Bloodhound vs Saint Bernard: Which Suits Your Home?

Step up from the Bloodhound to the Saint Bernard and you're moving into genuinely giant territory - 120-180 lbs and up to 30 inches at the shoulder, dwarfing the Bloodhound's already substantial 90-110 lbs. Both are large dogs by any normal measure, but only one of them is classified giant, and it shows in everything from doorway clearance to crate size.

These are two of the more sedentary large breeds you'll find, though not equally so. The Saint Bernard rates just 2/5 on exercise need and low energy overall, while the Bloodhound sits a notch higher at 3/5. Neither wants to run marathons, but the Bloodhound will happily follow a scent trail for far longer than it would ever chase a ball in the yard.

The Bloodhound is the lower-maintenance coat here - 2/5 grooming and 3/5 shedding versus the Saint Bernard's 3/5 and 4/5. Saint Bernards can carry either a short or long double coat, and the long-coated version in particular means more brushing to keep mats and loose fur under control. Budget more time with a brush if you're going Saint Bernard.

Both breeds score poorly for apartment life, but the Saint Bernard is worse still - a 1/5 next to the Bloodhound's 2/5, reflecting sheer size as much as anything. On barking, though, the Bloodhound is louder at 3/5 versus the Saint Bernard's 2/5. If noise complaints from neighbors are your concern, the Saint Bernard is quieter; if floor space is your concern, neither is a great fit.

Both breeds are stubborn enough to test a first-time owner, but the Saint Bernard is the more forgiving of the two - 3/5 on both trainability and first-time-owner suitability, against the Bloodhound's 2/5 on each. The Saint Bernard also tolerates being left alone better (3/5 vs 2/5). None of this makes either breed easy, but the Saint Bernard gives you more room for error.

With kids the Saint Bernard rates a near-perfect 5/5 against the Bloodhound's already strong 4/5 - both are good family dogs, but the Saint Bernard edges ahead. They're evenly matched with other dogs and strangers, both scoring 4/5 on each, so social temperament isn't really a deciding factor between them.

The overlap in health risk is substantial - both breeds are prone to hip dysplasia, elbow dysplasia, bloat, and entropion. The Saint Bernard adds dilated cardiomyopathy, a heart condition, to that list, while the Bloodhound carries a longer tail of additional issues including bleeding disorders and atopy. Lifespans are close but the Saint Bernard edges longer at 8-10 years versus 7-10.

This is where the gap widens the most. The Saint Bernard's overall cost level rates 5/5, the highest tier, against the Bloodhound's 3/5 - and the numbers back it up, with monthly costs of $150-310 versus $100-200 and first-year costs of $2,200-4,200 versus $1,500-2,800. Feeding and vet bills scale with size, and the Saint Bernard is simply the bigger dog.