Let us look at the complete details of rare designer crossbreed St bernard pitbull mix.
St Bernard Pitbull mix is a crossbreed of medium size energetic dog Pitbull and a large gentle dog Saint Bernard.
This designer crossbreed was developed for creating a dog that is gentle & affectionate like a Saint Bernard and courageous & strong-willed like a Pitbull.
St bernard pitbull mix – At a glance
| Size | 20 to 27 inches |
| Weight | 50 to 120 pounds |
| Temperament | Gentle and energetic |
| Lifespan | 8 to 11 years |
| Price | Unknown |
| Purpose | Companion dog |
| Popularity | Low |
| Grooming | Low (often) |
| Hypoallergenic | No |
Appearance
This is a recent dog breed that is still developed by the crossing of St Bernard with a Pitbull and hence it is not certain as to how they would look like.
They often are larger than a Pitbull with a deep chest and slender body of a Pitbull. The ears are dropped like a Saint Bernard.
Their coat can be short like a Pitbull or long like a Saint Bernard. Most often we have seen this mix having a short and shiny coat of a Pitbull. The colors of the coat may vary with most likely a white patch of a Saint Bernard on his chest.
Saint Bernard Pitbull mix can grow to a size of 20 to 27 inches in height and weigh approximately 50 to 120 pounds. Their average lifespan is around 8 to 11 years.
Temperament
It is not certain whether you would be able to achieve your goals of creating a large dog with the gentle and sweet disposition of St Bernard and agility, playfulness, and tenacity of a Pitbull.
It would depend on which parent breed has the more dominant genes and how you have raised your dog.
If trained well and socialized from an early age, St Bernard Pitbull mix would become a well-adjusted family dog. They are most likely to be patient of the children and love to play with them.
However we would recommend adult supervision for few reasons.
- The St bernard pitbull mix can knock down a young child just by his size.
- Children may not know how to respect this large dog and may just pull his ears or nose which may shock him instigating to bite in his natural instincts.
- While Saint Bernard is very calm, Pitbull isn’t. This mixed breed may have some prey instincts and it is recommended that children and other small pets be with them under supervision.
Similarities between Saint Bernard and Pitbull
Both the dogs are good companion dogs and suffer from separation anxiety.
Both Saint Bernard and Pits are loving and affectionate to humans and may even greet a stranger.
Saint Bernard vs Pitbull
There are many differences between Saint Bernard and Pitbull. Let us look at a few.
- First difference between them that you will notice is the size. Saint Bernards are huge whereas Pits are medium size dogs.
2. St Bernard has long hairs that can tolerate extremely cold weather but they are not fit for a hotter climate. Pits have short smooth hairs and they can’t tolerate extreme cold.
3. Saint Bernard accepts other dogs in the home while Pitbull is aggressive to them and is suggested to be only dog.
4. Saint Bernard drool a lot where as Pits will drool little to none.
5. Pitbulls are very high energy levels where as Saint Bernards love to idle around.
6. St Bernard will bark rarely whereas Pit will bark more than average.
Below are the statistics of the two dog breeds so you can compare between the two.
| Saint Bernard | Pitbull | |
|---|---|---|
| Height | 26 – 30 inches | 17 – 19 inches |
| Weight | 120 – 180 pounds | 30 – 85 pounds |
| Lifespan | 8 to 10 years | 12 to 16 years |
| Grooming | High | Low |
| Popularity (in AKC list) | 48 | not recognized |
Health
This mixed breed is relatively new and hence it is not studied much to be certain of ailments that they will be prone to. Let us look at the ailments of their parent breeds that can be passed on to them and you should be aware of.
- Hip Dysplasia – This is a medical condition in which thigh bone does not fit properly in the dog’s hip joint. This may be painful in different degrees in various dogs. This finally leads to arthritis as the dog gets old.
- Elbow Dysplasia – This is a condition in which the elbow bones are not properly set and symptoms may include lameness in front limbs.
- Entropion – This is an abnormal condition which St Bernards are prone to in which eyelids roll inwards causing hairs to rub the eye which can damage the cornea.
- Epilepsy – This is an abnormal neural condition which st Bernards are prone to This leads to seizures.
- Dilated Cardiomyopathy – This is a condition of the heart wherein it is not able to pump blood with enough pressure.
- Gastric dilatation-volvulus (GDV) – This is also called bloating and happens when dogs get into a shock with the air trapped in his stomach. Both St Bernard and Pitbull are prone to this.
- Hypothyroidism – This is a condition in which enough thyroid is not produced by the dog. Symptoms may include weakness and weight loss. Pits are prone to this.
Origins – Details about parent breeds
This is a rare hybrid breed and breeders have recently started to breed as the craze for designer dogs increase. Let us look at the parent breeds to know more about them.
Pitbull
Pitbull are medium sized dog popular for being aggressive. This is unfair to the dog as the incidents that have happened are due to few bad owners breeding them to be aggressive or not training, socialization them properly.
Pitbull were originally bred in England by mixing bulldogs with Terriers to have the best of both of them in dog fighting games.
Pitbulls are strong and muscular dogs who are agile and strong willed. They are alert to the surroundings and may give you an intimation of the visitors with a bark.
They love humans and that goes to strangers as well and they will love them as well. Thus they don’t do well as guard dogs.
Pitbulls have short & smooth and do shed moderately. They are easier to groom. They come in a variety of colors that include red, blue, brown, grey, black, and white.
Pits do well as companion dogs if properly trained and socialized since beginning.
Saint Bernard
St Bernard are called the gentle giants of the canine world for their calm disposition and huge size.
They originated in Switzerland by cross breeding of local Alps dogs with mastiff type dogs.
It is believed that a monk named Bernard de Menthon had this dog who used to help the pilgrims and guard the place near Saint Bernard Pass 8000 ft above the sea level.
They are huge muscular dogs having a gentle and kind attitude. Their head is broad with a high developed cheek bones. They have a short and wide muzzle with keen expressive eyes.
They are intelligent, kind dogs and are often used as therapy dogs. They make excellent family pets and are quite tolerant of children. Though with their giant size, it is recommended that children be under adult supervision when playing with them.
Saint Bernards do not bark much and if they do, it would be for a reason. They are not the dogs for people who are freak for cleanliness. They shed heavily and drool a lot.
Final Thoughts
St Bernard Pitbull mix is good for folks who can live with surprises as they may not know about their physical appearance and personality until they grow a bit.
Though most likely they would be gentle playful medium to large size dogs and you should be ready to invest in training and early socialization. Being energetic and large in size, we will not recommend them for Apartment living.
Let us hear from you now.
If you own a St Bernard Pitbull mix or know one, do write your story in the comment section below.
I have one that I had genetically tested. 50/50 pit and saint. He looks like a saint, has medium length coat, is 105 lbs, and very sweet. His looks just like a short haired saint, only has a tail that does curl up at times, and not so furry as a saints. I am so happy with this kid, I rescued him a year ago, as he spent four years in a rescue shelter. No one wanted a big dog.. I would highly recommend this breed mix, and he gets along fine with my other five furrbabies. (2 pits, a lab/border collie, a catahoula and a Aus shep mix)
Thanks Kathleen for sharing. They indeed are quite wonderful. 🙂
We rescued a beautiful Saint Bernard/Pitt Mix. She’s the size of a Pitt”has similar features to a Pitt along with Saint Bernard features “eyes,Jowls,thick neck, thick tail and thick feet”
Her name is “Precious” and her name totally suits her. She loves everyone, wants attention from everyone that comes to our home, or that she encounters when we walk her. That being said she’s great at alerting us if she’s wary of someone and will stand in front of whomever(her family) she is with at the time.
She’s trained, well behaved and s bit lazy. She loves lounging around and always has a Great Big Smile on her face. We have two small dogs and two cats.(The cats we just adopted) she doesn’t mind them one bit until they are getting attention,then she has to be right in the middle of the fun. One thing she completely goes crazy for and we found so strange. She loves lazers “like cat lazers” she’s a freak for the blazer and knows excatly where we keep it.She will just stare at it, a do these low toned barks until you grab it and play with her.
She’s the perfect “Gentle Giant”
Thanks, Gayle for sharing a wonderful post about them. Indeed she gels well with other pets. Glad to know you have found your Perfect “Gentle giant”!
I have a st./pitt mix. Got her pretty recently right after she got done being taken care of by a couple who were watching over her after she fell down some stairs or was accidentally dropped down some stairs and broke one of her back paws and a rib or two, she was around a month or two the time of the accident. I’ve already had her for a good 2-3 months now and I couldn’t be happier now that she’s in my life. She loves other humans, even strangers, except at night outside, she sometimes gets defensive and tries to “protect” me, I believe the cause of it is her poor eyesight in the dark, or gets scared of the new stranger and cries as she runs to my feet if the “stranger” is approaching too fast, other than that she is really playful, energetic, and will brighten any gloomy room. She is a bit of a brute at times especially when she gets too excited so I put her on a leash when meeting new dogs (especially small dogs like my mom and aunts chihuahuas) or smaller kids until she calms down more, not due to aggression more to do with running up and jumping on people so they can pet her or start to play with her. Onto training, she’s a pretty quick learner she learned to sit by the second day almost on command (had to say it 2-3 times the first few days). On top of that she also knows a few other tricks that only took an hour for her to do and a second day for her to do without a treat. Going up stairs took her about a week for her to even touch the first step, even 3 step stairs, due to her accident I first mentioned. By the time she was brave enough to go upstairs it was only when i was next to her or behind her, now she goes up and down by herself. Potty training took the longest, to this day she has a bit of a problem with it (mostly that she doesn’t let me know when she has to go) so I have to pay extra attention of the time I feed her and how long it takes for her to want to go. She doesn’t bark much, only at her reflection or when she wants to annoy my moms chihuahua just because she’s bored. She looks like a pit has a st’s white chest and paw size as-well as a small st’s chest width. Her back color is that of a pitt with some noticeable two patches of st’s back color on both sides where her neck and shoulders meet. Some people have also told me that from the front her face looks that of a greyhound. She’s five months old, her name is Tokyo, and I’ve had her since she was 3 months old.
Seems Tokyo is doing well and you are blessed with her cuddles. Glad to know and thanks for writing.
I have a two year old StBernard pit, rescued from neighbors who dumped him with parvo. He looks just like a shorter haired st bernard. He has the energy of a jack russel terrier, at times and can clear the kitchen island in one jump. That being said, when he is outside all he does is roll around upside down in the grass. He does tackle any and all bicycles though…he does not eat the rider, just the bike lol…i suppose a tire is the right size chew toy for him as he is 105 pounds of muscle n wrinkles that will unknowingly knock you off you feet and then cover you in puppy love slobber. His name is Muttley and he will not let any man approach me or my daughter…I assume the lovely person who dumped him and left him to die was a male. He is otherwise a happy dog 100% of the time (i just dont know how to convince him that hes not a jack russel and his huge, bull in a china shop body, does not belong on my island….physically i cant believe he is capable of such leaps.
Must appreciate the fact you adopted. It is always “Better to adopt than to Shop”. Thanks for writing about Muttley.