St Bernard dog
The St Bernard has been recognised as the Swiss national dog since 1884.
Occurrence
There are around 600 animals in Switzerland, not a widespread breed. Around 100 puppies with pedigree born every year

Shorthair or longhair
The breed comprises two varieties: Short-haired and long-haired dogs. Due to the large amounts of snow on the Great St Bernard Pass, the canons always favoured dogs with short hair, especially as the snow usually clung to the long-haired coat. In order to maintain genetic diversity, the animals bred at the Barry Foundation are made up of three quarters shorthair and one quarter longhair dogs.