Yo, I just put down a deposit on a 10 week old Saint Bernard named Daisy, and I'm going to pick her up on May 8th, she's my first dog ever and I'm really excited but really nervous as well, I wanna make sure she's well trained and everything. Does anyone have any first-month advice? I wanna know a rough estimation of what to expect so I can prepare myself accordingly.
Make sure your breeder has already started the socialisation process. It's really, really important that she is introduced to dogs, people and novel situations. The first socialisation window closes at roughly 16 weeks old. Everything needs to be introduced carefully and happily. When you get Daisy home, lots of cuddles and play to help her to settle in. If you have any good, positive and responsible puppy classes in your area, book in for her (and you) to attend. Go visit local classes now to see which one you think will suit you both. Any good trainer will allow you to sit in on a session to get a feel for what you will be letting yourself in for. Choose a group with no more than six puppies in a session and where free for alls are not allowed, but structured introductions are made
St Bernards can be stubborn. As such it can be a fairly steep learning curve for a first time dog owner. I second the puppy class. And after, get into a good obedience class. The class will not only teach the dog manners, but will teach you how your behavior and actions affect the dog.