Saint Bermastiff Dog Breed

There is no official classification for mixed breeds, but the Saint Bermastiff comes from two heavy-duty working dogs and can certainly be considered the same. These days, however, they are preferred as companion dogs. They are great for first-time families, homes with kids and people who may be away from home frequently. They are not so good for apartment living or places with no real outdoor areas.

Here are some things to consider if you want to adopt one of these big, beautiful dogs:

PROS

• Patient
• Very loving
• Easy to train
• Good watchdogs
• Calm disposition
• Extremely strong
• Loyal to family members
• High tolerance to cold weather
• Moderate exercise requirements
• Easily socialized with other pets

CONS

• Over-eaters
• Slow to mature
• Very loud bark
• Not hypoallergenic
• Excessive droolers
• Sheds a great amount
• Easily develops obesity
• May knock over small kids
• Can be very lazy if allowed
• Low tolerance to hot weather
• Lots of possible health concerns

This is a very big, strong and friendly hybrid dog. The Saint Bermastiff comes from two very old pure breeds, and they may acquire more of the Saint Bernard, or be more Mastiff. Then again, there's the chance that they might be a perfect mix of 50% of each parent. It's not unusual for a single litter to have puppies that inherit a different ratio of each parent's traits.

These dogs are intelligent, and yet they are slow to mature. They are good with obedience training, but they may not be the best when it comes to agility training and play. Saint Bermastiffs are smart enough to know their own strength, yet it can take a couple or three years to grow into that intelligence.

One thing that these dogs love is food — perhaps more than most dogs. While this can be used to help train and socialize them, their large size makes most food available to them. They might not hesitate to reach up onto counters and tables to get at it, and they may even decide to impose themselves on you to "share" what you're having!

Saint Bermastiffs may appear lazy. It is true that if they are left inside and to their own devices, they tend to sleep away the day. If taken outside and gently prodded, however, they will not hesitate to enjoy a good walk or some time at the dog park.

No real info exists about the specific origin of the Saint Bermastiff. These hybrids have certainly existed naturally for centuries, but no breeder or breed club has claimed their creation. There are some who believe the Saint Bermastiff is closely related to the Alpine Mastiff, now extinct, because the two dogs have many similar characteristics--but nothing specifically confirms this.

There is, however, plenty of info about the history of the parent breeds:

Saint Bernard: This breed was developed in Switzerland starting as early as 500 A.D., and was originally utilized to aid travelers crossing the treacherous alpine passes of the Swiss Alps. Through the centuries, the breed began to become popular in other parts of the world--particularly in England, where breeders refined the Saint Bernard into the dogs we know today. By the early 20th century the Saint Bernard made its way to the U.S., and began competing in the show ring. As of 2021 the Saint Bernard ranked 53rd on the American Kennel Club's list of 197 recognized breeds.

Mastiff: A "Mastiff" can describe both a dog breed and a dog type, as many mastiff breeds (the English Mastiff, the Bullmastiff, the Dogue de Bordeaux, etc.) exist. As a breed, "Mastiff" is used to describe the English Mastiff, one of the first known descendants of the ancient Molosser dog. English Mastiffs--or ancestors of their specific type--have been around since the earliest human civilizations, and were used as guard dogs, in combat, and as entertainment fighting lions and other predators. The modern English Mastiff was developed in Britain in the 17th and 18th centuries; the breed is believed to have come to the U.S. with the country's first settlers. The AKC recognized the breed in 1885, and it currently ranks 35th on the AKC's list.

Though the Saint Bermastiff is sometimes mistakenly considered one of the "Alpine Mastiff" breeds, this hybrid is a mixed breed all its own. That said, the Saint Bermastiff doesn't see a lot of variation in physical features--with coat length being the exception, depending on whether the Saint Bernard parent is of the short-haired or long-haired variety. (A Saint Bermastiff with a long-haired Saint Bernard parent, of course, is likely to have a longer coat.)

Breeders use symbols like P, F1, and F2 to denote a crossbred dog's genetic makeup. For the Saint Bernard-Mastiff mix, the following applies:

• P: Purebred; 100% Saint Bernard or Mastiff
• F1: P x P; 50% Saint Bernard, 50% Mastiff
• F1b: F1 x P; 75% of the purebred parent's DNA
• F2: F1 x F1; 50% Saint Bernard, 50% Mastiff

(The sequence continues to F5 or higher.)

Breeders will often use the F1b cross to emphasize one purebred parent's traits. An F1b Saint Bermastiff with the Saint Bernard as the purebred parent, for example, will obviously have more Saint Bernard-like characteristics.

These huge hybrid dogs tend to have a lot of health concerns due to their very size. Both parent breeds have a lot of genetic concerns and other difficulties, and hybrid vigor doesn't seem to be as prominent with very large dogs. Because these dogs grow quickly but mature slowly, managing their diet and exercise while they are puppies is crucial to their future health profile.

Here are some of the many things that may be an issue with the Saint Bermastiff:

• Bloat
• Epilepsy
• Diabetes
• Etropion
• Cataract
• Entropion
• Cystinuria
• Panosteitis
• Distichiasis
• Spondylosis
• Bone cancer
• Bone diseases
• Hip dysplasia
• Skin infections
• Hypothyroidism
• Macroblepharon
• Cardiomyopathy
• Retinal dysplasia
• Wobblers Syndrome
• von Willebrand's Disease
• Congestive Heart Failure (CHF)
• Ununited Anconeal Process (UAP)
• Progressive Retinal Atrophy (PRA)
• Osteochrondritis Dissecans (OCD)
• Hypertrophic Osteodystrophy (HOD)
• Fragmented Coronoid Process (FCP)
• Persistent Pupillary Membranes (PPM)

Giant dogs tend to have a shorter life than most dogs, and the Saint Bermastiff has an average lifespan of 10 to 13 years.