Skipper Brad Johnson led by example with six goals while Daniel Cross and Adam Cooney toiled manfully for 35 and 23 possessions respectively.
But with Scott West held to a relatively low 22 possessions by Stephen Powell, the Bulldogs struggled to generate the run and overlap which has been the trademark of their game under Rodney Eade.
Fraser Gehrig, with eight, and Nick Riewoldt booted 13 goals between them in a game where the Saints piled on 11 majors to two either side of half-time to turn a 17-point quarter-time deficit into a 22.10 (142) to 13.14 (92) win.
Robert Harvey collected 25 touches, Luke Ball worked hard to gather 27 disposals, while Nick Dal Santo found the ball 26 times despite a quiet third term.
Strategically, the opening term panned out as predicted. The Bulldogs' pace through the middle allowed them to get on top in general play while the Saints' trump card - their tall forwards - gave their one-paced midfield confidence going into attack.
While the Saints missed several gettable attempts in front of goal through Riewoldt, Justin Koschitzke and Brett Voss, it was notable that their talls were responsible for five of their seven scoring shots in the first term.
The Bulldogs looked just as imposing up the other end where Johnson's aerial supremacy over Steven Baker resulted in three first-quarter goals and quick hands by Will Minson and Cross under pressure created two more to set up a 17-point quarter-time lead.
However, the match took a significant and unexpected twist in the second term as Powell blanketed West - the Bulldog champion managing just nine touches in the first half - and the Saints controlled the midfield, slamming on 10 goals to three.
The Bulldogs' quarter-time lead evaporated after just five minutes but Peter Street, whose errant handball led to one of those three goals, and Johnson's fourth gave them an 11-point break at the eight-minute mark.
The Saints then piled on seven unanswered goals in 19 minutes for a 31-point advantage on the verge of half-time.
Needing a lift in the second half, the Bulldogs found very little early as the Saints continued their domination around the packs.
Bearing no resemblance to the side that ran the Saints off their legs in the opening term, the Bulldogs were unable to win enough of the ball in close to release their band of fleet-footed runners.
The Saints kicked the opening four goals - including an accidental one to Gehrig - of the third term creating a 49-point margin by the 17-minute mark, but the Bulldogs kicked three unanswered goals either side of three-quarter time to trim the gap to 28 points.
That would prove to be the Bulldogs' last hurrah as the Saints kicked the final four goals of the game.
Eade said the Bulldogs should have worked harder in the second term to stem the St Kilda avalanche.
"I was just disappointed with the lack of fight, just not being able to hang in there and hang tough. Most of the things to try and curb it were coming from the box and from the runners, rather than the players," he said.
"It's just a continuing education for the guys but I was just disappointed we couldn't stall the game."
WESTERN BULLDOGS: 6.3, 9.5, 12.10, 13.14 (92)
ST KILDA: 3.4, 13.5, 18.8, 22.10 (142)
GOALS – Western Bulldogs: Johnson 6, Montgomery, Street, Robbins, West, Gilbee, Grant, Minson
St Kilda: Gehrig 8, Riewoldt 5, Milne 2, Voss 2, Harvey 2, Dal Santo, Ackland, Koschitzke
BEST – Western Bulldogs: Johnson, Cross, Grant, Cooney, Gilbee
St Kilda: Gehrig, Harvey, Riewoldt, Dal Santo, Montagna, S Fisher, Gram, Ball, Goddard
INJURIES – Western Bulldogs: Nil
St Kilda: Nil
CHANGES – Western Bulldogs: Faulkner replaced in selected side by Wight
REPORTS - Nil
UMPIRES - Kennedy, Allan, Jeffery
CROWD - 47,120 at Telstra Dome
