This is a picture of a full grown Saint Bernardoodle, Standard poodle x St. Bernard. I found it out there in cyberspace and thought I would share it with you.
Hi, Everyone!
I’m truly grateful for the sincere and extensive interest in our pups. I’ve enjoyed watching as the site is hit, nearly one hundred percent through Facebook referral, by folks from Sweden, Germany, Hungary, The Netherlands, The UK, Spain and others, as well as many from my home, the USA. Another big thank you to Mark Zuckerburg, a puli enthusiast himself, I understand!
I thought it might be helpful to create this Q and A as many of you have already posed interesting questions. So here we go!
Questions and Answers:
- Are there any pups in the litter who will NOT inherit their mother’s coat? As of now, each pup is showing evidence of having mom’s hair coat. Hair is curling as on a poodle or a kom somewhere on each puppies body. There are six that are waving/curling all over the body, the other three are curling on their legs and around their faces and are suspiciously wooly everywhere else. Though I can not guarantee the mother’s coat as this is my first experience, and I can find no record of any other’s experience with this particular cross, I would suggest that you adopt/purchase a pup only if shearing every six months or putting in the labor necessary to keep up a corded coat on your animal will not be an issue for you. I let our kom’s hair grow long only once! I personally clip my Missy’s hair about two inches from the skin every four to six months. I do deal with sweeping up mats that she will pull if I am not brushing her often enough to keep them from being a nuisance to her. But I do not have the issue with loose hair that is common with typically shedding animals. I have raised toy poodles and find the coat of my kom nearly identical to that of my past poodles. In fact, with some research you will find that a few interested poodle owners are allowing their dogs to “cord.”
- Are the puppies hypo-allergenic? NO. There is honestly no such thing. All animals produce “dander” as do human beings. But those folks with allergies do tend to suffer a great deal less around an animal that does not “shed,” and some find they tolerate the “non-shedder” quite easily.
- Will the pups be good as guard dogs? I certainly expect them to be. I hope that the easygoing nature of the Saint will combine with the nearly excessively alert nature of the kom to produce a better guard, specifically in situations requiring protection of people with not as great a necessity for the protection of property. I have often said that our Saint is a friendly giant and would likely negotiate rights to the property, or even give it away with enough persuasion as he is naturally trusting, however due to his imposing stature and powerful voice most are afraid to approach our property and therefore do not even come close to a polite introduction. However, I do not believe he would tolerate a serious threat to one of his people. On the other hand, our kom is hyper-vigilant and is tremendously concerned for each blade of grass. I shudder to imagine what would happen if someone, particularly a stranger, were to seriously intimidate a person in her charge.
- Will the pups make good livestock guardians? A puppy will never be a good livestock guardian as his greatest desire is to play with anything that moves and he must learn discrimination. That said, I believe these pups, with proper acclimation will become excellent livestock guardian dogs. The potential is certainly there.
- Are both breeds considered livestock guardians? No. Koms were bred to do exactly that, guard and protect livestock and other property, and often work alone or with another LGD far away from the master- necessitating that they make some decisions on their own. The Saint was specifically bred for search and rescue, particularly in areas of deep snow- also requiring that he use good judgement of his own to complete the task. Both breeds are solidly working class dogs.
Intending to field your questions here, I will add to this post as I encounter further inquiry.
if you are interested in reserving a puppy, please go to the menu and select the page titled, “In The Nursery.”
And thank you so much for joining in our adventure!
