MyDogBreeds
St. Bernard is originated from Switzerland but Azawakh is originated from Mali. Both St. Bernard and Azawakh are having almost same height. St. Bernard may weigh 65 kg / 144 pounds more than Azawakh. St. Bernard may live 5 years less than Azawakh. Both St. Bernard and Azawakh has almost same litter size. St. Bernard requires High maintenance. But Azawakh requires Moderate maintenance
The St Bernard breed was once called the Alpine Cattle Dogs or the Alpine Mountain Dogs. They have always been farm dogs and mountain dogs in the French and Swiss Alps. They come from the border land of Switzerland and France. They were herding dogs, hunting, search and rescue, watchdogs and draft dogs.
Their ancestors are considered to include the Sennenhunds and molosser breeds that came to the Alps with the ancient Romans. There are four Sennenhund breeds that are believed to have contributed to the original St. Bernard. These included the Greater Swiss Mountain Dog (Grosser Schweizer Sennenhund), the Appenzeller (Appenzeller Sennenhund), the Bernese Mountain Dog (Berner Sennenhund) and the Entlebucher Mountain Dog (Entlebucher Sennenhund) Today the St. Bernard is considered a Molossoid breed.
The first we know of the St. Bernard in any written records was in 1707 at the Great St. Bernard Pass and Great St. Bernard Hospice run by monks. There were found paintings of the dogs dating back into the late 1600’s. It is told that Barry saved upward of 100 people in the St. Bernard pass, and it is from these stories that the dogs gained their snow rescue reputation.
The St. Bernard of that time did not look like the St. Bernard does today as there was much crossbreeding. Many dogs dies during rescues in the avalanches of the mid 1800’s and so they Saint was crossed with the Newfoundland to preserve the breed. You can today see the resemblance in the build and looks of the two breeds. This cross brought about the long haired St. Bernard whose fur was too heavy for rescues.
The St. Bernards of mountain rescue fame were only about the size of a German Shepherd dog and were short haired. After crossing with the Newfoundland and moving into clubs and dogs shows, they have been bred to be much larger. Before the stud book was closed, it is thought that many larger breeds such as the Greater Swiss Mountain Dog, the English Mastiff, the Tibetan Mastiff, the Rottweiler, the Great Pyrenees, the English Bulldog, the Great Dane, the Bernese Mountain Dog, the Boxer and the Caucasian Oycharka all contributed to today’s St. Bernard.
In 1884 The Swiss St. Bernard Club was founded and the breed entered the Swiss Stud book as its first entry in 1884. It was 1888 when the standard was approved and the breed became the national dog of Switzerland. Before the name St. Bernard came to be common, these dogs might be called, Barry Dogs, Alepnmastiff, Noble Steeds or Saint Dogs.
The dogs came to England in the early 1800s and to the United States soon after. They were recognized by the European kennel clubs first and by the early 1900’s they were the most popular breed in the AKC.
Azawakh dog was bred by the nomads in Africa. They were originally bred to be a guard dog. But, they realized that their body shape and bone structure allows them to run really fast (some say that they can run at the speed more than 65 km/h. This fact made them ideal for the hunting. Nowadays, they can be found across the globe but they are still very rare kind of a dog because they can survive and adapt to very high temperatures but they are very intolerant of low temperatures. Male Azawakh is slightly bigger than a female dog, with a greater instinct for guarding, hunting and taking care of the family and the pact.
Today’s St. Bernard is not a large dog, he is a giant dog. Weighing in at 140-200 pounds and standing 28 to 35 inches tall, he is a lot of dog. Bred with mastiffs and large mountain dogs, they have proportional and powerful build. They are strong, sturdy and well muscled. They have either a smooth or rough (short or long) coat. Their eyes are brown or occasionally blue. They have tight lids, and square heads and muzzles.
There are two coat types called smooth and rough, or short and long. The smooth shorter coat is tough, flat and close against the body and the long, rough coat is dense, wavy and heavy around the legs, neck and ruff. Both types have long tails that hang low and are heavy. Saints are known to slobber, drool and snore.
Azawakh is a large dog breed placed in a family of the hounds. It looks almost like any hound we know – slim, with long and skinny legs, with a big-boned chest with a stomach placed up with the spine. They have thin and a bit longer tail, narrow nose and small skull in a triangle shape. Their body may look skinny but it is just the way they should look. Actually, you could probably see the bone structure of the adult Azawakh because they, like any other hounds, have specific muscles – very thin and flat. They can be found in many coat colours like sand, fawn or dark fawn, even brown. Their coat is very short, usually with white marks on the neck, chest and all four paws. In Africa, Azawakh can be found in a diversity of colours.
3.Adaptability no - these are giant dogs that need a lot of room. A large fenced yard or farm is best. They won’t do well in an apartment. They need exercise every day and loping around a yard is very good for them. They love to play in the snow, carry a backpack or pull a cart. They love to have a “job”
4.Learning ability – They are smart and highly trainable if motivated. They may appear lazy but they are just laid back and need a motivation.
Once Azawakh is a part of the family, he will try to find his place. If you teach him that you are the main figure, they will be obedient and affectionate pet. They love children, and they will surely be always close to them, guarding them and making sure they are safe.
canine freestyle sports, heelwork to music competitions.
If your Azawakh pet is trained well and socialized, they can fit in almost anywhere. Some will say that they hate cats, but there are some cases where they were raised with them and they did just fine. They will be quite tolerant of a stranger in your house. Since they get attached to the family, it is not recommendable to consider this breed as a new-owner kind of pet.
Once you set yourself as a pact leader, you will have almost no problems with training your dog various tricks. Azawakh is an intelligent breed, they learn quickly and they will be more than happy to show you every day what they have learned. It is necessary to start socializing your Azawakh dog while he is still a pup. They don’t respond well to harsh methods of teaching so you should really avoid them.
The first problem this breed faces is how fast they grow and gain weight. This can lead to serious health issues if not controlled. Their bones can be damaged by this excessively fast rate of growth. Other issues facing the breed include:
The Azawakh breed is very rare and this kind of information cannot be still guaranteed. If they are bred with a healthy family, they are usually very healthy and don’t need much of the vet care. Some of the diseases that were found in a medical history of this magnificent dog report heart problems (usually caused by their super high need of daily activity), problems with the thyroid glands, and skin diseases caused by the increased secretion of the thyroid glands which causes their skin to become dry and in some cases even the loss of the hair.
1.Feeding the puppy – You want to control their growth. Do not overfeed, and make sure they exercise but not too much. Feed a high quality large breed puppy food 3-4 X a day in small amounts.
2.Feeding the adult – The problem you face with he adult St. Bernard is the potential for Bloat. Don’t over feed. Don’t feed before or after strenuous exercise. Feed 2-3 X a day in smaller amounts to prevent Bloat. Feed a high quality breed specific food if possible or an extra large breed formula.
4. Games and Exercises They need exercise but not as much as you might think. The St. Bernard is a laid back lumbering character so don’t over exercise her. They enjoy weight and cart pulling but they are not athletes who enjoy frisbee or agility. Search and rescue trials and tracking trials are perfect athletic endeavors for them.
The Azawakh bred has a high risk of the obesity. They must be fed with special care since the food they eat can affect the thyroid glands function. They should never be overfed by average dry dog food. You will be advised to give them food with little percentage of the protein. They drink a lot of water and they like the dairy products. Their meals shouldn’t include fruits and vegetables, and some grains (millet, rice). They do not need to eat a lot of meat, but you can add some chicken in their meals.
Puppies should be fed three times per day. Their portions should be small and diverse. Keep in mind to feed them at the same time each day because their metabolism will be formed by this. Adult dogs are fed two times per day, at the same time as well. After the meal, let them rest for an hour or two and never give them meals right after high physical activity.
If you want your Azawakh dog to be healthy and happy make sure you provide them with enough space to run, explore, dig holes and always have some fresh water. They don’t need regular vet checks, but if you notice some changes in their digestion, lower activity or skin abnormalities, it is very important to take them to the vet station. They should never be kept indoors, so if you are living this kind of life maybe this kind of dog is not for you. But, if you are super active and if you have a couple of hours per day to spend with your Azawakh, maybe you can make him feel a lot better.
Since they like the warmer climate, you can take them running with you. They will be a great companion while you bike and leave them leash free but only if he is trained to stay by your side. If you have a yard, make sure to leave some areas free for digging and hiding their special toys or treats. They are extremely playful and cheerful, so they will wander off in no time. Some of the Azawakh dogs were great on the hiking trips, so you can try this daily activity once you train him to listen to you.