Stray St. Bernard, breed info, fostering?

[scenicvalesiberian]

I have a question on the temperment of a St. Bernard.
My mom just called me a couple minutes ago and told me there is a St. Bernard in the neighbors lawn (they do not own one and my parents live out in the sticks) and wants to know if they are mean dogs or not.

She says the chain is still attached to its collar, as if it broke loose from the doghouse/stake it was attached to. It is in very rough condition and seems to be very underweight, as these are usually larger dogs. And eats any food she puts out for it. She said she called for it from the door of her house and it got up, came towards her and then took off the other way. She has asked me if she catches it, and no tags are on it, if I would take it and foster it until we would find the owners or a home for it. Also she would like to know a good way to get it to come to her and not be afraid. (Sort of how to lure it to them without it being scared or them being scared of it)

I have never done foster before and want to know what it takes, other than proper care, vet expenses, feeding, showing affection to the dog until it is adopted. I also need to know how St. Bernards act around other dogs (Huskies) and children, as I have 5 huskies and 2 kids. My home would be open to the idea, but I need some more information on this breed before I decide to do it. I know they are very large dogs, slobber all over and can be very powerful.

Help.

[PennyK]

Teddy is my only experience with saints and he's only 5 months old, so, really I don't know much. 

But.....everyt hing I have read says they are good with children.  My suggestions to "lure him in" is FOOD and patience.  I'd put some food out, and then just pull up a chair and a good book and wait.  once you see him, just start talking to him.  I think that eventually, he will come up to you if he has been shown any kindness before.

On the other hand, they are such massive dogs that I would not want a Saint with an unknown history in the house with my little kids.  Depending on the age of your children, that is something you may wish to think about.

Good luck and keep us posted on what you end up doing. 

Oh, and welcome to the board!!!!!!

[scenicvalesiberian]

Thank you for the info. My children are 3 and infant. I would keep the dog outside to start with ( I have a large fenced in yard for my huskies so it would not be chained ) until i get to know the dog and then slowly introduce my child (3yo) to it.

First thing is to get my mom to somehow "catch" it and gain its trust for me to bring him to my house (about 1 hr 30 mins away) I don't know if my mom should look for the previous owners or not because it is still attached to a chain and has its fur matted, full of burdock and "stickers", and is underweight by the looks of it. She does not want to call AC or the humane society because it is a kill shelter and does not believe in euthanizing animals for reasons that is not their fault, and neither do I.

[Nicole]

Hi! Well, a stray Saint is no different than any other stray in that you do not know its background, if he's sick, has any type of parasites, etc. So, there is your first caution, handle him as any other stray.

Yes, they're bigger and more powerful, however they are more likely to be gentle by nature than many smaller breeds. I'd be far less leery of a stray Saint than say, for example a stray Chihuahua. Do you know what I mean?

I grew up with Saints, fostered one named Suzie who was very very very malnourished and over-bred, and am getting ready to adopt a 3 year old boy named Dewey. I've never experienced an agressive one, although I have known some males to be non-tolerant of other males. (That's the exception, though-as far as I can tell)

As far as luring him in, yeah...FOOD. And just slow, cautious movements and soft talking. That should do it. I'd say if your home is open to foster, then do it! What a great thing! Be sure to have him checked immediately for parasites and stuff, so that he doesn't spread anything to your other dogs. I'd keep him separated if at all possible until you've had him to the vet.

Other than that, just general foster information. Well, lots of love, food, vet care, etc. If you're just fostering independently, then you kind of make the judgement calls as far as how you want to advertise him, how long you want to keep him before you do, etc. If you get hooked up with a Saint rescue or something, they'll sort of have their own rules as far as potential adopters, which vet he should go to, etc.

I've fostered independently a zillion times. Its always been a rewarding and challenging experience. This is a great place to come for ideas, help, support, whatever! We're really a bunch of super knowledgeable and loving people 'round these parts, and you came to the right place

Oh, and we love pictures, so get us some of that Saint boy as soon as you get him! And we'd LOVE to see pics of your Siberians!

Welcome!

Oh, and BTW, I'm Nicole. I'm mama to Cabeza, a Newf/Chow mix, and soon to be Dewey, a 3 year old Saint boy, who currently lives with another BPO member in West Virginia.

[Saint and Mal mom]

Hi! I'm Marissa and I have a Saint Bernard and Alaskan Malamute. My 2 get along great. I'm telling you this because huskies and Malamutes are similar. Lure the dog with food, so long as you feel safe around him or her. If you question it having a disease or being mean, I would leave the dog alone! Saint Bernards are awesome with kids, other dogs, other animals too. Usually food will do the trick to gain any dog's trust. And patience. Hope everything works out best for you and the dog!

[NoDogNow]

I have captured many a wandering dog on a farm.  Start by going to the bathroom, because this is a process that needs to continue uninteruppted until you have the dog corralled!

The axiom about dogs is that their hierarchy of senses is NOSE, then Ears, then eyes.  You have to use this hierarchy to capture a stray.

Put a lawn chair near your door with a big, big bucket of water on one side of you, a food bowl on the other side of you, a about 2-3 dozen small sealed ziplock baggies of food (a small handful or so in each one, but they must be sealed to keep the scent it each one until you open it; very important!) a rope/halter/lead of some kind and a book and big bottle of water for you.  Everyone will need to give you space and quiet while you're doing this--sudden noises will break your process and you'll have to start over.

Sit down in the chair and start reading.  After a couple of minutes, put a baggie of food in the food bowl.

Let the dog come near you and eat the food and drink some water.  DON'T PAY ANY ATTENTION TO IT.  No eye contact, no smiles, no nothing.  Just be calm and pretend that nothing is out of the ordinary at all.  You can't be jittery or anxious or in any way excited at all, and above all, you can't reach out to him or talk to him yet. Let him come near, have some food, and smell the crap out of you.  FOCUS ON YOUR BOOK.

If he wanders away a little, put another baggie of food in the bowl.  Keep this up until he settles close by, in between you putting food in the bowl. Once he starts settling, you can speak in a low, but confident voice to him.  NO HIGH VOICES--it will scare them off every time.  Keep talking and putting food in the bowl, just telling him good boy, pretty boy, etc; sometimes what I do is just start reading my book out loud.  At first, he might shy away from you, but just keep talking in that low, confident voice.  DON'T TRY TO TOUCH YET.  Let him hear your voice while he settles between baggies of food.

Eventually, he'll come up and initiate contact, with a paw or his muzzle.  That's when you can make eye contact for a moment or two; keep putting food in the bowl, talking, and making eye contact for longer and longer times until he settles with you.  You should then be able to put the halter on him, and bring him to a kennel or into your garage where you can confine him a little to get to know him a little better, check him for any wounds, etc. 

GOOD LUCK catching him.  My uncle had Saints when I was growing up, and they really do deserve the name--the only breed I can think of that's more naturally affectionate is the newf. If you can get him to your house and acclimated, you'll never want to let him go!