Newfoundland

There are three different standards for this breed: those of the FCI, the US and Canada. Between these, it’s mainly the coat colour that changes. Therefore, depending on the variety, the coat can be black, brown, or Landseer (white and black).

The coat is medium-length.

The fur is flat, dense, thick and slightly oily, which makes it completely waterproof.

The eyes are dark brown for individuals with black and white coats. For those with brown coats, the official standards accept lighter eyes.

This dog is very impressive, particularly in terms of its physical strength and high level of activity. It has a strong build, but doesn’t look intimidating. It has a large head with a subtle stop. The muzzle is small, square and covered in short, fine hair. The skull axes run parallel, while the eyes are small, brown and deep-set. The ears are small, set quite far back and flop down to frame the face. The body is robust, while the limbs are strong and muscular. The medium-length tail falls just below the hocks: it is often left down when the dog is relaxing, but more raised when it’s moving.

This big dog is definitely one of the friendliest and gentlest of its species. Newfoundlands are very close to their social group, and will greet anyone they come into contact with in their lives with the same affection. There aren’t many dogs that are as attentive towards humans as Newfoundlands.

Newfoundland Dogs love to play. They are very joyful and get on perfectly with children. They are an excellent companion for the whole family, and their ‘joie de vivre’ and good nature just oozes out of them.

Gentleness is one of this breed’s defining characteristics. This fortunate trait means that the Newfoundland Dog will be perfectly happy in a variety of different contexts of life.

This dog really does have it all; affectionate, playful, calm, gentle with children, and intelligent. Newfies can adapt to a number of different lifestyles, learn easily, and quickly understand what is expected of them.

Their intelligence and courage makes them an excellent rescue dog - they will very readily risk their own life to save others.

The Newfie’s ancestors were used principally as hunting dogs. While some underlying predatory instincts may persist in this dog, rescuing someone ranks much higher in its priorities than hunting prey.

Therefore, their hunting instinct is far from uncontrollable, especially if their environment doesn’t encourage this.

This big Canadian dog is never aggressive; it welcomes anyone that enters into his family circle with open arms. Stemming from its instinct to protect, a Newfie might occasionally seem wary, but will quickly and accurately analyse the potential danger level of the situation.

Their openness to strangers is confirmed by their enthusiasm for sea rescue; regardless of if they knows the person, they will show just the same willingness to save them. Indeed, they will even sometimes come to the rescue of people that are simply enjoying a swim!

The Newfoundland Dog is very much a pet that depends on humans. They will follow Man around wherever he goes, mainly to protect him, should the need arise.

The Newfie will not be at ease unless its in the presence of, or at least close to, its loved ones. Time alone is definitely not something Newfies cherish, they much prefer to be surrounded by people.

These dogs are a pleasure to train, since they very easily understand commands and have the sole objective to please their master.

With quite a strong character, it is nevertheless important to start training this dog from when it is a puppy, so that it’s not too much to handle once it reaches its adult size.

Make sure you train this dog in a way that is respectful of the principles of positive reinforcement - an overly strict, or even violent, approach will only serve to scare this sensitive pet.

Patience, coherence and diligence are the keys to making this lovely dog your ideal life companion.

Despite its impressive size, this dog is very discrete and very rarely barks.

Very loyal, attached to, and protective of its social group, it would never occur to the Newfoundland Dog to stray far from its family.

This big dog is able to stay calm when it’s in the house. Newfies can be a bit restless during their younger years, but once they reach adulthood, they won’t feel the need to destroy things to keep themselves occupied.

This big dog won’t ever turn down a bowl of food or a treat, but is not excessively gluttonous. 

Newfies will very much appreciate a treat following good behaviour, and food can therefore serve as a good motivator during training.

Moreover, a Newfie won’t beg at the table - it will be perfectly happy waiting in its bed while its masters eat, especially if it has been taught to share space and resources at a young age.

A great guard dog, a Newfie knows how to scare off intruders without getting aggressive. Its altruism and protective instinct over its loved ones allows the Newfie to quickly analyse the potential level of danger in any situation.

Newfies are very brave and loyal towards their social group, and would put themselves at great risk to protect it.

This dog’s unique and exceptional temperament, paired with its calmness and constant good mood are likely to mean that should you choose a Newfie as your first dog, you won’t regret it!

That said, its lovely personality and majestic beauty shouldn’t minimise the fact that this is still a big dog that you need to know how to look after and control.

The Newfoundland Dog is able to adapt to life in a flat, notably thanks to its calm and discrete nature. However, this still isn’t an ideal environment.

This big dog needs its space and will thrive in a life in the country, near water, with the possibility to explore the great outdoors.

In any case, if your Newfie has access to a garden or not, it should be walked every day to satisfy its needs - whether physical, mental, social or sensory.

The Newfie doesn’t need a lot of exercise but still requires a minimum of daily outings to get some fresh air.

Newfies are happiest in water, so they will welcome regular walks along the river with open arms (or legs!)

Despite its calm and discrete nature, this dog still remains very large and imposing, and is therefore difficult to take places. 

In a car, the boot must be big enough to accomodate this big ball of fur. In town, the narrowness of certain public transport options makes the process challenging. If you’re traveling by plane, you’ll need an adapted cage that conforms to the airline’s rules, and this will most likely incur a certain cost.

Very sociable, this dog gets on very well with cats, especially if it’s grown up with them from a young age.

Proper socialisation is necessary to guarantee a good relationship between Newfies and their canine counterparts, but they are naturally very sociable with their peers.

Newfies will never seek out conflict and will appear more or less indifferent when threats from other dogs arise.

This big teddy bear loves children: it loves spending time with them and will protect them with its life. 

House rules should nonetheless be established, despite the patience and extreme friendliness of this dog, to avoid any possible incident and to lay the groundwork for a calm, safe and harmonious cohabitation.

Everything about this dog corresponds perfectly with the mature age bracket. Since Newfies constantly seek out the presence of their masters at any cost, and are not particularly at ease when alone, retired people are just what they need.

However, their masters should still be physically capable of taking them for long walks on a daily basis. If not, it might be necessary to look to a professional dog walker to satisfy these needs.

The Newfie’s amount of hair loss is particularly high during the annual shedding periods, in spring and autumn.

The lifespan is around 11 years.

This is undoubtedly a robust dog, if not for a few delicate months during puppyhood. After this, its health is generally good, so the Newfie has a relatively high life expectancy for a dog of its size.

The thick fur makes Newfies relatively susceptible to overheating. It’s therefore important not to leave them in the sun for too long, especially during the summer.

The double-coated fur makes this dog exceptionally well-equipped for the cold and humidity. The oily fur means that it can swim in freezing temperatures without getting cold.

If their diet is adapted to their physical condition, if they aren’t overfed and are sufficiently exercised, these sensitive dogs won’t be prone to obesity.

• Hip and elbow dysplasia 
• Overheating
• Chondrodysplasia (cartilage development disorder)
• Neoplasia (formation of new tissue: benign or malignant tumour)
• Myasthenia (chronic neuromuscular disease)
• Cataract
• Ectropion/entropion
• Cystinuria (formation of kidney stones)
• Primitive ciliary dyskinesia (respiratory disease)

Some say that the Newfoundland descended from the big bear dogs introduced to America by the Vikings. Another theory is that the Tibetan Mastiff (father of all the molossoids) arrived in America from the Bering Strait, the Aleutian Islands, and Alaska, with the ancestors of the American Indians: The Newfoundland Dog therefore came from the ‘big black dog’ from the Algonquins and Sioux. This dog was used for hunting, fishing, pulling sleds, guarding, as well as keeping children company, as Professor Otis Mason recounts in his "American Indian Handbook". It is likely that these two theories are valid: the blood of Viking dogs could have been crossed with that of Indian dogs to create the Newfoundland’s ancestors.