘Their bed’
is somewhere your dog can return to and where they can see their humans from and
still feel part of the family.
An outside
Saint should have a waterproof kennel (see example below) that provides protection from the rain
and sun and has an area where they can escape from the wind. Ideally there
should be a raised bed or a trampoline bed (see example below) which is slung ‘hammock style’ and is not only
comfortable but allows air flow through the dogs coat.
There
should be shade to escape the sun and the fencing should be 2 metres high. It is
surprising to some people that St Bernards can jump and many will clear lower
fences. Those that don’t jump can scramble over lower fences. The fencing
should be hurricane mesh, predator fencing or swimming pool fencing.
The base of
the ‘run’ part of the kennel should be smooth river stones, untreated sawdust
(rimu is great) or grass. A fully concreted run will cause pressure sores on
your Saints elbows and hocks.
Additional
to this your Saint should be crate trained (see example below). An inside crate, possibly set up in
your garage will provide a secure place for your dog to be confined for various
reasons. Dog crates are collapsible so they are able to be transported if you
are staying away from
home and need a secure place for your dog to be confined.
YOUR SAINT
SHOULD NOT BE CHAINED UP – It is unacceptable that a dog should be weighted
down by a chain that it drags around and it is no way to treat a member of the
family.
YOUR SAINT SHOULD NOT BE LEFT WITH A LOOSE COLLAR OR NECK CHAIN ON - Most St Bernards do not wear collars. If you do put one on your dog, make sure it is not too tight or too loose and check daily to see the skin isn't irritated under it.
SAINT BERNARDS DO NOT HAVE ROAD SENSE – Make sure your property is
secure and that you have secure places for your Saint, so they do not go on the
road.