The Newfoundland is a large, usually black, breed of dog originally used as a working dog in Newfoundland. They are famously known for their giant size and tremendous strength, and for their sweet dispositions, loyalty, and natural water rescue tendencies. The Newfoundland dog excels at water rescue, due to their great muscles and partly to their webbed feet and acute swimming abilities. Newfoundland dogs require grooming at least once per week (and frequently more often). They are extremely loving and patient, and Newfoundland puppies are laid-back and considered easy to housebreak. When it comes to physical strength, this breed is thought to be the strongest--even beating some characteristics of the Great Dane, Mastiff, or Irish Wolfhound.
Description
Appearance
Newfoundlands ('Newfs' or 'Newfies') have webbed feet and a water-resistant coat. Males weigh 60–70 kg (130-150 lb), and females 45–55 kg (100-120 lb), placing them in the "Giant" weight range. Some Newfoundland dogs have been known to weigh over 90 kg (200 lb). The largest Newfoundland on record weighed 120 kg (260lbs) and measured over 6 feet from nose to tail, ranking it among the biggest Mastiffs and St. Bernards. They may grow up to 22-28 inches tall at the shoulder.
The American Kennel Club (AKC) standard colors of the Newfoundland dogs are black, brown, gray, and landseer (black head and white and black body); The Kennel Club (KC) permits only black, brown, and landseer; the Canadian Kennel Club (CKC) permanents are only black and landseer. The Landseer is named after the artist Sir Edwin Henry Landseer, who featured them in many of his paintings. AKC, CKC, and KC all treat Landseer as part of the breed. Fédération Cynologique Internationale (FCI) consider the Landseer to be a separate breed; others consider it only a Newfoundland color variation.
The Newfoundland's extremely large bones give him mass, while his mammoth musculature gives him the power he needs to take on rough ocean waves and powerful tides. He has an enormous lung capacity for swimming extremely long distances, and a thick, oily and waterproof double coat which protects him from the chill of icy waters. His droopy lips and jowls makes the dog drool, but the purpose of his design gives passageways that allow him to breathe even when his mouth is full and swamped by waves.
In the water, his massive webbed paws gives the Newfoundland another advantage, giving him maximum propulsion with every stroke. The stroke is not an ordinary dog paddle. Unlike other dogs, the Newfoundland moves his limbs in a down-and-out motion, which can be seen as a modified breaststroke. This gives him more power with every stroke.
Temperament
The Newfoundland dog is legendarily known for its benevolence and strength. It is known to be one of the kindest and gentlest dogs, if not the very best and gentlest dog of all when it comes to children. It is for this reason that this breed is known as "the gentle giant". International kennel clubs generally describe the breed as having a sweet temper. It has a deep bark, is easy to train, makes a fine guardian or watchdog, and is extremely good with children.
The Newfoundland dog is also extremely good with other animals. Its caring and gentle nature comes out in play and interaction with humans and animals alike. As with any breed, the Newfoundland can have dominance issues, but this is unusual for the breed. "Sweetness of temperament is the hallmark of the Newfoundland; this is the most important single characteristic of the breed." - Newfoundland Club Of America.
"Its soft expression reflects its benevolent and dignified temperament." - Animal Planet about the great Newfoundland Dog.
Health
There are several health problems associated with Newfoundlands. Newfoundlands are prone to hip dysplasia (a malformed ball and socket in the hip joint) they do have bad hips, thats why it's bad for them to have a lot of pressure or weight on their hips. They also get Elbow dysplasia, and cystinuria (a hereditary defect that forms calculi stones in the bladder). Another genetic problem is subvalvular aortic stenosis, also referred to as subaortic stenosis or SAS. This is a common heart defect in Newfoundlands involving defective heart valves. SAS can cause sudden death at an early age.
History
The breed originated in Newfoundland from a breed indigenous to the island, that later became known as the St. John's Dog. The speculation they may be partly descended from the big black bear dogs introduced by the Vikings in 1001 A.D. is based more in romance than in fact. It is more likely that their size results from the introduction of large mastiffs, brought to the island by many generations of Portuguese fishermen, who had been fishing the Grand Banks of Newfoundland since the 1400s. By the time colonization was permitted in 1610, the distinct physical characteristics and mental attributes had been established in the breed. In the early 1880s fishermen from Ireland and England traveled to the Grand Banks of Newfoundland, where they described two main types of working dog: one more heavily built, large with a longish coat, whereas the other was lighter in build, an active, smooth-coated water dog. The heavier one was the Newfoundland and the other was the known as the Lesser St. John's Dog, the forerunner of the Labrador Retriever. The dogs were used in similar ways to pull fishnets and heavy equipment. Many tales have been told of the courage displayed by Newfoundland's in lifesaving exploits and this has attracted the attention of a large number of artists, who have portrayed the dogs in paint, stone, bronze and porcelain over the last two centuries. The breed prospered in the United Kingdom, until 1914 and again in 1939, when its numbers were almost fatally depleted by wartime restrictions. Since the 1950's there has been a steady increase in numbers and popularity, while still remaining a relatively uncommon breed, this is not least because a Newfoundland's great size, appetite and fondness for playing around in mud and water make it very unsuitable for most homes.
Rescues
During the Discovery Channel's second day of coverage of the AKC Eukanuba National Championship on December 3, 2006, anchor Bob Goen reported that Newfoundlands exhibit a very strong propensity to rescue people from water. Goen stated that one Newfoundland alone once aided the rescue of 63 shipwrecked sailors. Today, kennel clubs across the United States host Newfoundland Rescue Demonstrations, as well as offering classes in the field.
In 1832, Ann Harvey of Isle aux Morts, her father, and a Newfoundland Dog named Hairyman saved over 180 Irish immigrants from the wreck of the brig Dispatch.
In the early 1900s, a dog that is thought to have been a Newfoundland saved 92 people who were on a sinking ship in Newfoundland during a blizzard. The dog retrieved a rope thrown out into the turbulent waters by those on deck, and brought the rope to shore to people waiting on the beach. A breeches buoy was attached to the rope, and all those aboard the ship were able to get across to the shore.
An unnamed Newfoundland is also credited for saving Napoleon Bonaparte in 1815. During his famous escape from exile on the island of Elba, rough seas knocked Napoleon overboard. A fisherman's dog jumped into the sea, and kept Napoleon afloat until he could reach safety.
Further evidence of Newfoundlands' ability to rescue or support life saving activities was cited in a recent article by the BBC.
Quotations
"The man they had got now was a jolly, light-hearted, thick-headed sort of a chap, with about as much sensitiveness in him as there might be in a Newfoundland puppy. You might look daggers at him for an hour and he would not notice it, and it would not trouble him if he did." Jerome K. Jerome Three Men in a Boat
"Newfoundland dogs are good to save children from drowning, but you must have a pond of water handy and a child, or else there will be no profit in boarding a Newfoundland." Josh Billings
"A man is not a good man to me because he will feed me if I should be starving, or warm me if I should be freezing, or pull me out of a ditch if I should ever fall into one. I can find you a Newfoundland dog that will do as much." Henry David Thoreau Walden
"Near this spot are deposited the remains of one who possessed Beauty without Vanity, Strength without Insolence, Courage without Ferocity, and all the Virtues of Man, without his Vices. This Praise, which would be unmeaning Flattery if inscribed over human ashes, is but a just tribute to the Memory of Boatswain, a Dog." George Gordon, Lord Byron, Epitaph to a Dog.
"That boat, Rover by name, which, though now in strange seas, had often pressed the beach of Captain Delano's home, and, brought to its threshold for repairs, had fa
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