Papillon vs Saint Bernard: Which Suits Your Home?

This is the largest size gap in the lineup: the papillon weighs 5 to 10 pounds, the saint bernard 120 to 180 -- and stands 26 to 30 inches against the papillon's 8 to 11. A saint bernard's head alone can outweigh an entire papillon. If square footage and physical space are constraints, this comparison answers itself before you get to temperament.

Despite its size, the saint bernard actually needs less structured exercise than the papillon -- low (2/5) against moderate (3/5) -- and its energy level rates low (2/5) too, a calm, deliberate giant rather than a mover. The papillon, smaller but rated high (4/5) on energy, is proportionally the busier dog of the two, which surprises people expecting the giant breed to need more activity.

Grooming tips toward the papillon, low (2/5) versus the saint bernard's moderate (3/5) -- a coat that size takes real time to maintain even at a moderate rating. Shedding is a bigger gap: low (2/5) for the papillon against high (4/5) for the saint bernard, and given the sheer surface area of a 150-pound dog's coat, that shedding adds up fast in absolute terms.

The papillon rates very high (5/5) for apartment living; the saint bernard rates very low (1/5), the bottom of the scale. Barking favors the papillon less than you'd expect -- it actually barks more, high (4/5), against the saint bernard's low (2/5). Time alone tips slightly toward the saint bernard, moderate (3/5) against the papillon's low (2/5), though neither is ideal for long stretches of solo time in a small space.

Trainability favors the papillon clearly, very high (5/5) against the saint bernard's moderate (3/5). First-time-owner suitability also leans papillon, high (4/5) versus moderate (3/5) -- a saint bernard's size means a slow-to-train puppy becomes a very large, very strong adolescent fast, and that transition needs a confident handler. Saint bernards are rated gentle and patient by temperament, which helps offset a slower training pace, but a hundred-plus-pound adolescent that hasn't learned leash manners is a genuinely different problem than an untrained papillon underfoot.

With kids the saint bernard takes the lead, very high (5/5) against the papillon's moderate (3/5), matching its reputation as a patient, gentle giant around children. Other dogs and strangers both come out as ties, high (4/5) for each breed in both categories -- despite the size difference, both dogs are rated equally sociable outside the household.

The lifespan gap here is stark: 14 to 16 years for the papillon against just 8 to 10 for the saint bernard, among the shortest lifespans in this entire comparison set. The saint bernard's health list -- hip dysplasia, elbow dysplasia, dilated cardiomyopathy, entropion, and bloat (GDV) -- reflects classic giant-breed risk: joints, heart, and a stomach prone to twisting under its own size.

Cost level rates low (2/5) for the papillon and very high (5/5) for the saint bernard -- the widest cost gap in this batch. Monthly costs run $80 to $150 for the papillon against $150 to $310 for the saint bernard, and first-year costs run $1,100 to $2,300 versus $2,200 to $4,200. Food volume alone for a 150-pound dog dwarfs what a 7-pound dog eats, before counting a giant-breed-sized crate, bed, and medication doses.