Havanese vs Saint Bernard: Which Suits Your Home?

This is a small dog next to a giant one -- Havanese at 7-13 lbs, Saint Bernard at 120-180 lbs, with height more than double, 8-11 inches versus 26-30. A Saint Bernard this size needs floor space and doorway clearance a Havanese never will, and even a "Gentle" giant reputation doesn't change the physical logistics of housing a dog that can outweigh most adult owners. Furniture, car transport, and vet-office scales are all sized differently for this breed.

Both rate a low 2/5 for exercise need, genuinely surprising for a dog the Saint Bernard's size, but the breed is known for being calm and "Patient" rather than athletic. Energy level itself is rated low for the Saint Bernard (2/5) against moderate for the Havanese (3/5), so despite the size gap, the bigger dog is actually the more laid-back one on paper. Don't mistake that calmness for zero needs, though -- a dog this large still benefits from regular gentle movement to protect its joints.

The Havanese needs more grooming effort (4/5) than the Saint Bernard (3/5), but the Saint Bernard sheds far more, 4/5 versus 2/5, a lot of hair from a large-bodied double coat, just less brushing-intensive than the Havanese's longer, finer coat. Given the coat can run short or long depending on the individual dog, actual grooming time varies more within the Saint Bernard breed than these averaged ratings fully capture.

The gap here is stark: Havanese 5/5 for apartment suitability, Saint Bernard just 1/5, the lowest score in this comparison. Barking favors the Saint Bernard though, 2/5 vs 3/5, a quiet, if enormous, housemate, just not one a small unit can reasonably accommodate. Even a calm, low-barking giant breed still needs enough square footage to move around, lie down, and turn without constantly bumping into walls or furniture.

Havanese trains a step higher (4/5 vs 3/5) and is rated far more suitable for first-time owners, 5/5 vs 3/5. A Saint Bernard's size alone raises the stakes of training -- leash manners and impulse control matter more when the dog outweighs most adults, even one as "Patient" and even-tempered as this breed tends to be. A poorly leash-trained Saint Bernard is a much bigger physical problem than a poorly leash-trained Havanese.

Saint Bernards score even better with kids than Havanese, 5/5 vs 4/5, matching their gentle-giant reputation and "Friendly" temperament tag, and Havanese edges ahead with other dogs, 5/5 vs 4/5. Both are rated equally friendly to strangers (4/5). Saint Bernards also tolerate being alone somewhat better, 3/5 vs the Havanese's 1/5 -- worth noting for a household where someone is regularly out of the house for a full workday.

The lifespan gap is severe -- 13-16 years for the Havanese against just 8-10 for the Saint Bernard, typical of giant breeds generally. The Saint Bernard's five-condition health list includes dilated cardiomyopathy and bloat alongside hip and elbow dysplasia, heart and joint issues that scale with body size. Owners of giant breeds are often advised to watch specifically for bloat symptoms, since it can become an emergency within hours.

The Saint Bernard is rated the highest cost tier on this site, 5/5, against the Havanese's 4/5, and the dollar figures back it up: $150-310 monthly versus $80-160, and $2,200-4,200 in the first year versus $1,200-2,300. Feeding and treating a 150-plus-pound dog isn't cheap, and large-breed veterinary procedures, medications, and equipment -- crates, beds, car harnesses -- all scale up in price along with the dog itself.