The Saint Bernard - A Presentation of the Origin, History and Development of this Noble Breed, Along With a Discussion of its Care, Showing, Physical Perfection, Kenneling, Training, Uses and Dispositions (A Vintage Dog Books Breed Classic)

By Joseph H. Fleischli

THE SAINT BERNARD - A Presentation of the Origin, History and Development of this Noble Breed. Its Care, Training, Showing and Breeding. By Joseph H. Fleischli. Originally published in Chicago in the early 1930s, this scarce early work on the Saint Bernard is both expensive and hard to find in its first edition. VINTAGE DOG BOOKS have republished it, using the original text and illustrations as part of their CLASSIC BREED BOOKS series. The author was a noted show judge and breeder of champions. He writes with all the glow and enthusiasm of a true lover of this most noble of breeds. The Saint Bernard is a breed famous in story, legend and history and deserves nothing less. One hundred and ten pages contain ten Detailed chapters: Origin and History. History and Development of the Saint Bernard in America. Nature of the St. Bernard. Official Standard and its Interpretation. Breeding Principles. Whelping. Training. Health and Management. Showing. Profitable Kennel Management. The contents are well illustrated with numerous photographs and illustrations. This is a fascinating read for all breeders, exhibitors, owners and lovers of the Saint Bernard, which also contains much information that is still useful and practical today. Many of the earliest dog breed books, particularly those dating back to the 1900s and before, are now extremely scarce and increasingly expensive. VINTAGE DOG BOOKS are republishing these classic works in affordable, high quality, modern editions, using the original text and artwork.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Vintage Dog Books
• Release date: Sep 17, 2020
• ISBN: 9781528769549

Book preview

THE SAINT BERNARD

Section A

ORIGIN AND HISTORY OF THE ST. BERNARD

CHAPTER I

THE ORIGIN AND DEVELOPMENT IN EUROPE OF THE ST. BERNARD

Knowledge about something increases our understanding of and interest for it. With this in mind, I have compiled this history of the St. Bernard.

The St. Bernard belongs to the mastiff-like breed of dogs. Prof. Th. Studer, and following him Dr. B. Siegmund, learned that the mastiff type—of powerful build, great head, hanging ears, strong poise, and shortened nose—has developed in different places, different breeds and at different times. There still exist three hypotheses about the origin of the St. Bernard:

1. Studer places them as a branch of Canis Inostrazewi.

2. Siegmund considers them as the product of Canis families palustris, our old lake-dweller dogs.

3. C. Keller and H. Kramer trace them from the collective mastiff type of Asia, especially from the Tibet mastiffs. There may be some probability in these different descents, but no definite proof.

The following is established:

In prehistoric times there were in Switzerland no mastiff-like dogs. Also, mastiffs were wanting with the old Egyptians who were much used to dogs and who portrayed many breeds. On the other hand, Xerxes and later the Greeks—as Alexander the Great at one time, 156 B. C., had mastiff dogs—and the Phoenicians several centuries B. C., brought many mastiffs from Asia (Persia, Assyria, India, the Himalayas). Subsequently the Romans took them over and used them in the arena.

The writers from the period of 200 B. C. to 200 A. D. embraced all large dogs under the name of Molasser, and distinguished a light Molasser with the long head and lighter to white color, which was used as a shepherd dog for the protection of herds; and a heavier one, with powerful head, shorter and thicker nose, and of deeper color, which was treasured especially as protector of the house and castle and as aid in war. The Illyrian Molasser had upright ears; the Babylonian, hanging ears.

The rest of the lighter type were found in a greater extent in the mountains of Asia Minor, Caucasia, the Apennines, Pyrenees, and Carpathians.

As descendants of the heavy Molassers we have the mastiff, the old stag hounds, bulldogs and St. Bernard. Moreover both varieties of the Molasser were not sharply separated. Middle types were common.

The Romans brought the mastiff-like Asiatic dogs with their armies as drivers of the accompanying herds and as guards at the military posts and trading stations. They brought them masterfully over the St. Bernard pass (Mons Toris) into the Alpine valleys and the northern forelands of the Alps. When one gathers together all available information, he is led to the following probability.

The invasion of the Helvetia by the Roman mastiffs came for the most part in two wars over the Alps. The first was in the last half of the century B. C. and has brought us chiefly the lighter variety, the shepherd dogs. These spread about in the forelands of the Alps, particularly among the cattlemen as farm dogs, butcher dogs, driving dogs, and herding dogs. They became through crossing with the already present Swiss herd dogs a part of them. They have now been here 2,000 years and isolated, thus, have become an outspoken breed. They are in the main the farm dogs. With the wolf and bear their white color did not last.

A second invasion in the first and second centuries A. D. brought, in the main, heavier Roman Molasser type. These remained at the station. of the passes and especially in the valleys of Aosta and Wallis. In the later Roman period they came gradually into the Bern uplands and almost up to the Jura. They remained scattered, however, because the need of the farmer was already filled by the old invasion. They then were more protecting dog of armies, and of military and trading relations. They found entrance, or footing, on the heights, with the nobility and the cloisters. They became the trunk of the breed St. Bernards.

The distinction of both varieties of Molasser increased and was established in the course of time by the different mixings, ownerships and breeding, and different isolation. Thru many a century we find only a scattered trace of their existence. One takes no special notice of dogs, for their existence is taken for granted.

Perhaps this is the world’s largest dog litter, any breed, judged by weight—these 12 St. Bernards at five mos. of age weighed 1142 pounds.

The Swiss herd dogs have not seldom been represented by painters of country scenes and in pictures from 1550 to 1750. They were the common farm dogs in the provinces of Bern, Freiburg, Naadt, Unterwalder, Lucerne, St. Gall and Appenzell. Only about the time of 1900 were they discovered according to their kind and dug up.

The St. Bernard, however, was never painted until 1695 at Hospice. The painter is unknown. The two painted animals have typical somewhat overdrawn Hospitz heads; they are well built; and one is a manteled dog, with an almost all white head; the other is spotted. The tail is very long.

In 1815 the painting of one of the Hospitz dogs named Lion, who was brought to England, was made by Sir E. Landseer. The dog was almost wholly yellow, very large, had a typical and healthy head as those in the picture of 1695, and he had no wolf claws on the hind legs.

The pictures prove that already at that time the type was expressed and it has remained unchanged. It is questionable whether one may trace a Woppentier Hailigberg of 1350 to 1400 as a dog of the nobles or of the cloisters, to the St.