Revision History:
The tranquil nature of the Newfoundland has been found to have such an excellent effect on hyperactive children that there was a clinical study done in the 1970s using Newfoundlands as a part of the therapy.
It is very typical that a Newf will stand physically between his family and any stranger. He will not threaten nor growl, merely remain in a position which indicates that he is on duty. He will not hesitate to act, however, if his family is physically threatened.
The Newf has sufficient intelligence to recognize a dangerous situation. There are many documented accounts of people being saved by the family Newfoundland from gas leak, fire, and other dangers. They are most well known for their powerful lifeguard instincts and have many hundreds of documented rescues to their credit. They have been known not to allow people into the deep end of the swimming pool until they are satisfied that they can swim well enough to venture in over their heads. People with children and pools find that the Newf watches the children every second they are in the water.
A Newf should never allowed to become fat, as this will significantly shorten an already too short life span. Regular exercise (brisk daily walks on lead) is a must for adults.
Overfeeding a Newf puppy, in the hopes of growing a bigger dog, can cause serious orthopedic problems. Remember, a lean Newfoundland is a healthy Newfoundland.
Most Newfoundlands shed a LOT in the Spring, and then again in the Fall. The Fall shed is usually less severe then the Spring one.
While the other two breeds are similar in ancestors, the Pyr has more herding instinct and the Saint is more of a dry-land rescue dog than the Newf. The Newf is the one who excells in water rescue and is a bit more mellow in temperament than the other two.
In fact, the Newfoundland was bred to the Saint Bernard in the mid nineteenth century with the goal of improving the coat and working ability of the Saint. The long haired Saint is a product of this infusion of Newfie blood, as all Saint Bernards prior to that time had short hair. The experiment was discontinued when the long coats were found to accumulate ice more quickly, but the log coat variety has remained in the Saint breed to this day.
The Newfoundland is a dog which has served man in many capacities. He
excells as a companion, protector, babysitter, lifeguard, ship dog,
draft animal, pack carrier, natural retriever and obedience dog. In
addition to breed and obedience showing, many Newfie owners compete
with their dogs in water trials, weight pulls, carting, travois and
backpacking events.
A Victorian era painting entitled "Saved", by Sir Edwin Landseer in 1856, and a similar picture "He is Saved" by Currier and Ives depict a Black & White Newfoundland (the black & white variety later came to be known as the Landseer variety) on a beach with a small boy who was just rescued by the dog from drowning, immortalizing this Newfie trait. The Newfoundland was extensively featured in the art of the Victorian age, depicted by Landseer in many paintings and drawings, as well as by other artists. A later painting by Pierre Auguste Renoir in 1878 features a Newfoundland.
"The useful work of the Newfoundland for man at sea was so internationally recognized during the era of the sailing ship that reports of their enterprises come from many countries on both sides of the Atlantic Ocean as well as the Mediterranean Sea. His powerful swimming ability plus his docility and intelligence were great assets to any ship's company, and it became customary to take at least one web-footed Newfoundland on voyages as a 'ship dog.' The specific service he rendered was to swim ashore with a line, thus establishing communication with help on land. Untold numbers of lives were saved because of the swimming help of the 'ship dog' and his ability to find footing on rough rocks in a heavy sea where the best of watermen might not survive. In less rough water he could also haul a small boat ashore by its painter."The Newfoundland ship dog played a role in the battle of Trafallgar in 1805. A Newf was aboard the Titanic at the time of its sinking. Another Newfoundland ship dog dove off the deck of a boat in the dark and rescued Napoleon Bonaparte when he fell into the water and could not be located by the crew on his return to France from Elba. One Newfie, Tang, was credited with rescuing an entire ship full of people in 1919 and was awarded the medal for Metitorious Service by Lloyds of London."In Holland, France, Italy, England and the United States are early records of the Newfoundland in his role of ship dog."
"As early as 1824 it was estimated that there were 2,000 Newfoundland dogs in the town of St. Johns and that they were constantly employed. They drew cut wood from the forests for fuel and building purposes, drew loads of fish from the shore and helped to pull in the heavy nets, and they transported all kinds of merchandise from one part of the town to another as well as delivering milk. It has been estimated that during one month of the year 1815 these dogs furnished the town of St. Johns with labor valued at from $4,500 to $5,000 per day, and that a single dog would, by his labor, support his owner throughout the long winter. They were used singly and in teams. Three to five dogs harnessed to a sledge or other vehicle containing a load of firewood, lumber, or fish (280 to 450 pounds) would draw it steadily with ease. This they would do without the aide of a driver, if they knew the road, and having delivered their burden, would return to the home of their master for a reward of dried fish, their staple food. In addition to their less glamorous tasks, the dogs were also used to transport His Majesty's mail from the outposts north of the railway to the railway junctions and from one outpost to another through a chain of settlements. Teams averaging about seven pulled these sledges over frozen marshes, through thick woods, and over trails impossible for even a hardy pony. For this service to the King the Newfoundland dog was honored by having his head made the subject of a postage stamp for his native country."This working ability was put to extensive use by the Allied forces in World War II where the Newfoundland and Great Pyrenees hauled supplies and ammunition in Alaska and the Aleutian Islands, even through blizzards.
Backpackers today find the Newf a willing and able companion. The only thing they should not carry is the sleeping bags, as their love of water could turn a stream-crossing into a cold and soggy evening.
Because of copyright concerns over the collection of all the Standards at any single site storing all the faqs, AKC Standards are not typically included in the Breed faqs. The reader is referred to the publications at the end of this document or to the National Breed Club for a copy of the Standard.
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Check the membership type: Single @ $45.00; Double @ $50.00; Junior (less than 18 years) @ $10.00; Junior, plus NEWF TIDE subscription @ $20.00.
Amount enclosed, $25.00 application fee, plus Membership Dues, plus postage levy for foreign membership @ $15.00; Total (in US Funds)
This application for membership in the Newfoundland Club of America, Inc. must be accompanied by a $25.00 non-refundable application fee to cover processing costs, plus a deposit for the appropriate membership category. The signatures of two current NCA members must be included. If, for any reason, the application is rejected, the deposit for dues will be refunded.
Then, check the Newfoundland mailing list, if you wish:
Send email to listproc@lists.colorado.edu with SUBSCRIBE NEWF-L
Yourfirstname Yourlastname in the body of the message. Subject
lines are ignored.
The following books & video are available on the breed (see FAQ on Resources for ways to obtain these books):
Newfoundland. Riley & McDonnell, 1985.
Newfoundland, AKC Video, 22 min.
Newfoundland Handbook. McDonnell & Riley, 1985.
The New Complete Newfoundland. Chern, 1975.
This is the Newfoundland. Drury, 1978.
Newfoundland; Successful Water Training. Lehr, 1987.
The Newfoundland, Joan C. Bendure, 1994. (Those of you who follow rec.pets.dogs will recognize the write up on Marget Johnson's Windwagon Newfoundlands on page 66.)
Newfoundlands. Drury & Linn, 1989.
Newfoundlands, Great Balls of Fur. Jager, 1992.
Water Work, Water Play, Adler
Be sure, also, to check out more general sources on training, nutrition, health, etc., as well as those FAQs.
Don't have the following titles, but there is a puppy book by Adler, a draft book by Powell, and a backpacking book by Alan Riley that those interested in Newfies should know about. The Adler books are available directly from her and the backpacking and draft books have been seen at the dog shows.
The Solid Black is dominant, or BB. The Landseer is recessive to the
solid black, or bb, and is the result of the piebald gene, which
places the self-color on a white background. Solid Bronze is
recessive to black, and the Solid Gray is a dilute of black. Care
must be taken when matching dogs with recessive genes, as the piebald
gene will result in a solid color and white dog. Where the solid
color is black, the Landseer results, which is a color allowed by the
standard. However, if dogs with Brown or Gray backgrounds are bred
with a Landseer, the possible results are a Bronze and White or a Gray
and White dog, both of which are explicitly disqualified in the
standard. (Note that 'solid' color is considered by the standard to
include some white.)
It can be tough to get the highest marks in obedience trials, should you choose to go for the CD, CDX, etc., because the Newfies are not as 'snappy' on recall as the smaller dogs, but they do well and do really enjoy it.
Be sure to dabble in the other pursuits that Newfies are especially suited to & enjoy: Rig up a cart for him to pull the kids around in (be sure to have some rigid harnessing so that the cart can't run up on his heels)-- BIG hit with the kids. Have them rig up an Indian-style travois & 'rescue' their friends. Make him a back pack & include him on all your hikes (just don't let him carry your sleeping bags, if you are hiking near water they WILL get wet.).
Water trials are great fun & show your Newf's inherited lifeguard talents.
Inscription on the Monument of a Newfoundland Dog
by Lord Byron
When some proud son of man returns to earth
Unknown to glory, but upheld by birth,
The sculptur'd art exhausts the art of woe,
And stoned urns record who rest below;
When all is done, upon the tomb is seen,
Not what he was, but what he should have been;
But the poor Dog, in life the firmest friend,
The first to wwelcome, foremost to defend;
Whose honest heart is still his master's own,
Who labours, fights, lives, breathes, for him alone
Unhonour'd falls, unnoticed all his worth,
Denied in Heaven the soul he held on earth;
While man, vain insect! hopes to be forgiven,
And claimls himself sole exclusive of Heaven!
Oh, man! thou feeble tenant of an hour,
Debas'd by slavery, or corrupt by power,
Who knows thee well, must quit thee with disgust,
Degraded mass of animated dust!
By nature vile, ennobled but by name,
Each kindred brute might bid thee blush for shame.
Ye! who, perchance, behold this single Urn
Pass on--it none you wish to mourn:
To mark a Friend's remains these stones arise,
I never knew but one, and here he lies.
Newstead Abbey, November 30,1808
On one side of the pedestal supporting the antique urn he had inscribed:
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
WHO WAS BORN AT NEWFOUNDLAND, MAY 1803,
AND DIED AT NEWSTEAD ABBEY,
NOVEMBER 18, 1808.
