My big slobbering Newfoundlands had good lives. ...but not flat faces.
When I was growing up we had St. Bernards. By the second one we had the trick down for the slobber. Whenever he wanted to bark, or greet anyone, even us, he was taught to go pick up a little hand towel. So whenever he was excited over anything he heard or saw or was going to meet, he went to put that towel in his mouth, and ran around with it. So his long drools went into the towel and not on people’s pants. Added benefit: when he wanted to bark like crazy at a delivery or something, it was a nice muffled bark.