The Newfoundland Dog:

• DON'T BUY A NEWF IF...
• TRAINING
• GROOMING

No, it ISN'T a black Saint Bernard. The Newfoundland's origin is discussed in various books...my favorite one is that it is descended from a cross between a native North American dog used by the Indians on the east coast of North America and mixed later with large mastiff type dogs brought over by Leif Erickson...but who knows..? The main thing is that the Newfoundland dog of today is known to be exceedingly gentle with kids, eager to work with and for its people (and all people, for that matter),and in general considered to be one of the "Gentle Giants" of the larger breeds.

NEWFOUNDLAND CHARACTERISTICS

The average male adult Newfoundland weighs in the neighborhood of 130 to 150 pounds, the average female adult will weigh 110 to 130 pounds.

(growth chart for MALE newfies:

According to the chart in Emma Bruno's book "The Newfoundland" the male at 4

months is 64 pounds. Below is a chart developed by a person on the newf-l list, Dr. Abramson Miri, DVM, Israel

At 1 month..11 pounds

at 2 months ..22 pounds

at 3 months..40 pounds

at 4 months ..64 pounds

at 5 months..79 pounds

at 6 months ..88 pounds

at 7 months ..101 pounds

at 8 months ..108 pounds

at 9 months ..112 pounds

at 10 months 115 pounds

at 11 months 117 pounds

at 12 months ..119 pounds

according to my own records of puppies over the years....:

AVERAGE WEIGHTS GO SORT OF LIKE THIS:

one month 4-9 pounds

two months: 10-20 pounds

three months: 25-35 pounds

four months: 35-55 pounds

five months: 45-60 pounds

(these are averages with bitches being on the lower end of the scale and males on the upper end.) A good rule of thumb is don't let the puppy gain over three pounds a week...if possible. FEED LIGHTLY!!! do not overfeed!!!
****ALWAYS BE ABLE TO FEEL THE RIBS!****

NEWFS are indeed exceedingly gentle creatures. That is not to say that they are not normal dogs. They will need to be supervised with small children, as you would any breed. But you can probably safely say that most Newfoundlands will tolerate many indignities that other breeds might be less willing to do...things that small children and uninformed adults do....hugging them while they eat...removing articles from their cavernous mouths, or generally being pushy or overactive around them, usually do not set Newfies into frenzies of growling or "attack mode". Neither will a Newfoundland act as a noisily protective or aggressive dog. They will quietly place their large bodies between you and perceived danger...but usually they do not care if someone comes onto your property while you are away. They are not a "yard dog"...they are not bred to protect property and are seldom territorial...but they do and will protect all people, even strangers they do not know, from what they perceive to be harm. They NEED to be with people. A Newf left to its own devices and not fenced in will often wander to people...they willingly go up to strangers and generally are very friendly dogs.

NEWFOUNDLANDS are slobbery, goobery, messy, generally fairly destructive as puppies and on into the age of 2 years. (and sometimes longer!) No, not all Newfoundlands "slobber". but nearly all Newfoundlands do stick their entire head into the water bucket to drink, then lift that wet muzzle up, dripping wet, and amble across the floor to you, where they will wipe their chin off on your pant leg. I keep towels across the backs of my kitchen chairs to wipe wet newfy faces on. Newfs like to chew wood. Newfs like to carry things in their mouths...especially socks and shoes. Newfs like to thoroughly INVESTIGATE articles which have ? interest? to them...things like boxes of Christmas ornaments, video remote controls, underwear from the clothes hamper...t-bone steaks on the ledge...you name it, somewhere in the world a newfy has investigated it and probably eaten it! A Newfoundland is not the dog for the "neatnik." Unless you want to spend a LOT of your time scrubbing boogers off walls (they stick TIGHT and must be scraped off), or vacuuming TONS of hair. Yes, of course they shed. Yes, of course, their coats need daily, or at least weekly care. They collect burrs and weeds and sticks in their long coats if allowed to wander in the woods...they will be almost continually wet if they have access to a creek or a pond.

NEWFOUNDLANDS do generally LOVE the water and will make good retrievers. (throughout history, they are known to be an instinctive life-saving breed, and are presently used as "life guards" along some European shore lines.) The Newfoundland Club of America presents water tests and draft tests which a Newfoundland can enter and earn such titles as "Water Dog" and "Water Rescue Dog" and also "Draft Dog". According to historical anecdotes, they were used in Newfoundland as dogs which would help the fishermen to pull in the nets of fish, then stand to be hitched up to carts in which the fish were loaded; they would take the fish to the local villages in the carts and then return to help bring more nets in. Often they would perform heroic feats of swimming out and bringing in drowning men, or jumping from boats to save people floundering in the waters.

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