How to Train a Saint Bernard

The Gentle Giant Who Has Nothing to Prove

I remember one Saint Bernard who came to me for training in Tel Aviv. His name was Bruce. He was eight months old and already weighed sixty kilos. His owners, a young couple from Givatayim, bought him because "he looks so nice in the movies." And it's true — he looked exactly like in the movies. Big. Soft. With eyes that said "I don't understand why everyone is stressed."

The only problem was that Bruce didn't know anything. Didn't know how to sit. Didn't know how to walk on a leash. Didn't know his body weighed sixty kilos, and that when he joyfully jumped on a guest entering the house — he could break a bone.

They brought him to me because "he doesn't listen." The truth was that he didn't need to listen. All his life up to that moment was easy. He was nice, everyone loved him, and no one asked anything of him. Why would he listen?

That's the story of the Saint Bernard. Not a difficult dog. Not a stubborn dog out of spite. But a dog so big, so calm, so full of affection — that people forget to train him. Until suddenly, he's no longer a puppy.

What He Was Born to Do

The Saint Bernard wasn't born to be a house dog. He was born to save lives.

The monastery at the Great St Bernard Pass sits at an altitude of 2,469 meters, between Switzerland and Italy. This place was deadly. Snow all year round. Sudden storms. Avalanches. Thousands of pilgrims, merchants, and soldiers tried to cross the pass and thousands died on the way.

Around 1660, the Augustinian monks at the monastery began keeping dogs. Not as pets — as rescue partners. These dogs, the ancestors of today's Saint Bernard, received no special training. The monks simply took them along when they went out to search for survivors. The puppies learned from the older dogs. Not from a lesson — from observation.

These dogs were smaller than today's Saint Bernard. Lighter. More agile. With a sense of smell that could locate a person buried under two meters of snow. They worked in pairs. One dug. The other guarded the survivor. Then they returned to the monastery and showed the monks the way.

The most famous of them all was Barry. A dog who lived between 1800 and 1814. According to tradition, he saved between 40 and 100 lives. There's a story about a small child he found in an ice cave, sick almost to death. Barry warmed him with his body, licked his face, then carried him on his back back to the monastery. After Barry died, his stuffed body was displayed at the Natural History Museum in Bern. It's still there.

But the story doesn't end there. In the winter of 1816-1818, a series of avalanches killed many of the monastery's dogs. To save the breed, the monks crossed the remaining dogs with Newfoundlands. The result: bigger dogs, with longer coats — but less suited for snow rescue. The long fur froze and became too heavy. The larger body made them slow.

The modern Saint Bernard is the product of further selective breeding after this period. In the 19th century, breeders in England and Switzerland continued to shape the breed toward a larger, more impressive appearance. Additional crosses with Great Danes, English Mastiffs, and Great Pyrenees increased the mass further. He went from a symbol of rescue to a symbol of size.

Yet what remained — and what passed through the genes — is the character. The soul of the mountain dog stayed.

How Work Shaped Character

The original Saint Bernard didn't need to run fast. He needed to endure. Endure cold. Endure hours. Endure snow.

He didn't need to attack. He needed to find. Dig. Warm. Show the way.

This is why today's Saint Bernard is an exceptionally calm dog. Not just calm — patient. He has the patience of one who sat hours in the snow and waited. He doesn't get excited easily. Doesn't bark for no reason. Doesn't react to every movement.

Look into his eyes. In the eyes of a Border Collie there's a spark of speed. In the eyes of a German Shepherd there's the alertness of a guardian. In the eyes of a Saint Bernard there's silence. The silence of mountains. He's already seen everything. He doesn't need to rush anywhere.

He's also exceptionally sensitive. Not sensitive like "easily hurt" — sensitive like "reads situations." At the monastery, these dogs worked in cooperation with monks in difficult, dangerous terrain. Those who weren't sensitive — made mistakes, and mistakes cost lives. The Saint Bernard learned to read people. To sense when something was wrong. To be gentle even when everything around was harsh.

I see this every day in training. An owner raises their voice, the Saint Bernard doesn't challenge back — he retreats. He doesn't understand why someone is yelling at him. He thinks he did something wrong, but doesn't know what. He waits for you to tell him again, calmly.

He's also independent. The monks didn't shout rescue commands at the dog. The dog found the survivor, dug, guarded, returned, and showed the way. This requires initiative. It requires making decisions without asking permission.

So you have a modern Saint Bernard: giant, calm, patient, sensitive, independent. And you also have a fair amount of stubbornness. Not rebellion — simply "I'll think about it and decide for myself." He doesn't refuse out of defiance. He refuses because he's not convinced.

And that's the biggest difference between him and most other dogs. Most dogs want to work for you. The Saint Bernard needs to understand why it's worth working with you.

How to Train Him

The first rule of training a Saint Bernard: start yesterday.

Your puppy weighs 10 kilos today. In a year he'll weigh 70. What's cute now — jumping on the couch, pulling on the leash, stealing food from the table — is dangerous tomorrow. You have a short window where you can physically guide him. Use it.

I see owners who wait for the puppy to "grow up" before training. With a Saint Bernard, that's a disaster. Because once he's grown, you can't physically correct him anymore. You can't lift him. You can't pull him. You can't hold him in place. All that's left is what you taught him when he was small.

The second rule: don't shout.

The Saint Bernard doesn't respond well to harshness. Not because he's "hurt" — because he doesn't understand why. A dog whose genes say "find a child in the snow and warm him" doesn't expect a human to yell at him. Yelling, jerking, hard corrections — these shut him down. He withdraws. Stops trying. Becomes passive.

With the Saint Bernard, positive reinforcement isn't an option — it's a necessity. Not because "it's nice," but because it works. A sensitive, independent dog doesn't learn from fear. He learns from understanding. Show him what works. Reward him for it. Give him time to repeat it himself.

The third rule: be consistent and wait.

Saint Bernards mature slowly. He can be a year and a half old and still act like a six-month-old puppy. His brain grows slowly. Don't expect quick results. Give the command. Wait. Give it again. Wait. He's not ignoring you — he's processing. He'll decide when to respond.

And that's fine. A dog that takes three seconds to respond to "sit" isn't broken — it's a dog that, in a real moment of danger, will stop and think before running into trouble.

The fourth rule: give him a job.

Saint Bernard doesn't need to run miles. He doesn't need a frisbee. He does need meaning. Trick training. Searching for objects. Carrying a small basket. Light cart work when he's fully grown and developed. He worked all his genetic life. Give him a job — even a small one — and he'll be happy.

A Saint Bernard who came to me for training was happiest the moment I asked him to bring a shoe. Not because he was excited — because he understood the mission. He took the shoe, brought it, got reinforced, and went to rest with satisfaction. That's all he needs. Mission. Reward. Rest.

How do you start? Here's an exercise you begin the day the puppy comes home: take a piece of cheese. Let him sniff it. Move your hand slowly to the right. The moment his eyes follow your hand — mark with "yes" and give. Why is this good? Because you're teaching him to look to you for decisions. The Saint Bernard won't understand the first time. He'll understand on the eighteenth. But when he gets it — he'll get it forever.

The second most important exercise: resetting. Teach him to touch your nose with his nose. We call it "target." Why? Because when he's stressed, scared, or doesn't know what to do — you send the "touch" and he comes back to you, calms down, and refocuses. With a Saint Bernard, a giant who struggles to find direction under pressure, this exercise is golden.

What about food? Food is your best friend in Saint Bernard training. Not toys — food. He's not as fast as a Labrador. Not as eager as a Golden. But good food — cheese, meat, liver — will carry him through any exercise. Bring quality rewards. Don't skimp on cheese. The investment will come back to you.

And the leash?

This is the most sensitive point. A Saint Bernard who grows up never learning not to pull — you can't just "pull back." He weighs 70-90 kilos. Leash training must begin from day one. Stop when the leash tightens. Move only when it's loose. Don't compromise on this for a single moment.

Socialization: Mandatory, Not Optional

When a dog weighs 70 kilos, he can't just "be scared." Fear in a Saint Bernard is dangerous. Not because he'll bite — but because he won't know where to go.

A Saint Bernard doesn't need to meet a hundred people a day. He does need to understand the world is a safe place. Calm walks in the neighborhood. Controlled meetings with calm people. Vet visits without pressure.

Timing is critical. The puppy is in the socialization window between 3 weeks and 3 months. This is when every positive experience enters long-term memory. Take him to calm places. Let him see the world at eye level. Don't force him to meet big dogs if he doesn't want to.

An adult Saint Bernard who wasn't socialized is a serious problem. A giant who fears strangers — won't attack, but will try to hide. And a giant who can't hide is a stressed giant. Stress leads to unexpected behaviors.

Socialization isn't a one-time event. It's a daily habit. Every walk is training. Every meeting is an exercise. Let him see the world from his safe place — next to you.

Common Mistakes

The first mistake: delaying training. "He's still a puppy, he'll grow up and calm down." A Saint Bernard doesn't become calmer with age — he becomes bigger. The habits he learns as a puppy — good or bad — stay with him forever, just with more mass.

The second mistake: treating him like a small dog. A Saint Bernard isn't a Labrador in a larger volume. He's different. He has different decision-making mechanisms. Different sensitivity. Different motivation. What works for a German Shepherd — doesn't work for a Saint Bernard.

The third mistake: leaving him alone for hours. The Saint Bernard was born to work with people, not to wander alone in the yard. This isn't a yard dog. This is a house dog. He needs to be with you, inside your life. Prolonged separation creates anxiety, and anxiety in a giant isn't pleasant.

The fourth mistake: not preparing for drool. Saint Bernards drool. A lot. It's not "sort of" — it's a lifestyle. Towel within reach at all times. And it's not just at home — also on walks, in the car, on guests. Whoever isn't ready for drool — isn't ready for a Saint Bernard.

The fifth mistake: thinking he's lazy. He's not lazy. He's energy-efficient. He knows how to conserve strength. Not because he doesn't want to work — because he knows real work comes in the snow, in the cold, in a real event. A Saint Bernard doesn't waste energy for nothing.

Breed Comparison: Newfoundland

The best way to understand a Saint Bernard is to look at the Newfoundland.

Both are giants. Both are calm. Both are rescue breeds. But there's one critical difference: the Newfoundland rescued from water, the Saint Bernard rescued from snow.

Water demands quick decisions. Waves. Currents. A drowning person. The Newfoundland must jump immediately, swim hard, hold and bring. There's urgency in water that doesn't exist in snow. A person buried in snow can't drown in seconds. There's time. The Saint Bernard learned to wait, dig, check.

The result: the Newfoundland is more eager to work, faster to respond, more of a "doer" than a "planner." The Saint Bernard is more independent, more thoughtful, slower to react.

In training — the Newfoundland will run to the exercise when you call. The Saint Bernard will look at you, think, and then decide. Both learn well with positive reinforcement. But the Newfoundland wants to please you. The Saint Bernard first needs to understand why it's worth his while.

There's another difference: heat. The Newfoundland is built for cold water, with a coat that protects him. The Saint Bernard is built for snow, with a heavy insulating coat. Both suffer in heat. But the Saint Bernard, with his shorter snout, suffers even more.

Also the size is different. Newfoundland averages 55-70 kilos. Saint Bernard can reach 90. That extra 20-30 kilos changes everything in training: harder to control, harder to correct, harder to lift. Every mistake that's big with a Newfoundland — is twice as big with a Saint Bernard.

If you're thinking about a Newfoundland — think about a loyal helper who runs to assist. If you're thinking about a Saint Bernard — think about an experienced partner you need to convince.

What About the Labrador?

The Labrador is in some ways the complete opposite. The Labrador was born for retrieval — to jump into water, catch, bring back. He runs forward, does, returns, does again. He doesn't have time to think, he needs to act.

The Saint Bernard was born for search — to locate, check, dig, decide. His movement isn't back and forth like a runner — but inward and outward like a computer.

And in training, this difference is striking. A Labrador will run through five exercises in a row, each time with more enthusiasm. A Saint Bernard will do one exercise, understand why, agree — and tell you "okay, that's enough." The Labrador runs for the joy of running. The Saint Bernard works for the understanding of the work.

FAQ

Is the Saint Bernard suitable for beginners?

Not really. The temperament is calm and friendly, but the size is unforgiving. A small mistake in a puppy — jumping on people — becomes a big problem in an adult. A determined beginner who takes lessons and gets professional guidance can succeed, but it's not an "easy" breed.

Why doesn't my Saint Bernard listen?

He probably does listen — he's just not in a hurry. A Saint Bernard processes information slowly. Give a command, wait 3-5 seconds before repeating it. If he knows what you want, he'll do it — on his time.

How much exercise does he need?

30-60 minutes a day, calm walking. No running. No jumping until joints mature (18-24 months). He'll come out of your training session exhausted even without running — his brain works slowly but deeply.

Is he good with children?

Very. This is one of the reasons people choose him. He's patient, gentle, and protective. But supervision is mandatory — not because he's dangerous, but because he's big and might accidentally knock a child over when excited.

Why doesn't he chase a ball?

Because he wasn't born for it. The Saint Bernard doesn't have a high prey drive. His genes say "find and warm, not chase and catch." Don't try to turn him into a Border Collie. He didn't bring that toy into the world.

How do I teach him not to jump on people?

From the moment he enters the house. Simple exercise: when he jumps, turn your back, wait for him to land, then give him attention. Don't say anything. Don't push. Just turn around. Within weeks he'll learn: jumping = no one looks at me. Four feet on the floor = I get attention.

Should I take him to a dog park?

Depends on the park. A regular dog park with lots of small, fast dogs can stress a Saint Bernard puppy. He's big, slow, and doesn't understand the game. Controlled meetings with 1-2 calm dogs of similar size are better.

How do I handle the heat in Israel?

The Saint Bernard is built for snow, not sun. Israeli temperatures are hard for him. Walks only early morning or after sunset. Water always available. Air conditioning on hot days. Never take him out mid-day. Never leave him in a car. An overheated dog is a medical emergency.

How do I deal with drool?

Towel. Lots of towels. Towels at home, in the car, in your bag. It's part of the package. Saint Bernards drool when excited, when hot, after drinking, for no reason. Whoever can't live with drool — can't live with a Saint Bernard.

Can he live in an apartment?

Theoretically yes, practically difficult. He's big, needs space, and the Israeli heat doesn't love his heavy coat. A house with a shaded yard, access to cold water, and air conditioning — much better.

Sources

1. Wikipedia EN — St. Bernard (dog breed). Breed history, documentation from the monastery at 2,469m altitude. Description of the transformation from the original (small, agile rescue dog) to the modern (heavy giant). Reference: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/St_Bernard_dog

1. Wikipedia DE — Bernhardiner. German source for breed history, description of Barry as a Swiss national hero, separation between short-haired and long-haired varieties, documentation of the Newfoundland crossbreeding. Reference: https://de.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bernhardiner

1. Great St Bernard Hospice — History. Documentation of the monastery and its historical connection to the breed. Reference: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Great_St_Bernard_Hospice

1. AKC — Saint Bernard Breed Information. Temperament data, family suitability, trainability rating. Reference: https://www.akc.org/dog-breeds/st-bernard/

1. PetMD — Saint Bernard Dog Breed Health and Care. Behavior, training, and health description. Reference: https://www.petmd.com/dog/breeds/saint-bernard