KRH1326
Chief Petty Officer
- Joined
- Sep 22, 2007
- Messages
- 491
All of these answers are only based on my opinion and experience.
They do grow very big, but I think that they are aware of their size and at least try to be careful. I have constantly been amazed at how they can pick their way through my small living room, amongst my small children.
I have only had 5 adults ( not at the same time ) and I have kept 2 of the pups from those pictures. None of them have had the stereotypical drool problem. It does happen, but I think it is a crap shoot with an individual dog. However, due to their size and shape of their jowls, they can get messy when they eat or drink. I don?t want them to push up on me, until they shake it off or whatever.
There are several different types of saints.
Beethoven was a Giant Scottish, long hair. They have very tough and course fur. They shed a lot and in tufts. They are easy to maintain with a rake, but it does keep on coming out.
Nana from Peter Pan was an English long hair. They have very silky fur. They shed like an average dog, but not the long hair. They just seem to shed out a fine ?down? from underneath. Not too bad at all.
The short hairs are just like the fur of their cousins, the mastiffs. They hardly shed at all.
The Pros and Cons that I list are really only as they apply to me.
Pros
Huge dogs. I just love big dogs. You should see me giggle when I see the very smallest of breeds. Nothing against them, I just happen to be 6?8? and the saints seem to scale me to an average height. My wife?s champion male, Junior, weighed in at 260 when he died.
Fierce love and loyalty to my family. God help an intruder that makes them feel that my children are in imminent danger. I have never seen a saint that doesn?t take to children like a lab to water. The females exhibit doting and maternal instincts and seem to lay down the law. The males tend to be the enforcers. One female that we had, developed a tumor in a hind leg. She was in considerable pain. It got to the point that x rays showed that it had almost completely ate through her femur. We had a decision to make. Amputate, but we were advised that it would only be a short term fix as the vet felt it would show elsewhere soon. Plus she was 8 yrs old and would not adapt to 3 three legs so easily. Euthanize. Or, let her just be as is till the end, all the while being in considerable pain, and risking a bad leg fracture. My wife and I walked down our driveway and were discussing what to do. My oldest child climbed on the counter and somehow turned on the toaster oven. It smoldered for a while and something started burning. The underside of the kitchen cabinets caught fire. The male started to round up the kids. The female started throwing herself against the side door. She broke out the window and eventually broke the hinges off. She cut herself good, and broke her leg at the tumor site, during the whole thing. We heard her hitting the door and came running. We were just getting close when she crashed through and she started barking and howling, and even was able to follow us in.
Cons.
Short life span. Not unlike Great Danes and such, their bodies out grow their hearts. Supposedly, 7-9 is avg expected span. Junior made it to 10-1/2 but he was in fine physical shape.
They are prone to displasia and other hip problems.
They do not like the water. It is in their breeding, like huskies, malamutes etc. Wet + Cold = Death, its in their basic programming. You can, and I have broken that, but it is a struggle. However, that same female that had the tumor, had once thought that my going swimming meant that I was drowning. She charged down the beach, hit the water and never hesitated. She swam to me, barking the whole way, and actually tried to drag me ashore. I was fighting and resisting her, so she must have really thought I was drowning. The more I struggled, the more she fought to get me ashore. She eventually learned that it was OK, and actually became a great swimmer.
Pro and Con
Extreme strength. They can be very forceful.
Very intelligent and cunning. 2 out of the 4 that I have now, can turn a knob and open a door. They all can open my sliding glass doors. They can all easily see my kitchen counter tops and table. They will be sneaky, crafty and time their assault so as to strike when you least expect it. They will grab the goodies and run.
When they feel that the kids and family are OK, sometimes they seem to go ?off duty?. When that happens they want to play, and they don?t take no for an answer.
They crave human companionship and contact. It is almost impossible to just sit down, after the kids are in bed, and just watch the TV in peace. 1, 2 or all will eventually come and sit at hand to be stroked. If you ignore them, they will push their head under your arm or hand, and flip it up to the top of their head. They will keep at it until satisfied. Every once in a while it gets a little out of control with me. (Never wife or kids. Thank goodness) If they decide that it is play time, and they want to play rough, I swear that they deliberately set up an ambush. Their tactic seems to be, to take my legs out from under me. Once down ( remember the strength and mass comment?) they will attempt to pile on, to keep me from escaping, and see who can lick my face the most.
They really do develop complicated personalities. No two dogs are the same, and these just seem to be the prevalent traits that I have been able to see.
I have to rest my typing finger now, but if you ask any other specific questions, I?ll do my best to answer them.
