Who has the newfoundland dog?
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| Kerry and her husband have a newf pup. |
| ah yes. Beowulf who I thought had a ridiculous name and has now out grown it. He is usually referred to as "B".
WHat would you like to know? |
| well I am thinking about a second dog, and Newfoundlands are my fav after Old English of course. I have done well I think with Laika with training. But it be nice to have a dog that is a little simpler. Plus I live on a lake. I guess I would love to hear your take on having a newf. Do you feed raw? How much does a newf eat? What issues you have if any. |
| Yes we feed raw, yes we also live at a lake (not on) and simpler?
My male OES and B eat about the same - newfs seems to have lower metabolisms. could be because of their need to impersonate an area rug at most times. That said - I understand they have a tendency to eat things - like couches - if not supervised properly. Our guy is just over a year and still crated when not actually being interacted with (walks, feeding, training, brushing etc.) So I haven't dealt with that. Did I mention brushing? They have very thick coats, and they shed. Well to be honest I hear they only shed twice a year, for 6 months at a time. My first reaction to seeing B interact with my guys was - is that all he does? even as a puppy he did not have the overall energy of my sheepies. Even considering that, and although I mentioned their fondness for impersonating an area rug, they also occasionally remember their lab ancestry and just need to run and jump - regardless if there is a couch, a table or I would assume - a small child in their way. luckily they don't maintain that level of energy for long and then will crash (think 2 year old on a sugar rush) wherever they are. He does love to swim, and retrieve. retrieving in the water - well his most favorite thing in the world next to eating. If you live on a lake you might have to restrict his access - if you can. Oh yeah - they can move very fast- when they are moving toward water. Newfs come in two types - dry mouth (don't drool much) and wet mouth - our guy. we wash the walls and doors weekly, wherever he walks past. I actually have managed to teach my husband how to do that. I have been told they really don't drool all the time. They technically only drool when they are eating; when you are eating; when anyone in the free world is eating or when they are thinking about eating. And I don't quite get is, but the drool tends to have hair in it and it acts like a glue. I have been told its also phosphorescent - not sure about that. We actually worked with a behaviorist who didn't like drooling dogs when he was little - something else to think about. I mentioned he is still crated. Did I mention his crate is the size of a small room? As I told Kristine the other day - I do believe our guest bathroom is smaller than B's crate. Of course our guy is big - his dad is nearly 160 lbs? something like that. Now other people have newfs that aren't much bigger than their lab cousins. I like B, really I do. But then again I also have three other high drive dogs and am used to dealing with large animals. I used to have horses - actually my little sisters first pony might have been about the same size as B 
And don't let their dreamy demeanor fool you - B is a high drive dog. Some might call him aggressive (only in that no matter what comes at him he knows he is bigger and will stand his ground and get in their face). I hear they come in a shy variety too - just never met one. You can't discipline him, he knows he is nearly as big as you are and has a mouth full of sharp teeth. Training is a must. My trainer likes to say he has character (meaning if she challenged him he might knock her over and sit on her at the very least). Make sure you find a trainer that doesn't buy into dominance theory - that is one battle they will not win. You need to take charge in the beginning and work at keeping it. Don't waste time with worrying who is the alpha - face it newfs aren't the brightest bulbs in the pack, they haven't read the books - just find someone who can teach you how to establish and keep control. Unlike my OES, I never get the feeling he is trying to outsmart me or second guess me - he knows he can do whatever he really wants to and he also knows I know that  He will not submit to your ideas of who is the boss - we had a specialist consult on his training who showed us how he had to learn to self submit - I don't even want to have to try to explain that. Just know most everything you learned training your OES will not work on a newf.
But - he is a sweet and loving dog. And he makes Morgan look energetic |
| Kerry, you have such a way with words. |
spacegirl21 wrote: well I am thinking about a second dog, and Newfoundlands are my fav after Old English of course. I have done well I think with Laika with training. But it be nice to have a dog that is a little simpler. Plus I live on a lake. I guess I would love to hear your take on having a newf. Do you feed raw? How much does a newf eat? What issues you have if any.
I have a friend Kirsten at Seagirt Kennels out in Newfoundland that breeds newfs. She feeds them (or recommends) raw diet. I am sure if you contacted her she would answer your questions. She is reputable and used to show her dogs. I know she loves her dogs and takes excellent care of them and her breeding program. Dogs are actually socialized in her home with her and her family. (they - the dogs are a more common topic on her facebook page then her two legged children are. She does talk a little about her children but people who have gotten dogs from her join her facebook page and keep in contact.). I often ask her questions even though I want a OES. She has said that OES owners are lucky that we can shave our dogs coat down, you can't do that with a newf it just wrecks their coat. I have known Kirsten since grade school and due to my age that is a really l-o-n-g time, I know that she would be glad to answer your questions. Just like the people here she wants people who get one of her dogs to be happy with that decision and know what they are getting into so she doesn't have to find the dog a new home or find out that they have been abandoned. Her latest batch of puppies had brown, black and landseers (black and white) puppies, their heads are too big for their little bodies at this point but you sure can tell as puppies they are going to be huge! (link removed) |
kerry wrote: Did I mention brushing? They have very thick coats, and they shed. Well to be honest I hear they only shed twice a year, for 6 months at a time.
everything you wrote was insightful and entertaining, but this had me rolling in laughter! |
| We just lost our 18 month old newf to kidney failure, but she was a dream. She did imitate an area rug but she would also try to get our lab and Hannah to play chase. She was very affectionate and loved to kiss much like Hannah. And I agree they do shed twice a year foe 6 months. They do have an undercoat that "blows" twice a year where you can literally pluck hands full of undercoat, much like with Pyrs.
There is a wonderful forum that you can join, very much like this one, very friendly and helpful, Newfnet Forums. You can learn a great deal there and folks will pm you information about breeders. They were very helpful when I started looking after losing Isabella. They will tell you there really isn't a dry mouth newf. They drool, and slobber flies. Isabella was never destructive, but she had 4 other dogs to keep her busy. I can't wait for our new newf to get here. She is a month old so we have 4-6 weeks to go to get her. If loose fur and fur bunnies bother you don't get a newf. If dog slobber is a problem don't get a newf. One of the newf netters has an information site: www.newfpups.org . The guy is a wonderful writer and you will learn a great deal from the site. He doesn't breed or sell newfs just loves the breed and wants folks to know about them. Feel free to pm me if I can help with other questions. Susan |
| I adit I am new to this breed, but is kidney failure at 18 months normal? were the puppies parents cystinuria free? |
| No, kidney failure is definitely not normal. It wasn't cystinuria. We're still waiting on the path report to see if it will tell us what was behind the failure.
Newfs like most giant breeds have an average 10 year life span. They tend to have the same medical problems as any giant breed. The breeders should check the parents for heart problems, cystinuria, hip dysplasia, that sort of thing. Our breeder hasn't had any other problems with the kidney failure. |
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