Another "what is it?" question

[black and brindle]

Any idea what might be in my adorable pup?
The shelter thought he might be part newf and so did our vet when she first saw him but I can't really see it.
mom part chow, dad completely unknown
5 months old, 35#, color brindle, very soft fluffy puppy coat
long narrow muzzle, rounded "apple" head, webbed paws, floppy ears, curled tail held sometimes up and sometimes hanging, developing loose flews (!)
temperament very mellow and "soft", likes to retrieve, happily runs into the lake up to his belly but doesn't usually swim (unlike our definite newf cross who jumps in and gets afloat as soon as he can)
I've tried to attach a photo of him at 4 months - hope it comes through!
Any ideas?

[pitc9]

Wow.... what an unusual looking Pup!

The brindle really throws a loop in the whole process! :D :p

Well... I see Chow (hello Purple tongue!! ;) Yeah, Yeah I know her mom is a chow, I'm just being funny! )
But the brindel.... humm... where does that come from??
I'm going to have to think about this one!
Web feet too huh??

Hummmm.... {scratches head}
Akita???

[Alasse]

Chow/Newfie?

[pitc9]

Chow/Newfie?

But where would the brindle come from?
That's what's got me stumped! :p

[cloverfdx]

Tibetan Mastiff/ Newfie/ adorable??

[Alasse]

But where would the brindle come from?
That's what's got me stumped! :p
I'm not sure its brindle....it could be colouring coming through from the chow mum if she were a pale colour (fawn or cream maybe)

[IShowDogsForFun]

I would say mastiff/chow

[black and brindle]

He's a true brindle, at least on his head and legs - where each fur has more than one color. Fur on his body is sort of dirty brown color. I think he's too small for a mastiff - 35# at 5 months should be maybe 70-80# grown up. Also I'm not sure how many mastiffs are running around loose to get involved in a random breeding. Unless you mean mastiff as a type (like newfs, pyrs etc).

He's probably more than 2 breeds - we wondered about Akita too - would fit the brindle, narrow face and he has more of an Akita tail than a Chow tail. And his puppy coat is fluffy but not really long. But those ears are never going to stand up and neither Akitas nor Chows do "fetch"

COULD he have any newf in him? Do newfs fetch? (I mean they retrieve people out of the water don't they?)

[Karen]

Absolutely Newfs will fetch - especially when there is water involved! I do see Newf in his family tree somewhere, but it's certainly a tree of many branches!

[pitc9]

Tibetan Mastiff

Ohhh Yeah!!

[pomeranianlover]

It is probablly some type of mix mabe a golden retriever and a german shepard?
Any idea what might be in my adorable pup?
The shelter thought he might be part newf and so did our vet when she first saw him but I can't really see it.
mom part chow, dad completely unknown
5 months old, 35#, color brindle, very soft fluffy puppy coat
long narrow muzzle, rounded "apple" head, webbed paws, floppy ears, curled tail held sometimes up and sometimes hanging, developing loose flews (!)
temperament very mellow and "soft", likes to retrieve, happily runs into the lake up to his belly but doesn't usually swim (unlike our definite newf cross who jumps in and gets afloat as soon as he can)
I've tried to attach a photo of him at 4 months - hope it comes through!
Any ideas?

[k9krazee]

He is soooo CUTE!! The brindle definitely throws me off too! Crazy, I just wanted to say that he's a cutie...and that you should share more pictures!! :D And of NewfieX too!!

[black and brindle]

Here's a closeup of him and of the much more noble-looking (and much older) newfie cross

Besides simple curiosity I'm wondering if there are breed tendencies I should be looking out for which will emerge as he gets older. For now he's got a retriever-like temperament - friendly, outgoing, playful etc. Or is that just impossible to know in a Heinz?

[pitc9]

Oh that puppy fuzz!! I want to burry my face in it!!
I love him!!

I did forget you said he is 5 months and 35lbs... so what you said is very true... that is small for a mastiff mix at that weight. But who knows!
Oh well... looks like you'll just have to make sure you stick around here for a looong time so we can see what he looks like when he's all grown up! :p ;)

[sammy101]

wow,he is gorgeous!
I see Newfoundland all over him. The brindle could possibly be Akita. Like Cloverfdx, possibly Tibetan Mastiff?
http://dl.dogomania.com/pics/8/Dynamite_Pupsb.jpg

[IRescue452]

That muzzle really throws in an extra loop. He certainly is a tree of many branches. His muzzle looks like a poodle's. He's very lightweight to be a newfie mix, but he certainly does look the part.

[black and brindle]

It would be ironic, if there's poodle in there. My hubbie doesn't consider a poodle a "real" dog. Now that you mention it, the muzzle does look like a poodle. Collie? Or are they even narrower? I agree he's a much more lightweight and "up" dog than our known newfie mix, who's sort of square and squat. The little one jumps straight up in the air when he's excited and it's difficult to imagine our newfie mix's paws ever leaving the ground.

[zoomer]

I see Akita and Tibetan Mastiff. Whatever he is definetly a cute little puppy!

[cloverfdx]

What about Afghan Hound, that may explain the brindle colouring and finer muzzle/ build hmmmm. Both dogs are devine, i think i am in love :o.

[black and brindle]

Now THERE's a far out idea! Interestingly, he does have longer fur on his head then anywhere else on his body. When I think of him as a newf cross he looks too long legged, light and bouncy but when I look at the elegant sight hounds (Afghan, greyhound) he looks too short legged, chunky and square. Ah well, that's what happens in a mix.

He has a narrow rounded skull and that plus the brindle are the things which limit the breeds the most (while keeping the other things like webbed feet, floppy ears, fluffy fur, northern dog type tail and friendly retriever temperament). From my reading, Newfs DO have rounded skulls but they are broad. Chows, Akitas, Labs, Tibetan Mastiffs all have broad flat skulls. Poodles, Portuguese Water Dogs, Afghans (!) and a few dogs that he definitely is not (eg chihuahua, bichon frise) seem to have narrow rounded skulls. I was starting to think chow/ Akita/ Poodle/ Lab or Newf but actually Afghan would explain a lot. Tho there are far fewer Afghans running around loose to get into a midnight breeding...

[Tralee]

Maybe he is from a family of all mixes. It si much more likely, I doubt that two purebred dog are his parents.

[black and brindle]

Oh I completely agree! I'm just wondering what might be in the mixes. But I agree there are at least 4 breeds in there.

BTW how do you get the photo to appear in the BODY of your text?