Cane di San Bernardo - History of the breeding

Dogs bred in these countries nowadays are ligtyears far from the extraordinary typicalness of the great golden era champions, whom they differ from for size, might, noblessness and correct gait. It would perhaps be advisable for the breeders of those countries to pick up their own club’s books about the breeding in the 60’s and 70’s. They would then discover that dogs bred on their territory differed greatly in appearence from those who some still dare to call "Saint Bernards".
Briefly: the Swiss and German new versions have nothing in common with their respective old golden era interpretation, because the latter ones are totaly extinct in their countries of origin. Immagini roll-over

The Swiss and German old versions (to which virtually belong all the best dogs in the history of the breed) are present today exclusively in dogs belonging to the so-called "Italian type", which represents the sole example of fusion and perpetration of traits through time.
Regarding the golden era and its forebear, the famous champion "Emir von Jura" (bred by G. Lenenberger), who is considered to be one of the best Saint Bernards of all times, it is worth stressing out that he was the outcome of mutual effort made by some of the greatest breeders of the period, first among all Major Fritz Blösch. Emir (born in 1922) was the son of "Cuno von Jura" (born in 1920). Son of Cuno "Fleck-Cardinaux (Fleck-Muri)" (born in June 1915), was an exemplar of excellent typicalness derived from Blösch’s "von Biel" breeding. In fact, Fleck’s father was Jung Athos von Biel (born in april 1909), son of Monch von Biel (born in January 1906), grandson of Porthos von Biel (born in april 1904) and great-grandson of Jung Bob von Biel (born in September 1900).
As we know, Major Blösch inserted through King of Ashfort in his kin, since the beginning,the English blood-line of the late XIX century, of the giant Plinlimmon, aiming at an enhancement of both size and bone structure: that way he was able to obtain dogs of excellent typicalness, with great size and bone structure. In the seven generation time from Jung Bob von Biel (1900) to Emir Jura (1922) the genetic drive remained intact and had its sublimazione in the faboulous Emir himself.

Gustave Giavina with
Rasko v. d. Reppisch

Emir von Jura was purchased at a very early age by the Saint Bernard’s "talent scout", Gustave Giavina from Bern, breeder of "Belmont" kennel. Aside from the exemplary typicalness of Emir (his head is still today a model to persuit), Giavina had the immediate intuition that the dog would have a great share of accomplishments in breeding. In fact, in December 1927 Emir had as offspring another prototype of the "Golden Era": "Rasko von der Reppisch", (click on the name to view the picture) who soon became a rival to his father in best typological representation. They both had an extraordinary expression of noblessness (peculiar characteristic of many dogs of the Swiss golden era) and the incisiveness of the head with a 90º defined stop, well developed frontal tuberositas, excellent skull, flat and straight nasal bridge, great angulation of the muzzle, fair flews (especially Emir) and excellent cranio-facial measure relations. The size was also fair. Bone structure of both was impeccable. The gait was great in both. Emir von Jura dominated the scene for a long time (he was Swiss Sieger in 1925, 1926 and 1927) and managed to produce, aside from Rasko (Swiss Sieger in 1931 and 1932), a long line of champions across Europe, such as the champion "Nero von Emmenthal" (born in 1926), sold in Holland where he had excellent results in breeding. Around 1930 Giavina, with his Emir Jura, Rasko von der Reppisch, Dora, Gerd and Prinz Belmont, could be considered to be at the very peak ok his carrear as a saintbernardist. In 1932 Emir died (his last litter was in December 1931) and in 1933 Giavina gave up Rosko, who ended up in the USA where he gave a great contribution to the improvement of the quality of the breed. In 1935 Giavina had his last exploit with Immagini roll-over

"Apollo Rongang", best of Radesko’s sons, who won the Swiss championship.
In the same period the dutch Albert De La Rie was already very active in the world of Saint Bernards; he was one of the most charismatic

Rasko v. d. Reppisch

personalities among the breeders, who had been for over fifty years the main reference point for all breeders and passionate fans of the "giant of the Alps".
Since 1916 he had been a breeder in native Holland employing the name of "Siegfried's", and then, for professional reasons, he moved to Switzerland where he continued his activity as breeder, judge and researcher of the breed; he also had the opportunity there to view and judge some of the finest dogs and meet some of the greatest breeders of the golden era, first among them Giavina. He fell in love at first sight with Emir Jura e Another De La Rie’s females was Siegfried's Elfi (derived from a blood-line fusion between )

Emir v. Jura (a sinistra)
e suo figlio Rasko v. d. Reppisch

Emir Jura’s line and the Carl Steiner’s "von Rigi"Siegfried's Dictator was surrendered to the Berlin breeder Hermanni Lippert (carrier of the name "von Hemphorn"). This female was first mate to the aforementioned Dictator (with great but not excellent results), and then to the German champion Nelson von Falkenstein, and gave birth to the magnificent Lütjer von Hemphorn, one of the best exemplars of the old German type.
At a certain point De La Rie prefered to give his breeder’s career up and give complete dedication to his work as a researcher of the breed and judge. He had in internationalistic view of what breeding was supposed to be and had therefore

Lütjer e Ines v. Hemphorn

a wideness of prospective never seen before in the world of Saint Bernards. Using his innate gifts of intelligence and diplomacy, sustained by his great culture and zootechnic knowledge, he worked for years, with no personal gain, for the benefit of the breed, finally crowning his work with the realization of his dream, in 1967, of a World Union of all Saint Bernard Clubs, of which he was co-founder along with Antonio Morsiani, an appreciator and a great friend of his. The "summa" of his life is ensphered in the book The Saint Bernard Classic, certainly the most important work ever written on the breed, published in 1972, little before he passed away.
To get back to the golden era, it is worth to stress out how even other great Swiss breeders could reach a peak of their selection program with dogs such ad the short-haired Carl Steiner’s Bellisar von Rigi (Sieger in '26 and in '27), Nero Deppeler (Sieger in 1929/30), Netti Deppeler (Siegerin in 1930), Norma Deppeler (Siegerin in 1929/31). This latter female (doughter as well of Bellisar von Rigi and of Edith von Jura - as Nero and Netti - and Emir’s sister) had an even higher degree of typicalness: square muzzle, excellent flews and impeccable constitution. Mate to Casar von Rigi she gave birth to the 1932/33 Siegerin, Horsa von Neuhof, who then, dulcis in fundo, generated the famous Nestor von Rigi (88 cm high), Carl Steiner’s masterpiece, Swiss Sieger in 1932/33 and 1935

Meta von Lotten

World Champion in Frankfurt; considered to be one of the best short-haired exemplars ever. Horsa Neuhof, won the 1935 show in Frankfurt the title of best short-haired female dog. Worth mentioning is the fact the title of "World Champion" was assigned for the first time in history on that very show, judged by Max Näther (Germany) and the eighty-two years old Dr. Kohler-Grütter (Switzerland) for short-haired variety and Ludwig Kasten (Germany) and Dr. W. Straumann (Switzerland) for long-haired variety. The jury composition clearly states of the tightness of the bond connecting Germany and Switzerland during the golden era (favouring, naturally, an improvement of selection).
Other dogs worth mentioning for the Thirties in Switzerland are long-haired (Otto Steiner’s) Meta von Lotten Siegerin in 1932, world champion in Frankfurt in 1935, one of the best females ever bred for her size, typicalness and distinction. Marco von Rigi, Nestor’s brother, compared to whom he was slightly shorter and more massive and, due to his truly huge head and wide chest, he appeared more imposing but not so quite noble as his kennel companion. Marco was sold in Spain for an amount sufficient to purchase an eight-room appartment in the centre of Madrid.

Mönch Michel Gutsch,
one of Mannuss’ greatest exemplars

Jorg Gutsch
(observe the dreamy expression)

  Nestor von Rigi and Meta von Lotten (of the "old Swiss version", extinct in its homecountry) remained unexcelled models and modern breeders should take them as subjects of study, as long as the comparison to the actual Saint Bernard dogs didn’t cause them frustration and complex.
  Of that same period is Mannuss’ "Gutsch" breeding. It could claim a few top-notches such as the 1933 Sieger, Uli von Berg und Thal (a long-haired exemplar with very typical head of a nobile expression) and his son Bernd Gütsch, as well as excellent dogs as Sando Gütsch and 1937 Sieger Ivo Gütsch. Mannuss exported to Germany several exemplars whose genetical contribution revealed to be of great importance for that country.
  In 1930 in Switzerland, Ernst Grossenbacher’s kennel "von der Lueg" reached the peak of its activity. At the end of the decade it gave the famous champion Elmar von der

Gerd v. d. Lueg

Lueg. Elmar generated, among other offspring, Gerd v.d. Lueg who was sold at an auction to the USA right after the war. He collected there an incredible series of victories at shows and revealed himself to be an excellent breeding stud also.
In 1940 Antonio Morsiani begun his saintbernardist activity which brought him, about twenty years later, to re-propose the golden era models by producing dogs that were in alignment with the classic ones af far as typicalness, size, structure and noblessness. These dogs represent the only example in the history of the breed during the postwar period, of " protraction in time" of the top-notch of the golden era of whom they represented the only true discendents both for typicalness and for blood-line.
Antonio Morsiani’s first dog was Emir v. d. Lueg (see the photo at the bottom of the page) (Elmar’s brother), who carried on the blood-line of Apollo Rongang (grandfather), Rasko von der Reppisch (great-grandfather) and Emir Jura (great-great-grandfather) derived from his mother’s as well as from his father’s side. As it was said, Saint Bernard’s golden era wasn’t a Swiss phenomenon only, it involved almost every nation where the breed had spread, first among all: Germany.
The dawning of the "Golden Era" in Germany begun in 1922 with the birth of Bernd von Mitterfels who not only had great typicalness, but was also an excellent stud. Expert Hans Glockner made him mate with Comtess

Bernd v. Mitterfels

von Grossglockner and produced the long-haired champion Kavalier von Gross Glockner (born in 1924), one of the milestones of German breeding in the period before the war. Kavalier had the head of well defined typicalness, with a muzzle of ideal angulation wich formed of his face, from a frontal prospective, the so desirable trapezium; exceptional were also the nose, broad with fine angulation, the flat and straight muzzle and the perfect axis’ convergency with a stop at 90º.
Bernd von Mitterfels was then mate with Franzi von Taubertal (owner of this famous affix was Hans Meyer from Nuremberg) and generated the beautiful Leda von Taubertal (born in 1925), considered to be one of the most beutiful females of that period.
But the most successful mating was the 1927 one, between Kavalier von Grossglockner and Leda von Taubertal (representing a come-back to Berod, father of both): that union generated the champion Xenos von Taubertal (86 cm heigh), another long-haired male of the old German version.
Another of Glockner’s prototypes was the champion Wito von Grossglockner (Kavalier’s son). Witowill be remembered for the ideal angulation of the muzzle, perfect flews and noble expression. Another great exemplar was the aforementioned champion Nelson von Falkenstein - 88 cm high (born in 1933). Nelson was without a doubt the point of arrival of the selection carried out in Germany in the Thirties. He was the son of Mylord von Falkenstein (son of te great Xenos von Taubertal) and of ToJa-Gutsch (daugter of the magnificent Swiss Sieger Uli von Berg und Tal and of Siegerin Netti Deppeler). It emerges that Nelson carried on, from his father’s side Kavalier von

Da sinistra: Uli v. Berg und Thal, Netti Deppeler, Sando Gutsch

Grossglockner’s blood-line, and from his mother’s side Netti Deppeler) Emir Jura’s blood-line.
  These unions between elected lines of the old Swiss and of the old German kin have always produced exceptional results: just think of the World Champion Zito del Soccorso who was born almost fifty years after Nelson von Falkenstein, as an outcome of a similar combination, and who was the faithful reproduction of the latter. Nelson von Falkenstein was sold by Zilliger to the breeder and judge Kasten from Hamburg, who made him have a splendid career as on shows as stud too.
  Belgium’s most famous breeder between 1920 and 1935 was the Duchess Donarière de Croy, who managed to produce a few exceptional dogs that, although were almost completely white coloured, were remembered for their high level of typicalness and extraordinary size. Her champion Pancrace de la Solitude was 90 cm heigh (had a head shaped by the book, and Giavina wanted to mate him with his Dora Belmont) and her champion Bonifacius de la Solitude (of 91 cm) considered to be a model for typicalness, constitution and gait.
  In 1936 Alois Schmid joined the German club and soon became, and stayed for the following forty years, a milestone of European breeding. He owned the eminent "von Bismarckturm" breeding. We included at the bottom a brief text in his memory. His dogs enbodied for decades the perfect ideal of the classic, old German type of the golden era. Their main characteristics were: highly defined typology of the head, excellent bone structures and maximum size.
   In the 1940’s he aquired Dora von Tannenberg, raised by the famous dog-judge Hans Kunzmann and bearier of the Swiss "von Lotten" blood-line. Her father was, in fact, son of Bob von Zwing-Uri, son of Mars von Lotten and son of the beautiful Meta von Lotten (Emir Jura’s granddaugter).
  Dora was first mate to Zeno von Grossglockner, another of Emir Jura’s grandsons, with no amazing result. Later, in 1941, during the war, Schmid succeeded in mating his female with the long-haired Reichsieger, Dieter von Norden (bred by Georg Kasten and owned by Ludwig Deinzer from Münich), a top-notch born in 1936 from Ekkehard von Marienthal (grandson of Kavalier von Grossglockner and Xenos von Taubertal) and Otti von Falkenstein, a sister of Nelson von Falkenstein.

(from the left): Xenos v. Taubertal, Wito v. Grossglockner, Kavalier v. Grossglockner

For understendable genetic reasons as well as for his appreciable morphologic characteristics, Schmid considered Dieter Dieter a model to emulate, and based on that dog all of his breeder’s efforts.

Dieter von Norden

And he was right indeed, because from the union of Dora and Dieter were born Banjo, Boto, Berna e Betty von Bismarckturm, all excellent exemplars for both typicalness and size
  In 1949 Schmid arranged Gisa, daughter of Berna, to mate with the champion Elmo von Stanfenbrunnen, Boto’s son, and obtained legendary dogs such as the huge Pascha von Bismarckturm and the very typical Paula (both Bundessieger, Paula was Best in Europe too).
  Olaf von Bismarckturm and Fortuna von Werdenfelds (daughter of Fürst von Melina, whose "noblessness" derived from Emir Jura) had the exceptional Anita von Rauberhof, mother of the finest litter of Germany in the postwar period.
  Another important combination was made between Dieter von Bismarckturm e Gudrun v. d. Ortsburgche, that generated in 1947 a few prototypes such as Jago von Bismarckturm. Dieter’s merit as a stud was to pass on to his offspring throug generations the great size and shining white colour of the coat, quite carent in the "old German version"..