About Our Breeds

Saint Bernards are known for their massive size and stature. They are highly intelligent and easy to train. The Saint was originally bred for rescue work. They are dedicated to their family and will do whatever is needed to please them. Our family has owned Saints since 2010 and believe them to be the best family partners available.

So often we hear people say after purchasing a Saint Bernard, “I didn’t know they got this big.” The breed is classified as Giant, so please do your research. Don’t buy this breed if you are fastidious about your home. They may drool when they are hot, after they drink water and when they get excited. The breed also loves water and can track dirt in your home. During seasons when they blow their coat, you can easily fill a trash bag or clog a vacuum with all that hair. Please take into consideration as well what it will cost to feed, train and provide health care for your pet. Other things to consider: don’t buy this breed if you don’t have the time to dedicate to them. They are not meant to be tossed in the back yard or locked in an apartment all day while you are at work. They require exercise and demand attention. Plan to give unequivocal loyalty for ten years to them. If you can’t do that don’t buy one.

We recommend grooming your dogs at least twice a week. Start your new puppy on a regular grooming schedule. This will help them get in a routine and comfortable with regular brushing. Saints shed year round, but they blow their undercoat in the Spring and Fall. Make sure to keep your Saint free of mats especially behind the ears as they can be painful. When you bring your new puppy home make sure to handle their feet and trim their nails regularly. Nails should be trimmed once a month. If you hear them clicking on your floor then they are too long. Lastly, ear care… It is best to clean your dog’s ears once a month. The breed is known for seasonal ear infections. By keeping their ears dry and the hair clipped away it will help prevent unwanted infections and trips to the vet’s office.

We feed our dogs a balanced diet with 4Health Natural Dog Food (Available through Tractor Supply) for all of our dogs. You want to find a high quality large breed formula. When you come home with your puppy you should continue his/her diet and feeding the large breed puppy food three times a day. Once your puppy turns six months old, switch the puppy to a quality large breed adult food. Keeping your puppy on puppy food too long can cause him/her to grow too fast causing unwanted strain on their joints. They will continue to grow up to potentially 3 years, so this will not hinder their growth.

Trust us; you will get out of your dog food what you put into it. If your dog is slamming down each meal then you are not feeding your dog enough. Never feed your dogs once a day and allow him/her to exercise after their massive eating – we recommend teaching them to lie down when eating. This can lead to bloat with life threatening complications. It is best to free feed or feed your dog on a schedule.

Socialization and puppy training are crucial during puppyhood. This breed is meant for working and can pull over a thousand pounds. Can you imagine walking in a park and your dog wanting to chase another dog? Without proper obedience training your dog would be out of your control. You must commit yourself to training your puppy or going to an obedience class. At an absolute minimum your puppy should know how to: sit, stay, come, lie down, and walk on or off the leash regardless of temptations. Young puppies are relatively easy to train. They are eager to please, intelligent, calm-natured, with a relatively good attention span.

New Foundlands are known for their massive size and stature. They are highly intelligent and easy to train. The Saint was originally bred for rescue work. They are dedicated to their family and will do whatever is needed to please them. Our family has owned Saints since 2010 and believe them to be the best family partners available.

So often we hear people say after purchasing a Saint Bernard, “I didn’t know they got this big.” The breed is classified as Giant, so please do your research. Don’t buy this breed if you are fastidious about your home. They may drool when they are hot, after they drink water and when they get excited. The breed also loves water and can track dirt in your home. During seasons when they blow their coat, you can easily fill a trash bag or clog a vacuum with all that hair. Please take into consideration as well what it will cost to feed, train and provide health care for your pet. Other things to consider: don’t buy this breed if you don’t have the time to dedicate to them. They are not meant to be tossed in the back yard or locked in an apartment all day while you are at work. They require exercise and demand attention. Plan to give unequivocal loyalty for ten years to them. If you can’t do that don’t buy one.

We recommend grooming your dogs at least twice a week. Start your new puppy on a regular grooming schedule. This will help them get in a routine and comfortable with regular brushing. Saints shed year round, but they blow their undercoat in the Spring and Fall. Make sure to keep your Saint free of mats especially behind the ears as they can be painful. When you bring your new puppy home make sure to handle their feet and trim their nails regularly. Nails should be trimmed once a month. If you hear them clicking on your floor then they are too long. Lastly, ear care… It is best to clean your dog’s ears once a month. The breed is known for seasonal ear infections. By keeping their ears dry and the hair clipped away it will help prevent unwanted infections and trips to the vet’s office.

We feed our dogs a balanced diet with 4Health Natural Dog Food (Available through Tractor Supply) for all of our dogs. You want to find a high quality large breed formula. When you come home with your puppy you should continue his/her diet and feeding the large breed puppy food three times a day. Once your puppy turns six months old, switch the puppy to a quality large breed adult food. Keeping your puppy on puppy food too long can cause him/her to grow too fast causing unwanted strain on their joints. They will continue to grow up to potentially 3 years, so this will not hinder their growth.

Trust us; you will get out of your dog food what you put into it. If your dog is slamming down each meal then you are not feeding your dog enough. Never feed your dogs once a day and allow him/her to exercise after their massive eating – we recommend teaching them to lie down when eating. This can lead to bloat with life threatening complications. It is best to free feed or feed your dog on a schedule.

Socialization and puppy training are crucial during puppyhood. This breed is meant for working and can pull over a thousand pounds. Can you imagine walking in a park and your dog wanting to chase another dog? Without proper obedience training your dog would be out of your control. You must commit yourself to training your puppy or going to an obedience class. At an absolute minimum your puppy should know how to: sit, stay, come, lie down, and walk on or off the leash regardless of temptations. Young puppies are relatively easy to train. They are eager to please, intelligent, calm-natured, with a relatively good attention span.

The Poodle has a wide variety of coloring, including white, black, brown, parti, silver, gray, silver beige, apricot, red, cream, sable, and patterns such as phantom and brindle. The ACK recognises Poodles in either solid-colored or parti-colored coats. Recognition of particolor (spotted) Poodles varies by registry. Phantom, brindle, and sable are considered out of standard by all major registries. Recognised FCI colourations are black, white, brown, gray, apricot, and red.

For solid-colored poodles, the coat is an even and solid color at the skin. In blues, grays, silvers, browns, cafe-au-laits, apricots and creams, the coat may show varying shades of the same color. This is frequently present in the somewhat darker feathering of the ears and in the tipping of the ruff. While clear colors are preferred by registries, such natural variation in the shading of the coat is not to be considered a fault. Brown and cafe-au-lait poodles have liver-colored noses, eye rims and lips, dark toenails and dark amber eyes. Black, blue, gray, silver, cream and white poodles have black noses, eye rims and lips, black or self-colored toenails and very dark eyes. In the apricots, while the foregoing coloring is preferred, liver-colored noses, eye rims and lips, and amber eyes are permitted, but are not desirable. Incomplete color of nose, lips and eye rims, or a “mismatched” color are considered faults by registries.

Parti-colored poodles are recognized in poodle history as the original coloring of the poodle. A parti poodle has solid-colored patches over a white coat. The coat will usually be white and colored in equal amounts, though it can vary with a larger percent of white. Registries prefer that parti poodles have the same points as its correlating solid-colored descendants. Brown and white parti poodles have liver-colored noses, eye rims and lips, dark or self-colored toenails and amber eyes. This is also permitted, but not preferred, in apricot and white parti poodles. Black/white, Blue/white, and silver/white poodles have black noses, eye rims and lips, black or self-colored toenails and very dark eyes. When the dog has markings that resemble those of a tuxedo, it is called a “tuxedo” poodle. The upper coat is solid: head, back, tail; and the lower coat is white: neck, chest, abdomen, and legs, making up usually 40% or more of the coat.

Phantom poodles have the coloring of a Doberman Pinscher, with a lighter color appearing on their “eyebrows”, muzzle and throat, legs and feet and below their tail. Like Dobermans, phantom poodles have either a black or brown main coat with a tan (usually apricot or red) lighter colorings around the eyebrows, muzzle, throat, legs, feet, and below their tail.


Poodles are known as a highly intelligent, energetic, and sociable breed. They require both physical and intellectual activities. Of note is this breed’s keen sense for instinctive behavior. In particular, marking and hunting drives are more readily observable in poodles than in most other breeds. A typical poodle should be reserved with strangers upon first introduction, but after a while should slowly reveal a warm and personable disposition.

Poodles are highly trainable dogs that typically excel in obedience training. A poodle will do well at many dog sports, including dog agility, catch, dock diving, field tracking, and even schutzhund, and can follow owners on hiking trips or any trip involving swimming, as long as the dog is accustomed to water and swimming.

Of the size varieties, Standard Poodles are the most highly recommended for families with children. They have a kindly demeanor and a love of playing games; despite its dainty appearance and frou frou reputation the Standard won’t mind the excited squeals of children at play and will enjoy tumbling around with youngsters playing football or baseball in the park or splashing with them in the family pool. As with all dogs and babies, introductions should be gradual, though most Standards will tolerate a baby and learn to be gentle and will respect toddlers so long as the child is supervised. A Standard Poodle will be fine in a family with many children provided the environment is a stable, orderly, and relaxed, with enough room for the dog to go out and retire to if needed. Miniature and Toy varieties tend to have less patience with young children and might find certain children’s antics too much to handle, especially because young children are much larger than they are and may attempt to grab them without understanding how their attempt to hug the pooch is terrifying to a small dog. They are likely to bite out of fear and thus are better suited to homes with teenagers or older children. Poodles dislike being left alone or left out of the family fun and some get anxious at being left in the house alone, but sign of nervousness or neurosis is atypical and not how a poodle of any size is meant to behave.


The most common serious health issues of Standard Poodles (listed in order of the number of reported cases in the Poodle Health Registry (as of 20 August 2007) are Addison’s disease, gastric dilatation volvulus (GDV = bloat/torsion), thyroid issues (hyperthyroid and hypothyroid), tracheal collapse, epilepsy, sebaceous adenitis, juvenile renal disease, hip dysplasia, and cancer. Standard Poodles are also susceptible to some health issues usually too minor to report to the health registry. The most common of these minor issues is probably ear infection. Ear infections are a problem in all poodle varieties because their nonshedding coat grows into the ear canal, where it traps wax and dirt. Ear problems can be minimized by proper ear care, including regular cleaning and plucking of hair within the ear canal. A veterinarian should be consulted if the dog shows signs of an ear infection.

Addison’s disease is (as of 20 August 2007) the illness most commonly reported to the Poodle Health Registry. The number of reported cases is nearly twice as high as the next most common problem (GDV). Addison’s disease is characterized by insufficient production of glucocorticoid and/or mineralocortoid in the adrenal cortex (near the kidneys). Addison’s is often undiagnosed because early symptoms are vague and easily mistaken for other conditions. Standard Poodles with unexplained lethargy, frequent gastric disturbances, or an inability to tolerate stress should be tested for it. Addison’s can cause fatal sodium/potassium imbalances, but if caught early and treated with lifelong medication, most dogs can live a relatively normal life.

Standard poodle owners should take special note of the high incidence of GDV in this breed. Excess gas trapped in the dog’s stomach causes “bloat”. Twisting of the stomach (volvulus or “torsion”) causes or is caused by excess gas. Symptoms include restlessness, inability to get comfortable, pacing, or retching without being able to bring up anything. The dog’s abdomen may be visibly swollen, but bloat or torsion can occur without visible swelling. A dog with GDV requires immediate veterinary care. The dog’s survival usually depends on whether the owner can get to a veterinarian in time.[citation needed] GDV risk is increased with faster eating and a raised feeding bowl.

With proper care and nutrition, many enjoy life well into their teens. Standard Poodles in UK, Denmark and USA/Canada surveys had a median lifespan of 11.5 to 12 years. In a UK survey, the most common causes of death were cancer (30%), old age (18%), GDV (6%), and cardiac disease (5%).

Poodles are often cited as a hypoallergenic dog breed. Their individual hair follicles have an active growth period that is longer than that of many other breeds of dogs; combined with the tightly curled coat, which slows the loss of dander and dead hair by trapping it in the curls, an individual poodle may release less dander and hair into the environment. In addition, most poodles are frequently brushed and bathed to keep them looking their best; this not only removes hair and dander, but also controls the other potent allergen, saliva.

Although hair, dander, and saliva can be minimized, they are still present and can stick to “clothes and the carpets and furnishings in your home”; inhaling them, or being licked by the dog, can trigger a reaction in a sensitive person. An air cleaner, air duct outlet and vacuuming with a vacuum cleaner with a HEPA filter can help clear dander floating in the air.

The word hypoallergenic, when referring to a dog, is also a misconception; all dogs shed. Poodles shed hair in minimal amounts, and also release dander, but are not as likely to trigger allergies as much as many other breeds. Additionally, Poodle maintenance must include some amount of regular shaving, which releases hair dust in the air.


The St. Berdoodle is a perfect family pet! They are consistently great with children.  They have a gentle protective nature and make for a loving playmate. The most important thing about the SBD is their temperament.  Your Saint Berdoodle will be the best companion dog you have ever had and that we guarantee!

A St. Berdoodle is NOT FOR YOU – if you are super-active and looking for a running partner, scared of big dogs or want an outside ONLY dog.

Size does matter!  Lighter framed pups will lean towards the poodle body type and the broader heavier framed pups will lean towards the Saint Bernard body type.  Both types are beautiful and will be a wonderful family dog for those looking to try and avoid heavy shedding. The size of your St. Berdoodle can vary greatly from medium / large (60-80 pounds) like a Standard Poodle to giant like the St. Bernard (140-150 pounts).

Size will also vary greatly by the generation of St. Berdoodle… F1, F1b, F2. Our F1’s will typically be around 120 for females and roughly 10 pounds heavier for males.

St. Berdoodle puppy coats will vary in color and texture.  St. Berdoodles have straight, wavy, or curly hair coats, the more the wave to curly the coat the less hair shed, and better for those who suffer with allergies or are sensitive to dog fur and dander.  Saint Berdoodles coloring comes in various coat colors depending upon the color of the Poodle. If you are looking for a very low shedding doodle go with a curlier, coarse coat.  Keep in mind the curly coats will have to be diligently groomed to avoid matting.  The straighter wavy coats will be easier to groom and you will still have low shedding.  The puppies with a straight coat will shed.  Approximately 20% of our puppies will have a straight coat and will blow their coat twice a year. 

Karing Hearts  St. Berdoodles offers the stronger wave for the non- shedding variety. The St. Berdoodle puppy’s appearance and markings are often that of the SAINT BERNARDS, and their coats are more like the poodle. The St. Berdoodle carries their tails over their backs like the poodle giving them a Very unforgettable UNIQUE look. 

The St. Berdoodles curled or wavy hair coat becomes a beautiful fluffy straight hair coat when bathed blow dried and brushed out, offering two beautiful looks, either wave or straight.

Because St. Bernards do not shed continually but do what is called blowing coats, a couple times a year this combined non- shedding inherit trait of the Saint Bernard mixed with the non- shedding trait of the Poodle is carried forth into the St. Berdoodle making it a very minimal to non- shedding variety breed of dog – All puppies will “blow” their puppy coats, even HA dogs. In general the curlier the coat, the less dander and shedding.

As for the drooling, the different jaw types of the St. Bernard parent in the breeding of the Saint Berdoodle is what offers the no drool, in the Saint Berdoodle, or very minimal drool would be more accurate to say any breed of dog can drool occasionally after drinking, or for some even on a hot day. At Karing Hearts St. Berdoodles and Saint Bernards we try to breed DRY MOUTH dogs, which simply means there is way less drooling with this type of Saint Bernard which has the tighter jowls or pendants.

Karing Hearts Saints, breeds to the original standard of the St. Bernard, which is with no or very minimal pendant, the way the Saint Bernard was and should be. A Saint Bernard which has no pendant in their lower jaw is known as a dry mouth St. Bernard. When a Dry Mouth St. Bernard salivates it is easier for it to swallow and the drool does not collect in the lower lip pocket.

Please keep in mind that they all will grow a “Beard” with long hair under their jaw that can and will collect water when drinking and their is no better way to dry their “Beard” than on Mom or Dad’s pants.

CKC = Continental Kennel Club
ACHC = American Canine Hybrid Club
DBR = Designer Breed Registry
DDKC = Designer Dogs Kennel Club
DRA = Dog Registry of America, Inc.
IDCR = International Designer Canine Registry