Normally, a Saint Bernard dog is not trained, unless we want to make him a rescue dog. In that case he should learn specific exercises, some of which very complex, that would require professional help: but ninety percent of people who choose this breed have no desire of having a work-type dog, but simply a companion.
  "Companion", however, doesn't mean "master of the house who acts as if he owned the place": giant or not, the Saint Bernard is still simply a dog, that is a very nice and affectionate friend who should stay, under every circumstance, under the control of the master.
  Is it difficult to "control" a friend of a hundred kilos heavy friend? Maybe. But the puppy we just brought home doesn't weigh a hundred kilos yet and it is still rather "manageable", even if we couldn't define him really "maneuverable".
  At least from a physical point of view we have still... got a chance: in particlar we must pay attention to the psychological side of the puppy, and try to figure out how he thinks.
  Every puppy sees, in his new family, not people but "two-legged dogs": in fact he believes we all belong to the same species, with a few slight morphological differences.
  At this point we must tell apart the more "wolf-like" dogs, the ones with a stronger feeling of hierarchy, and those with a weaker feeling of hierarchy. The first ones equal the family they live in to their pack, accepting the authority of whoever behaves as "leader of the pack", while they don't accept the authority of those who they find equal or hierarchically inferior.
  The Saint Bernard (as many other molossoids) is not a hierarchical dog: although he descends, as all his akins, from wolves, through the centuries he lost most of his "wolfness", as his life had less and less to do with the concept of "pack".
  The Saint Bernard lived only with man, bound to him by a very tight bond, but never "submitted" to him. In fact, you can't give orders by force (either physical or psychological) to rescue dogs to find stray wayfarers: because if the dog did not obey we wouldn't stand a chance of bringing the operation to a happy ending.
  Man can only "ask" the dog for help: but from the point the rescue mission starts, it is virtually the man who "obeys" following the indications his great four-legged friend gives.
  After centuries of selection aiming at this, it seems evident the Saint Bernard does not see in us a "leader of the pack" to follow blindly: if he obeys, it is only out of love.
  Dogs of this breed, if they want, could do with us as they please: even eat us for breakfast. They would certainly have the physique and intelligence it takes, if they wanted to: instead they choose to stay by our side, and work with us. He is still prepared to risk his life for ours: and I wonder sometimes - seriously - which one is worth more.
  Thinking about it, the first word that comes into mind (and I hope to all of us too) is respect. A dog like this must be respected and honored for everything he is and gives to us: "saint", the name the English gave him is certainly true.
 Unfortunately, if the mountain dog can be let free to guide and "be in charge" of his human helpers, the dog that lives within the human society cannot enjoy the same freedom.
  He has to move and act within rules made by man, which a canine intelligence (as superior as it could be) could never understand: therefore it is us who are responsible for what he does.
  This means to invert roles once again, man mastering and dog obeying: as it wouldn't be possible (and right neither) to "force" the dog to this kind of obedience, we must make him respect us by respecting him, teach him while talking to him, in that au pair exchange of love and dedication which makes the relationship with a Saint Bernard unique, and in a way it distinguishes from any other "dog-master" relationship.
  In this chapter we will speak of puppy training: for the Saint Bernard must be an easy to conduct dog, and to become one he must at least learn to obey to a few basic orders (such as "sit!", "at heal!" or "stay!") which will allow us a proper control over him.
  But how to obtain obedience from a non-hierarchical dog, who is physically a lot stronger than us? As we said before, by winning his respect and confidence (besides the love he would give us anyway, simply because he has a grand heart): by making him understand that he would make us very happy and that he will get a treat afterwords if he behaves in a certain way, whereas he will make us unhappy if he does the opposite thing.
  this is basically all. Because of his bright, acute and above all calm mind, the Saint Bernard will do everything to make us happy.
  On the other hand we must bear in mind that the puppy... does not understand our speech, even if he is a canine "genius": therefore we will have to use a comprehendible language.
  Oral orders, brief and always the same, wil have to be accompanied by gesture of same clearness and simplicity. A reprimand should be expressed with a sharp "no!", while approval should be translated into caresses, treats and endless petting.