Newfoundlands

[daisybee]

does anybody have a newfie? Can you tell me the good and bad about them?
I know they shed a lot, but are they stubborn, can they be trained easily or do they think they're the boss? any info will be appreciated.

[lv4dogs]

Welcome to PT. Is this a breed you are looking to get? Do you have any pets?

I don't have one but Corinna has 2, one of them is mixed and bad me can't remember if the other one is too or not.
I do have a little experience with them as quite a few people I know own/owned one or more. lol

They are usually fairly easy to train if in hands of the right handler & trainer. Great multi purpose dogs. They enjoy having a job to do but can easily take a day off here & there to sit back & watch the day go. They are usually very friendly, actually "Sweetness of temperament is the hallmark of the Newfoundland; this is the most important single characteristic of the breed." Sometimes they do not realize they are so large though.

They are big, therefore all bills, food, vet, etc.. will all be more. They do shed & require frequent thorough brushings. They do drool a lot.

Because of their size precaution is taken when exercising & feeding.

Overall they are a GREAT breed!

[Karen]

They are huge, sweet and drooly!

Their coats require a fair amount of maintenance - if you don't enjoy brushing a dog, you shouldn't own a Newfie.

If drool grosses you out, you shouldn't own a Newfie.

The breed, like most "giant" breeds, seems like they'll eat you out of house and home when they're a puppy (which is at least 18 months long) but once they get their full height and breadth, they don't eat much more than a "regular sized" dog.

They are usually pretty easy to train, but this HAS to be done when they are quite young. It is much easier convincing a 25-pound wriggly puppy that you are boss than it is to convince 125-pound wriggly puppy that you are boss.

Newfs are not, generally, in the rocket-scientist category of the dog world, but a harsh word is wayyyyyyyyyy more wounding than a belt on the head. Have you ever seen 100+ pounds of sad, sulking dog? It could break your heart! (And make you drop that burger, maybe? Wait, let me look even sadder.)

Newfs are Water Rescue Dogs. They have wbbed paws and love to swim (there are exceptions). We knew one Newfie who would rescue his people whether or not they needed it. If the parents were out swimming with the kids, everything was okay, but if the parents went inside (they lived on a pond) the dog would "rescue" each child, dragging them to shore by their bathing suits one by one. Made swim time frustrating, to say the least!

They are prone to hip displaysia, so should be checked for that.

[lisahumphreys882]

I don't really know much about nefoundland dogs but I just so happened to see one a while ago... and I just wanted to say that they are soooooooo adorable. It was the coolest dog I've ever seen. It was like a giant teddy bear I just wanted to give it a great big hug.