You want to buy a Saint Bernard puppy, but you know your dog will be grow to be so big that you are concerned whether or not he will still be obedient when grown. There is no reason to fear. Saint Bernards are fairly easy to train and want to please their owners. One of the most important things to remember before training your dog is to remember it will respond well to being rewarded for good behavior but will respond poorly to being punished for bad behavior.
What could be more important in training any dog than teaching your pet to be housebroken? If you are watching your new puppy closely, you will be easily able to tell when he needs to go outside to relieve himself. He will pace around, raise his tail in the air, and begin to spread his legs. As soon as he does that, yell, "No," and carry him outside.
If your dog does his intended business outside, lavish praise on him in a big way. If he does inside, reprimand him with a harsh tone and a "No." It may take him only a few days; it may take a few months, but your dog will get the idea, and because he will want to please you, you will have a housebroken dog.
It is also easy to train your dog to "Come." He will naturally want to come to his master anyway. When he is coming toward you naturally anyway, say "Come" in an excited manner. You can also add your dog's name to the command.
A good place to train the dog is in your yard. If your dog ignores you, keep saying come until he notices you. Do whatever it takes to get his attention, even jumping up and down, clapping, or patting your leg. When he does come to you, praise him, pat his head, and give him a dog treat. If will be good to also teach him to sit. When your puppy is fully grown, you might not want a 150 pound dog coming at you at full speed, and it might be good if he also knows that command.
It is actually quite easy to teach your dog to sit. If you use the word often when he is sitting anyway, he will begin to associate the word with the action. When he is standing, you can firmly, but gently, say the word and gently push down on his rear end. If he does sit, reward him with lavish praise, pat his head, and give him a dog treat. Dogs not only love to please you, they also love getting treats, and they will get the idea.
You can also teach your Saint Bernard to "stay." Often this can be done in conjunction with teaching your pet to sit and come. It may be too much for your dog to learn at once, however.
In an enclosed area, have your dog sit. Place your arm out with your palm out. Back up a few paces and say firmly, "stay." If the dog starts to come, and has already learned to sit, firmly say, "Sit."
If might be even easier to train your dog to stay if you have a friend to help you. If your dog continues to try to follow you, have your friend sit behind the dog and hold his collar while you repeat the exercise. Once you are able to back up a little distance and the dog does stay, you can then use your "Come" command. Be sure to praise the dog and give him a treat once he starts doing what you want.
Once he has started learning the command, try teaching him to stay as you back farther and farther away. You may soon be at one end of the yard, with your dog at the other end, waiting on your "Come" command. Don't expect your dog to stay too long at first, but gradually increase the time he does the trick.
Teaching your pet to "Lie down" or just "Down" can be difficult. Your Saint Bernard may just not want to lie down, and depending on his age and size, it can be difficult to make a big dog lie down--not to mention getting back up again!
When your dog is sitting, gently take his front paws and pull them out, so he is in a down position. As you do that, say, "down" or "lie down" and as he does what you want. Also offer him a treat for obedience.
Your dog can also be trained to roll over. That is a trick that can be used later both to show off your pet and also to get him to turn over so you can brush him.
While he is in a down position, gently turn him over while cheerfully saying, "Roll over." While he is in the position, tickle his stomach and scratch his chest to get him to stay in the position.
If you buy a Saint Bernard, you will have a big dog, so getting him use to a collar early will be a good thing. It will also be good if he learns to heel.
Start by having your dog sitting by your side as you stand. Say, "Heel" and give a light tug on your leash as you start to walk. If he starts to run away from you, firmly say, "No!" gently tug on the leash and again say, "Heel."
You want your dog's shoulder to be even with your legs as you walk. If he starts to walk ahead of you, gently pull on your leash and say, "Heel." You also have the option of stopping completely and repeating your command. If he drags, gently pull on the leash and firmly say, "Heel."
If your dog does walk at your side, lavish praise upon him. Beware, however, because he heel that once does not mean he will heel every time, at first. In time, however, he will get the idea, and your Saint Bernard will learn to be obedient.
You might want to train your Saint Bernard to stand on command, so he will obey if you take him to a veterinarian.
Start with your dog in a sitting position. Have a dog treat in your hand and place your hand in front of your dog's nose. Slowly bring your hand forward and upward while saying, "Stand." Hopefully, your dog will follow the treat and stand. When he his standing, repeat the command and tickle his stomach, to get him to continue to stand. Wait until he has stood for a couple of moments and then praise him and give him the treat.
If your dog does not want to follow the treat in your hand, you could put his collar on him and gently give him a tug and say the command at the same time. You could instead put your hands under his stomach and gently lift him while giving the command.
If you want to train your dog, especially a dog as big as a Saint Bernard, to stop doing something undesirable, you can teach him to "Leave." For this command, it is good for your dog to learn he can have a reward only when you want to give it to him.
Start by having your dog by your side. Show him a treat and place it in front of him, while giving the command. Hold his collar several times and repeat the command. Then release him and say, "O.K."
It is good to groom your puppy from an early age and have his claws trimmed. Look at his eyes, ears, mouth, and nose. He will then not mind later when a veterinarian does the same thing. Your veterinarian will no doubt appreciate a calm, obedient, Saint Bernard, especially because of his size when he is older.
All puppies chew, especially when teething and a Saint Bernard is no exception. Some may just chew on an occasional item of clothing. Some may destroy a suit! If you think chewing on furniture or clothing can be a problem, imagine a 150 pound Saint Bernard who has never learned that you don't want him to play by putting his mouth and teeth around your hands, chewing your house shoes, or your furniture!
Your dog should be told "No" firmly whenever he starts to chew on furniture, clothing, or your hands.
You can not only teach your Saint Bernard to "Speak," you can also teach him the "Quiet" command.
The dog may naturally be barking at something anyway, or you may even provoke him to bark by making a barking sound yourself. If the dog is naturally barking anyway, give the "Speak" command. If you make a barking noise yourself, only do it after giving the command. Again, reward your dog for obedience.
Your dog can be taught to obey the "Quiet" command by gently muzzling his mouth and giving the command. When he is quiet for awhile, praise him and give him a treat.
If you are thinking of buying a Saint Bernard, you will be buying a dog that is big, strong, and muscular. There is even a record of the dogs saving human lives that goes back as far as 1774 at a hospice in Switzerland. One famous Saint Bernard, "Barry," was credited with saving more than 40 lives. A Saint Bernard can smell a person under eight feet of snow.
Despite its large size as an adult, you will have a dog that will be easy to be trained.
