Description. The Saint Berdoodle is a hybrid, or designer, dog. They are large dogs with a height in the male of 27-30 inches and a weight of 150-200 pounds whilst the slightly smaller female measure 24-27 inches and weighs in at a mere 110-160 pounds. The St Berdoodle is a cross breed, of a pedigree Saint Bernard and a pedigree Poodle. After the cross it is meant that St Berdoodles should be bred with another St Berdoodles but they can be bred with either of the original parent breeds. Generally speaking their coat takes after the Poodle, so it is fairly short and wavy to curly. However their body and size leans more towards the Saint Bernard. Most commonly the coat will be white, as the main color, with some red markings.

History. The history of the Saint Berdoodle is quite limited, as it is with all hybrids. The idea of a hybrid dog is to have dogs that tend to be easier for modern day living, and to be a pet rather than a working dog. As the vast majority of dogs are kept as household pets the characteristics of them being good as hunt dogs or gun dogs is no longer of any real significance. Today, hybrids are bred to have certain traits that make them more desirable as a pet. To use a poodle as one of the breeding dogs is quite common as this tends to make the coat less liable to shed, which is good for allergy sufferers. Another advantage of the Poodle is their exceptional intelligence and trainability. These traits tend to make lots of the designer dog breeds more easily and quickly trained. In the fast moving world of today these traits are of great benefit to a lot of people who otherwise may not be able to have a dog.

Temperament. A Saint Berdoodle is obviously a large dog but they are very relaxed and self assured dogs that are normally great with children. As a big dog early training is vital, you do not want this big dog running around out of control. You must establish yourself as the alpha and be a good leader for the dog. Dogs are always happier when they know their place, in the family. Once they understand you are in charge they can relax and leave any worrying up to you. As affectionate dogs they will respond well to praise and a little fussing over them, which can be used as a reward when training is going well. If they do not pick up some new command or training skill do not shout at, or chastise, the dog, just try again. A firm, fair, consistent style is always best, when training a dog. They make good watchdogs but are not good as a guard dog, for property. They will protect you but are a bit too friendly to be reliable at guarding the house, but they will alert you to anything out of the ordinary.

Health issues. The health issues are not yet a matter of record for the Saint Berdoodle but it does appear they take the best of both parent breeds and are not prone to several of the issues their parent had. It is always wise to check, with the breeder for the parent health records and any certifications. As the dog tends to have large floppy ears you will need to check them regularly for any signs of infection. They seem to have a life expectancy of around 12 years.

Grooming. Normally the Saint Berdoodle will require regular brushing and cutting as required. Only bath when necessary, about 4-8 times a year. It all depends on the coat type they favor.

Living conditions. This is a big dog and requires space and exercise. They are not suited to an apartment or small town house. They require at least a large yard or garden.