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Newfoundland

Newf, Newfie

Family: CanidaeCanis lupus familiarisPhoto © Animal-World: Courtesy Justin Brough

The Newfoundland is a calm, dignified dog that's reknown for its water rescue capabilities!

The Newfoundland dog is favored by fishermen, frequently kept as a companion and helper. It is a very large dog with great strength, a double thick coat, and is a master at swimming long distances. It also has a calm temperament is calm and is dependable. This is a working dog with the perfect combination of traits for water rescues and life saving, and it excels at it.

The Newfoundland is very protective of its family. It gets along well with strangers, both humans and animals, as long as they do not present a threat. But the Newfie prefers to keep a separation between its family and any intruders. It will place itself physically between its family and strangers rather than bark, growl or bite. When selecting a Newfoundland, look for joint dysplasia and heart problems.

Common Name(s) Newfoundland, Newf, Newfie

Breed Type The Newfoundland dog is a working breed. This breed is known for its water rescue capabilities, and it has also been a frequent companion and helper for fishermen. The Newfoundland is best suited to cool climates.

Background The Newfoundland breed originated on the island of Newfoundland. Its ancestors include the St. John's Dog and large Mastiffs. The Newfoundland was used to pull fishing nets and equipment, and has also been involved in numerous large water rescue operations.

Popular hybrids include the Bernefie, a cross between the Newfoundland and the Bernese Mountain Dog.

Description The Newfoundland is a large dog with a long, wavy coat. Colors include black, black and blue, bronze, brown and gray. Those with a white coat with black markings are called Landseer, and in some countries are considered a separate breed. The head and muzzle are broad, the ears small and pendant, and the eyes dark brown. The nose is usually black, but is brown on bronze Newfies. Males are 27-29 inches tall and weigh 130-150 pounds. Females measure 25-27 inches tall and weigh 100-120 pounds.

Care and Feeding The Newfoundland's diet should contain fish, pork, poultry and lamb, and should provide ample fat. The Newfoundland needs to be brushed at least once a week, and more when shedding. Occasional dry shampoo is best to keep from stripping away the coat's oils. The Newfoundland's hind dewclaws should be removed.

Annual checkups are advised. Vaccinations should be administered on the following schedule:

• 6-8 weeks: Distemper, Leptospirosis, Hepatitis, Parainfluenza, Parvo, and Corona virus (DHLPPC)
• 10-12 weeks: Second DHLPPC
• 14-16 weeks: Third DHLPPC and rabies
• Annually: DHLPPC and rabies booster
  

Newfoundlands shed their undercoats in the spring and fall. Frequent vacuuming will be required at these times if kept indoors.

Housing Your Dog The Newfoundland can live indoors in a small space as long as it gets adequate exercise. This breed needs a cool environment, and must have shade if outdoors in hot weather.

Social Behaviors Newfoundlands are great with children. They also do well with other pets. Males are sometimes aggressive with other male dogs.

Handling and Training The Newfoundland is sometimes hard to train. Patience is essential. This breed is sensitive to the tone of its trainer's voice.

Activities A daily walk is important to keep your Newfoundland healthy. This breed also loves the opportunity to swim.

Breeding/Reproduction When selecting a mate for your Newfoundland, hip dysplasia and heart disease are the most common defects to look for. Tests can reveal tendencies toward these ailments.

Common Health Problems It is important not to allow your Newfoundland to become overweight. This can contribute to hip dysplasia, and can exacerbate heart problems.

Availability Newfoundlands are hard to find in some areas, but breeders can be located online. Prices are usually $800 to $1,500.

References

• Liz Palika, The Howell Book of Dogs: The Definitive Reference to 300 Breeds and Varieties , Howell Book House, 2007
• American Kennel Club, The Complete Dog Book: 20th Edition (Complete Dog Book) , Ballantine Books, 2006
• Kristin Mehus-Roe, The Original Dog Bible: The Definitive Source to All Things Dog, BowTie Press, 2005
• Newfoundland", Copyright Dog Breed Info Center
• Newfoundland (dog), Wikipedia
• Newfoundland Puppies for Sale, Copyright PuppyFind.com, LLC

Lastest Comments on Newfoundland View all 2 comments on Newfoundland Add Your Comment

Madonna Simmonds - 2008-10-10 I just love the Newfie dog and not just because I'm from the same island as the breed. They are beautiful animals, and I hope to have one or two of my own real soon. I did have a pet that was part Newfie that was mixed with the black variety Labrador Retriever. Trigger, was the runt of the litter and he turned out to be one of my best friends. He had the look of a Newfie but was smaller than both breeds, and the bonus was he didn't drool at all, and barely shed his coat. I haven't seen many mixes between the Labbie and the Newfie, but if someone wants an average size dog, that doesn't eat a lot, doesn't drool much, and has a coat that hardly sheds, this kind is the best of both breeds. They are protective of the family and will do the same as the full breed Newfie, standing between the aggressor and his family. All in all, either the Lab or Newfie, or a mix between the two, you can't go wrong with either. Reply

Amanda - 2010-12-11 I love my newfie. They are also very sensitive to people. They want to make you happy. They above all enjoy your company most of all. If you are super busy and don't have time to spend with you Newfie this is not the right breed for you they are very dependent on their human companions. Reply

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