St. Weiler (St Bernard & Rottweiler Mix) Info, Pictures, Characteristics & More
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Height: | 22–26 inches |
Weight: | 100–160 pounds |
Lifespan: | 12–15 years |
Colors: | Red, white, brown, and black |
Suitable for: | Families or individuals that live in a house with a large secure yard. |
Temperament: | Affectionate, loyal, friendly, and protective |
The St. Weiler is a giant hybrid breed that is the result of crossing a purebred Saint Bernard with a purebred Rottweiler. It isn’t known when the breed was first developed, but they are thought to have existed long before designer dogs first became popular in the late 1980s.
Both the St. Bernard and Rottweiler are working dogs and popular guard dogs, so it may be the case that the first St. Weilers were not designer dogs at all, but rather a result of a pairing between two guard dogs of the parent breeds.
Regardless of how the breed came about, the result is a giant of a dog with a heart of gold. Loyal, affectionate, and fiercely protective, the St. Weiler is too nice to simply be relegated to the life of a working guard dog. Provided that you have a house with a large and secure yard and are strong enough to walk one safely, the St. Weiler can be a fantastic pet or companion.
St. Weiler Puppies
The St. Weiler is not a dog for a first-time owner. Exceptionally big and strong dogs, they need a firm owner who can control them in public and is confident enough to train them.
3 Little-Known Facts About the St. Weiler
1. These dogs are champion droolers.
Both Rottweilers and St. Bernards are known to be big droolers, so it should come as no surprise that the St. Weiler is also big on the slobber.
The amount that a dog drools varies from breed to breed and dog to dog, but with a breed like the St. Weiler, you are always going to have to put up with a certain amount of saliva dripping out of their mouths onto your floors, carpets, and furniture. While this may not be an issue for many people, it is something to take into account if you suffer from dog allergies, as many of the proteins that cause an allergic reaction are found in a dog’s saliva.
2. The St. Weiler doesn’t like the heat.
Regardless of whether your St. Weiler takes after their St. Bernard or Rottweiler parent, they will have a thicker coat than a purebred Rottweiler. As such, the St. Weiler does better when they live in cooler climate areas than in a hot or tropical location.
3. The St. Weiler loves the water.
If you live near a pond, lake, or river, you should consider adding a swim to your St. Weiler’s physical activity schedule. Like their St. Bernard parent, St. Weilers love to take a dip, and as swimming is easier on their joints than bounding around, these big dogs will likely enjoy it well into old age.
Temperament & Intelligence of the St. Weiler🧠
The St. Weiler is a quiet, protective, loyal, and alert dog. They are also quite intelligent, and thanks to their overwhelming desire to please their owners, they’re also relatively easy to train.
While generally calm dogs, they are brave to a fault and will do anything they can to protect those that they love from harm, fiercely protecting both their home and their family from intruders. In this regard, they make exceptional guard dogs.
Are These Dogs Good for Families?🏡
St. Weilers are good dogs for families with older children or teens. Due to their size, however, there’s the chance that they could inadvertently injure a small child, so they are not the best dogs for families with young children.
They will happily spend time romping around the yard playing games and chasing balls, and when they’ve had enough, they will simply wander away for a snooze. Yet even while they are resting, you can be assured that your St. Weiler will remain alert and ready to react to the first sign of danger.
Does This Breed Get Along with Other Pets?🐶 😽
A St. Weiler that has a temperament more in line with a St. Bernard is likely to have few problems adjusting to life with other pets in the family, particularly if they are raised together and your St. Weiler is socialized from a young age. Conversely, a dog that takes on more of a Rottweiler temperament will have a much higher prey drive and may be quite aggressive toward other dogs.
Unfortunately, there is no real way to predict which parent any individual dog will take after, and it is quite likely in any litter that there will be a mix of personality types.
Things to Know When Owning a St. Weiler
Food & Diet Requirements🦴
Being such big dogs, St. Weilers need to eat considerably more food than most other breeds. Yet, even big dogs need good nutrition, and one of the best ways to provide them with a well-balanced diet is to ensure that they eat the right amount of high-quality dog food.
If you feed your dog too much, it will eventually lead to obesity, a condition that can have significant detrimental effects on their health. Conversely, if you don’t feed them enough, your pet will suffer from nutritional deficiencies.
The best place to start when it comes to determining what type of food to give them and how much food they need is to consider their size and their age. Given their size, St. Weilers will do best when fed with a high-quality large or giant breed dry dog food.
Next, you need to consider your dog’s age. Most high-quality dog food brands produce foods formulated for specific life stages. You should start your St. Weiler puppy off with a food like Royal Canin Giant Junior Dry Dog Food. When they are 15 months old, transition them to an adult product, like Royal Canin Giant Adult Dry Dog Food, and when they get to their senior years, transition them again to a product like Royal Canin Large Aging 8+ Dry Dog Food. Each of these age-specific dog foods is formulated to provide all the nutritional needs of your dog through each life stage. Also, take into consideration their ability to chew and digest their food.
Finally, once you have decided upon the specific food that you wish to feed your dog, you need to consider how much to give them. Fortunately, this is the easy part, as whichever brand of dog food you buy will include a recommended daily feeding guide on the outside of the packet that, based on your dog’s weight and activity level, tells you how much food they need each day.
Exercise🐕
St. Weilers are large active dogs that need to get at least two long walks each day to keep them happy and healthy. They are also far too large to be kept in an apartment and need a home with a large secure yard or possibly even rural acreage in which they can run about and play.
Owning a St. Weiler is not for the faint-hearted, and anyone who walks one of these dogs needs to have enough physical strength to control them.
Training🦮
St. Weilers need to start obedience training and socialization when they are between 8 and 12 weeks of age. These are exceptionally large dogs, and while they are not naturally aggressive, if they’re not trained and appropriately socialized while young, they can become dangerous and unpredictable adult dogs.
St. Weilers respond much better to positive reinforcement than they do to punishment for bad behavior. As such, you should refrain from punishing or scolding your dog when they get something wrong, and instead, reward them with a treat or attention when they do the right thing.
Training giant breeds is a great responsibility and something that you will need to continue working on and reinforcing throughout your dog’s life. However, it is not something that you need to do alone. There are many professional dog trainers available across the country whom you can reach out to for assistance if required.
Grooming ✂️
St. Weilers can have either a long or short coat, depending upon which parent they tend to take after. Yet even a short-coated St. Weiler will have a coat that is longer than that of a Rottweiler, and as such, these dogs require regular grooming.
A short-coated St. Weiler may be able to get away with a quick brush every week or so, while a long-coated dog will need brushing at least once a week and perhaps daily when they are shedding. Long-coated St. Weilers may also benefit from regular clipping.
To make grooming as easy as possible, your St. Weiler must become accustomed to the process from a young age. Trying to groom a full-sized adult St. Weiler who doesn’t want to cooperate may be next to impossible.
Health and Conditions❤️
As with most dog breeds, there are a few health conditions that the St. Weiler can inherit from their parents. While many of these can be controlled or even eliminated through careful breeding, you should be aware of what they are.
- Allergies
- Eye infections
- Ear infections
- Cataracts
- Hypothyroidism
- Joint dysplasia
- Epilepsy
- Cancer
- Heart problems
- Bloat
Male vs Female
There is little difference between male and female St. Weiler puppies when they are 8 weeks old and ready to go to their forever homes. So, basing your decision on their appearance in the litter is not the best way to work out which sex you want. Fully grown male St. Weilers are much bigger and heavier dogs than females. They are likely to be more energic and boisterous but less likely to be concerned if you need to leave them for long periods during the day.
Females, on the other hand, are more likely to be affectionate and enjoy your company than males, and being smaller in size and weight, they are generally easier to control. They are, however, more needy dogs than males and won’t do so well if you need to leave them alone for long periods.
Of course, all of these things are generalizations, and the exact nature and temperament will vary slightly from dog to dog. However, it is a good idea to consider these things before choosing your new pet.
Final Thoughts
The St. Weiler is not going to be for everyone. They are exceptionally large dogs that need both a great deal of space and dedication on the part of their owners. They are certainly not suitable for apartments or even houses with a small yard.
But if a large, loyal dog with a big heart is what you are after and you have the time and experience to raise them properly, they can be fantastic pets.
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