Special Wolf Dogs Details

The alpine or Great St Bernard was classified as a Wolf Dog, along with others such as the Esquimaux Dog, Newfoundland and Shepherd's Dog. The St Bernard, which was not found in great numbers, was said to have a head and ears like those of a water spaniel. Its color was principally white, with black or fulvous spots, but some were marked with grey, liver coloring and 'black clouds'; these had close, short hair and although they carried out the same duties in mountainous regions, they were thought to carry either blood of the French Matin or of Danish Dogs.

St Bernards were trained to carry baskets of food and wine, sallying forth from the Hospice of Saint Bernard in search of travelers who had lost their way. Bass though, was employed by the local postman to carry a letter bag from house to house. On one occasion when the postman was taken ill, another took his place, and did not allow Bass to take-charge of the bag because he did not know of the normal working relationship between the usual pair. The story goes that eventually the dog put one of his great paws on each shoulder and laid the new postman flat on his back in the road then, quietly picking up the bag, Bass continued on his usual route, bag in mouth.

The Newfoundland was another large and powerful breed, considered a handsome dog and by then relatively common in Britain.

However there were claims that it had been partially crossed with other dogs and so differed somewhat from the indigenous breed of America. Generally the Newfoundland was white, spotted with black, and some were of immense size. One was especially trained to show his great size by placing his forefeet against the lintel of any room door upon command. In 1840 it was generally thought that the original stock was smaller than the very large dogs of this breed found in England at that time.

Stories abounded concerning the Newfoundland's ability and prowess in water, and the breed's kindly disposition made training easy when this dog was used in the field. It was estimated that in the 1830s there were 2,000 or more such dogs in Newfoundland. These were largely left to their own devices throughout the fishing season, after which time they were primarily used to pull wood, fish and other merchandise to the market from remote country areas. A good dog was considered quite capable of maintaining its master during the winter months.

In the early nineteenth century, several Esquimaux Dogs arrived in England, having been brought back from an Arctic expedition.  Many of these were black and white or dingy white, although those found on the Labrador coast were frequently brown and white. The drawing shown here is of a dog owned by a gentleman who lived in Princes Street Gardens in Edinburgh. It was in that very street that the dog was described as having shown exceptional faithfulness when his master slipped and fell down a steep bank. The dog immediately seized him by the coat and helped to pick him up. This particular Esquimaux Dog was thought to resemble the tox by way of cunning, as he would strew his meat around him to  induce fowl and rats to come within reach while he lay in wait, possibly pretending to be asleep. As the hens and rats crept forwards, the dog would pounce on them, always with success.

In terms of intellect the Shepherd's Dog or Sheep Dog was thought scarcely inferior to the Newfoundland, indeed it was considered superior to that bred in its acceptance of lengthy training sessions. In Scotland its coat colors were more mixed than those in England, but in both countries the coat was rather long, and rough. Seldom did the Shepherd's Dog reach 61 cm (24 in) in height but it was muscular m construction and had a long, rather pointed nose.