HERE IS AN EXAMPLE OF A PERFECTLY GROOMED NEWFOUNDLAND "CH RALEE'S WINDDANCER" Dancer was co-owned by me for a period of time, his breeder is Richard Lee of Letts, Iowa. He was later owned and loved until his death by Les and Erlene Whitehead of the STARR Newfs of Califonia. Dancer left a HUGE legacy. COAT CARE: Newfs should have a double water resistant coat. This means that there will be an "undercoat" present, and long outer "guard hairs". The Newf's puppy coat will begin to change over to adult coat at about six months of age...it will begin with a shinier streak of hair down the middle of the back and in the middle of the tail...coat that appears harsher and less "fluffy". That coat should NOT be shaved. Mother nature presents the dog with insulation in the summer and in the winter. Brush your dog weekly if possible. If not possible, a good substitute is a heavy duty blow drier which you can "blow out" dust and dirt and also at the same time massage the skin and check each area of the body for possible "hot spots" and scratches, parasites, etc. It is easiest to teach your dog to be brushed on a grooming table. I like a regular grooming table, 48 inches by 24 inches, whose legs have been shortened so that it is only about 26 inches tall. Stand your Newfy on the grooming table and you will find it much easier on your back to brush, blow dry, do toenails and trimming, etc. Do remember also to teach it to have its tummy brushed by having it lie down on the floor. Please do trim your Newfy's ears! Check out the web page on grooming ears!They just look so much nicer when trimmed! The Newf has hair which is short and fine right on the bottom half of its ears, but the top half, if left untended, will grow right down over the bottom of the ears and cover them over, making your Newfs ears look more like a Spaniel's ears than a Newf. Trim the top half of the ear short, gradually rounding them off, so to speak, so that you can see the bottom, tulip shaped petal of the ear. the only other place you should trim regularly is the feet . Trim the long hair between the toes by brushing the hair on the feet upwards and rounding the foot off, from the top, to resemble a dandelions' flower, nice and round. Trim the soles of the feet flat to the pads, but do NOT cut the hair up from the bottom between the pads. You can also trim, for neatness, the feathers on the hocks, the pants or skirt (on the hind legs) , and around the genitals and anus if you think it's neater. This is especially important for older Newfs who may "dribble".
(Sassy after a swim)
BATHING: A Newf dog when wet from swimming will dry quickly, that is because a correct coat will take a long time for water to penetrate clear to the skin, and mostly only the outer hairs will be wet. However, when you bathe a Newf, you are applying shampoo which removes the natural oils from the skin, and you have to take considerable time to get it wet first "clear to the skin" and then you proceed to wash out all the dog's natural oils with shampoo, thus it will take much longer to dry than it normally would. I don't recommend bathing a Newf more than once every three or four months..Often, my adults have gone six or eight months without a bath. My "show dogs" are of course bathed much more frequently... If you do bathe often, use a good dog shampoo and RINSE, RINSE, RINSE. Its real easy to bathe your Newf if you accustom it to a grooming table early in its life, (a picnic table outdoors will do). If you want an easy time bathing your Newf, hook up a garden hose that has access to both hot and cold water (in the basement or the laundry room area), stand your dog on the grooming table, and hose away, with lukewarm warm water. In the winter time, try to find a place INDOORS to wash your dog, to avoid back problems. Hopefully, there will be a floor drain. I know a lady that stands her grooming table in the bath tub, hooks a portable shower hose to the faucet, and washes her Newf that way. Unfortunately, a regular human shower usually does not have the force in the water spray to really rinse the Newfy well, unless you can get the spray directly up close to the skin.
GROOMING TOOLS: You will need a slicker brush, to brush puppy coat and surface brush out small stickers and leaves and such. The slicker brush is NOT good for clear to the skin brushing, use for that a Wire pin brush. You will want a good long toothed steel comb, a horse comb for manes and tails works nicely. You will appreciate a good thinning shears for its ears. But you don't really have to use one, regular shears will do fine if necessary. You would be much happier if you purchase a regular dog blow dryer, but a shop vacuum blowing "inside out" or a leaf blower will work fine, just noisier! A MUST for a Newf are two items: an "undercoat rake" and a razor edged mat comb. Don't forget a pair of large dog toenail clippers, or if you feel especially wealthy, an electric nail grinder. (GREAT care must be taken when using a nail grinder not to get too close to the "quick" ***SEE LINK BELOW FOR MORE INFORMATION**) For the ears, a general all round ear cleaner should be placed into the ear, massaged, and wiped out with a soft dry cloth on a weekly basis. An ear powder for use during summer if your Newf swims a lot is a good idea.
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