The checklist to print and take with you. Health tests, questions, and when to walk away.
Two pages. Take it with you.
Everything below is on the Saint Bernard page already. This version is laid out to be printed and
written on, so you can take the parents' test results down at the door instead of trying to remember them.
Papers prove parentage. They do not prove health.
Measured lifespan: 9.3 years, which is 3.2 years below the 12.5 year median for all dogs. Based on 1,638 of them. McMillan et al. 2024, Scientific Reports 14:531.
Before you go
Look the parents up in the OFA database by their registered names. Normal results are public by
default. Abnormal ones appear only if the owner released them, so a dog with nothing listed may have been
tested and failed.
Look the breeder up in the USDA Animal Care public search if they ship animals or sell sight unseen.
A small breeder with no license is normal. One shipping animals around the country with no license is
breaking the law.
Write the sire and dam's registered names here so you can check them afterwards.
The parents' health tests
Saint Bernard Club of America sets these. A CHIC number means the tests were done and the results are public. It does not mean the animal passed them, so read the results. Look them up yourself at ofa.org.
Required for a CHIC number
Test
Sire result
Dam result
Hip Dysplasia (OFA Evaluation or PennHIP Evaluation, minimum 24 months)
Eye Examination by a boarded ACVO Ophthalmologist (minimum 22 months)
Cardiac Evaluation (Congenital Cardiac Exam by a boarded cardiologist, Advanced Cardiac Exam, or Basic Cardiac Exam by a boarded cardiologist; minimum 24 months)
Degenerative Myelopathy (DM) DNA test
Also recommended
Test
Sire result
Dam result
Autoimmune Thyroiditis (OFA evaluation)
The breed's page in the OFA database: https://ofa.org/chic-programs/browse-by-breed/?breed=Saint+Bernard
Ask about these by name
What this breed is known for. Ask what the breeder has seen in their own line.
May I visit where the litter was born and raised, and see the mother with them?
Can I see the parents' test results, not the certificates of registration?
What are the registered names of the sire and dam, so I can look them up myself?
How many litters does the mother have, and how old is she?
At what age do the puppies go home?
What is in the contract, and can I read it before I decide?
What happens if I ever cannot keep the animal?
What has come up in this line that I should know about?
Walk away if
You cannot visit, or cannot see the mother with the litter.
Several breeds are on offer, or there are always puppies available.
The animal will be shipped, or the sale is online to someone who has never met you.
The first question is how soon you can pay a deposit.
The papers are coming later. Do not pay until they exist.
There are no vet records on a vet's letterhead, and no health results for the parents.
You feel pushed to decide today.
Expect a contract
A responsible breeder wants one. Expect all three of these in it.
A spay or neuter requirement, often through limited registration.
A clause that the animal comes back to the breeder if you ever cannot keep it, at any age.
A health guarantee, either against genetic defects up to a stated age or against named conditions.
Petipedia · petipedia.io/breeds/saint-bernard · free, and every figure on the breed
page says where it came from. General information, not veterinary advice.