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St.Bernard

(F.C.I.Standard No.61,dated 24/3/93)

Country of Origin-Switzerland

Translated by-Dr J.M.Paschoud

Breif Historical Survey

At the height of the great St.Bernard Pass,2469 metres above sea level,a hospice was founded by monks in the 11th century as a refuge for travellers and pilgrams.There,large mountain dogs have been kept since the middle of the 17th century for watch and protection.The existance of such dogs has been documented pictorially since 1695 and in a written account at the hospice since the year 1707.The dogs were soon in use as companion dogs and specially as rescue dogs for travellers lost in the snow and fog.The chronicles published in many languages about the numerous human lives snatched by the dogs from the"white death"and the verbal reports of the soldiers who crossed the pass with napoleon in 1800,spread the fame of the St.Bernard,called Barry-dog at this time,thoughout Europe in the 19th century.The legendary dog"Barry"became the epitome of the rescue dog.The direct ancestors of the St.Bernard were the large farm dogs widely distributed in the region and which,within a few generations,were bred as the present day breed according to a blue-print of tyhe ideal type.Heinrich Schumacher from Holligen near Bern was the first to issue genealogical documents for his dogs.In febuary 1884,the"Schweizerischer Hundestammbuch(SHSB)",thr Swiss dog stud book,was opened.The very first entry was the St.Bernard"Leon",and the further 28 entries also concerned St.Bernards.On the 15th March 1884,the Swiss St.Bernards club was founded in Basle.On the occasion of the International Canine Congress on 2nd June 1887,the St.Bernard dog was officially recognised as a Swiss breed and the breed standard was declared as binding.Since then,the St.Bernard has been the Swiss national dog.

GENERAL APPEARANCE-There are two varieties of the St.Bernard: Smooth-haired variety(double coat) Long-haired variety(rough coat)     Both varieties are of notable size and have a balanced,sturdy,muscular boby with imposing head and alert facial expressioin.Important Proportions:Ideal proportions for the height at the withers to the body lenght(measured from the piont of the shoulder to the piont of the ischium)=5:6.For the ideal relationship of height at the withers to depth of the chest see the following sketch.

CHARACTERISTICS-Utilisation:Companion,watch and farm dog.(See also under breif history and General appearance) TEMPERAMENT-Friendly by nature.Temperament calm to lively;Watchful. HEAD AND SKULL-General:Massive and imposing. Cranial region:Skull strong broad;seen in profile from the front slightly rounded,sideways,it merges gently rounded into the strongly developed high cheek bones,falling away steeply towards the muzzle.Occipital bone only moderately pronounced.Supra-orbital ridges strongly developed.The frontal furrow,which rises at the forehead,gradually becomes lees pronounced across the skull until it disappears when it reaches the occiput.The skin of the forehead forms folds over the eyes which converge towards the frontal furrow.When the dog is animated,the folds become more pronounced,When alert.the set-on ear,and the topline of the skull,appear in a straight line. Stop:Markedly prounounced. Muzzle:Short with slight groove.Even width.Nasal bridge straight.Lenght of muzzle shorter than its depth,measured at the root of the muzzle. Nose:Black,broad and square.Nostrils well opened. Lips:Edge of lips black.Flews of upper jaw strongly developed,pendulous,forming a wide curve towards the nose.Corner of the mouth remains visible. EYES-Medium sized;Colour dark brown to hazel.Not to deep set,with a friendly expression.Eyelids as close as possible.Complete pigment on eye rims.Natural tightness of lids desired.A tiny fold(angular"pouch")with only a little bit of the conjunctiva showing on the lower lid permitted. EARS-Medium sized;set on high and wide.Strongly developed burr at the base.Ear lobes pliable,triangular with the tip rounded off.The back edge stands off slightly,the front edge lies close fitting to the cheeks. MOUTH-Teeth:Strong,regular and complete scissor or pincer bite.Reverse scissor bite acceptable.MissingP1(Premolar 1) tolerated. NECK-Strong,dewlap not to exaggerated. FOREQUARTERS-General:Stance rather broad,straight and parallel seen from the front. Shoulders:Muscular,Shoulder-blade oblique,well attached to the chest wall. Upper Arm:The same lenght or only slightly shorter than the shoulder-blade.Angle between shoulder-blade and upper arm not to blunt. Elbow:Well fitting. Forearm:Straight,heavy boned,tuatly muscled. Pasterns:Vertical when seen from the front and at a slight angle when seen from the side. BODY-General:General appearance imposing and balanced. Topline:Withers well defined.Straight from the withers to the loin.Rump falls away gently and nerges with root of tail. Back:Broad,Strong and firm. Chest:Brisket moderately deep with well sprung ribs,but not reaching beyond the elbows. Belly and lower line:Slight tuck-up towards rear. HINDQUARTERS-General:Hindquarters muscular with moderate angulation.seen from the back,hind legs are parallel and not to close together. Upper Thigh:Strong,muscular with broad buttocks. Stifle:Well angulated,turning neither in nor out. Lower Thigh:Slanting and rather long. Hock Joints:Slightly angulated and firm. Rear Pastern:Straight and parallel when seen from behind. FEET-Front:Broad,tight,with strong,well arched toes Hind:Broad,tight,with strong,well arched toes.Dewclaws tolerated as long as they do not hinder movement. TAIL-Set on broad and strong.Tail long and heavy.The last vertebra reaching at least to the hocks.When in repose,the tail hangs straight down or may turn gently upward in the lower third.When animated it is carried higher. GAIT/MOVEMENT-Harmoniously striding movement with good hind drive.front and hind feet move forward in a straight line. COAT Smooth-haired Variety(Stockhaar-Double coat):Top coat dense,smooth,close lying and coarse.Plentiful undercoat.Light breching on buttocks.Tail covered with a dense coat. Long-haired Variety(Rough coat):Topcoat plain,of medium lenght with plentiful undercoat.Over the haunches and rump usually somewhat wavy.Front legs feathered.Good breeching on buttocks.Short hair on face and ears.Bushy tail. COLOUR-Ground colour white with smaller or larger reddish-brown markings going to reddish-brown blanket covering back and flanks(blanketed dogs).A broken reddish-brown blanket is of equal value.Red brindle permissible.Brownish-yellow tolerated.Dark brown shadings on head desirable.Slight black shadings on body tolerated. Markings:Chest,feet,tip of tail,muzzle band,blaze and patch on neck must be white. Desirable:     White collar                                   Symmetrical dark mask SIZE-Minimum height:Dogs   70cm(271/2ins)                                       Bitches    65cm(251/2ins) Maximum height:Dogs   90cm(351/2)                                Bitches   80cm(311/2ins) Dogs which exceed the maximum height wiil not be penalised,provided their general appearance is balanced and their movement correct. FAULTS-Every departure from the forgoing pionts shall be considered a fualt which will be assessed according to the degree of departure from the standard. Lack of sexual features Unbalanced general appearance Strong wrinkles on head Excessive dewlap Muzzle to short or to long Light eyes Entropion,ectropion Eyelids to loose Low set on ears Flews of the lower jaw turning outwards Under-or overshot bite Missing teeth other thanP1(Premolar 1) Crooked or severly turned out front legs Sway or Roach back Rump higher than withers or falling away Poorly angulated,bowed or cow-hocked hindquarters Tail carried curled over back Fualty movement curly coat Incomplete or totally absent pigment on nose,around the nose,on lips and eyelids Fualty markings,e.g. white with reddish-brown ticks Weak temperament,aggressiveness Disqualifying Faults:Coat totally white or totally reddish brown Coat of a different colour Wall eye NOTE:Male animals should have two apparently normally developed testicles fully descended into the scrotum copied from utility group 6 standards issued by The Australian National Kennel Council.