In general yes, Shepherds and retrievers are not giant breeds and would be expected to live that long. Berners would in general live shorter lives, but some would make it to the teens.

 

as a kid(8-13) i had Charlie. at the time i thought the biggest dog ever(prue St.B). he was our lifeguard while swimming, our blanket in the winter, and our buddy in general. he was 7 when we got him and lived to 12+ yrs. he was awesome.
drool everywhere but i wasn't doing laundry at the time.
i wouldn't get that big a dog again...but am glad to have known the load we called Charlie.

 

I have 3 dogs all various sizes. We have a miniture Datshound, a german shepard/huskie mix, and a Great Dane.

I love all dogs and don't believe the line of "small dogs are easier". Actually the Great Dane (Julius) is the easiest of the other 2. Our Mini Datshound is always wanting attention.

The hardest part of having a bigger breed is giving him his bath. He hates bathes, so intern he makes a mess of everything during bath time.

The other part is that it is actually hard for me to give him a good brisk walk, because people are naturally curious and stop us to ask a lot of questions. If I was single I know I could've picked up a few of the ladys that asked.

 

We adopted a st bernard last tuesday from the animal shelter, she is about five years old. So far she is one of the gentilist dogs I have ever owned. We also have a miniature daschund, and he is a handfull. She does drool alot,and eat quiet a bit but who cares. I would recommend one in a heartbeat. Do a google search and read up on them. I have never heard of one attacking anybody. A lady that works with me has eight of them, most are high quality show dogs and she recommended the breed to me. Heres a picture of mine, she is fifty pounds under weight, and she weighs seventy three pounds right now.

 

okay i will add my .02, actually there was some great info here, i would discount the bad stories you will those with any breed that isnt well socialized, and sure of his place in the pack. I have a Bullmastiff, he weighs 150 lbs and he is the worlds biggest lover, baby. just dont threaten my family. this is one of the most intune dogs i have ever had. when we walk together or go outside to "investigate" he feeds off of me. if i am aprehensive he is alert and on guard, if i am calm and relaxed he is. he has literally paced my front yard lockstep next to an unknown stranger, while my little girl was outside playing. he will hurt you if you move towards my daughter or wife. the man didnt vary from his path, he walked by our house very apprehensively, but he didnt waver in his line. Jackson just walked beside him very menacingly, but stopped at the property line. YOU MUST assert your dominance right away, you must be strong willed and spirit, you must follow through. you must also socialize them with other people and animals. you do these things and you will be greatly rewarded. My dog takes all the abuse a small child can give, he just sighs and takes it. he knows how big he is and he is aware of who can take a giant leaning on them and who cant. I would strongly recommend an AKC recognized mastiff based breed to anyone, willing to make the commitment. you will not regret it. you have no idea. the dog will be your pillow, he will be your wifes ottoman, he will be your kids companion, and fearless protector. granted all dogs can and will do these things, but i invite you to come to my house in the morning when i go to work. we will turn off the lights, and then make a noise to get his attention. the sound of him stalking through the house and snorting, and then the enormous shadow you will see when he slowly rounds the corner.... you will be second guessing your desicion to come over. I will personally take on a lab or a couple no problem, if i was commited to getting into your house those smaller breeds will not stop me!! a mastiff breed not a chance. Jackson is big enough and strong enough to just render me useless. sorry for the long rant. take your time do some more research, check your breeder very thoroughly and then welcome to the world of the Mastiff breeds! Dan

 

Well in my experience with them they are wonderful, gentle giants. My family had a male and a female when I was about 8, then suddenly we had 16. I picked a puppy and had him for 11 years until he got hit by a car. I would choose one of them over almost any other dog as a loyal, trustworthy, and yes can be protective of is owner. But we never so much as had one nip at anyone, all they did was bark and stand between us and whoever they did not know. They are not aggressive dogs unless trained to be, but then what dog isn't?

 

big a$$ babys with lots of drul and dont forget the sheading mine used to ride next to me in van with feet on the floor butt on the seat sunglasses on singing to the radio wonderfull dogs i rasied english mastiffs too thay rock as well

 

We had a St. Bernard we got from the shelter back in the early 70's. He was huge, lovable, and slobbery. Especially after taking a big drink; he'd shake his head and the goo would fly everywhere. Just about the coolest dog we ever had.

I'd go for another one if I had the room (we had an acre back then). Plus: cute and lovable (draws the ladies at the park if you know what I mean) Minus: will lay jinormous dog logs in the yard.

Good luck with your decision.

 

the guy from the parts store i deal with has a st.bernard his name is "yugo" he is huge.they live around the corner from us,his dog is fine,doesnt seem to be mean or aggressive. they called him "yugo",because everywhere he goes...Yugo.