What Are the Traits and Care Tips for St. Bernards?

St. Bernard: two coat varieties and a seasonal grooming change

The St. Bernard has a broad, powerful frame and comes in short- and long-haired varieties. Both carry undercoat and need regular brushing. Daily activity with the owner belongs alongside the larger grooming job during shedding.

Two guides with different height limits

The FCI gives males 70–90 cm and females 65–80 cm, while allowing dogs above those maximums when appearance remains balanced and movement sound. The earlier UK guide instead gives minimum heights of 75 cm and 70 cm, putting quality, balance and soundness alongside size.

Neither size section supplies a numerical weight here. The ideal height-to-body-length relation is 9:10. The short-haired variety has dense, coarse, close outer hair and plentiful undercoat; the long-haired variety has medium-length outer hair, feathering, breeches and a bushy tail.

Both coats need loose-hair removal

The AKC explicitly covers both varieties, recommending weekly brushing and a slicker or metal comb for tangles. During the twice-yearly shedding periods it suggests daily brushing. The earlier UK category is grooming more than once weekly, leaving room for checks between full sessions.

The same guide recommends occasional baths and regular nail trimming. A shorter outer coat changes what you see at the surface, but does not remove the seasonal undercoat job; arrange a demonstration if the thick coat is difficult to work through.

Shared moderate activity

The UK exercise category is up to one hour, with a large house and garden in either setting. The AKC describes a long walk or a play session and emphasises activities with the owner. Use that as a plan for involvement, adjusting the outing to the individual dog rather than assuming one duration suits every Saint.

Compare size and coat work

The Newfoundland has a water-resistant double coat with thorough slicker-and-long-comb work and average rather than minimum size figures. The Great Dane has very short hair without double coat and a different adult exercise timetable. Similar stature does not produce the same weekly workload.