Newfoundland Facts You Should Know (with Pictures).

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Newfoundland Breed Overview

The Newfoundland is a giant-sized dog.

The adult Newfoundland stands 2 feet, 1 inch to 2 feet, 5 inches tall at the sho.

The Newfoundland belongs to the Working Dogs group.

Dogs in the Working Dogs group, like the Newfoundland, were developed to assist humans in some capacity – including pulling sleds and carts, guarding flocks, guarding homes, and protecting their families.

Breeds in the Working Group are known for their imposing stature, strength, intelligence, and fearless.

Because of their size and strength, working dogs require a structured home life and firm, fair, consistent training by someone who can provide leadership without resorting to anger or physical force.

The fact that the Newfoundland belongs to the Working Dogs group is one of the reasons why Newfoundlands have the personality and temperament that they have.

The temperament of the Newfoundland is generally described as:

  • Gentle
  • Sweet-Tempered
  • Trainable

History of the Newfoundland Breed. Where Newfoundlands came from

It is believed that ancestors of the breed were brought to Newfoundland Island in Canada by European fishermen.

While the breed`s origins are unknown, some believe he descended from white Great Pyrenees, while others believe he descended from a French hound or the Great Pyrenees.

Many old prints of Newfoundlands show what is thought to be husky ancestry, and the breed is similar to the Labrador (and Newfoundland`s coastline is close to Labrador`s).

Regardless, the Newfoundland evolved to be well suited to the island from which he arose.

The breed`s dogs excel in and around water.

They are excellent swimmers and have saved many lives by rescuing people.

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What the Newfoundland Looks Like

The Newfoundland is a large dog with a broad, heavy head, a slightly arched crown, and a powerful neck and back.

The Newfoundland dog has a wide, short muzzle; the nose is usually black, with the exception of bronze-colored (typically brown) dogs; and the teeth meet in a level bite.

The eyes are deep set and dark brown, and the ears are triangular in shape with rounded tips that hang by their cheeks.

The legs of a Newfoundland are muscular, straight, and parallel, with webbed feet that are useful in the water.

A strong tail has a broad base and hangs down.

The Newfoundland`s outer coat is oily, coarse, and somewhat long.

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How Much is the Newfoundland Puppy?

How Much Newfoundlands Cost

The average price of a Newfoundland puppy is $2160. The price of a Newfoundland puppy ranges from $1875 to $2500.

A lot of factors determine the price of the Newfoundland. These factors include what health records the Newfoundland puppy has, the lineage of the Newfoundland puppy, the US state the breeder is located in, etc.

To estimate how much you can expect to pay for a puppy Newfoundland based on the many factors that determine the price of the Newfoundland puppy, check out our calculator that lets you estimate how much you should expect to pay for the Newfoundland puppy based on what you want in the puppy.

When looking to buy a puppy, look at buying a puppy only from well-established breeders that breed puppies primarily for the love of the Newfoundland breed, and secondarily for profit. Do not buy a puppy from a puppy mill. Puppy mills mass-produce puppies in bad living conditions for maximum profit.

You may also consider adopting instead of buying a puppy. Adoption costs are very low compared to the price of a puppy.

Best Newfoundland Breeders

Newfoundland Breeders in the United States

We have researched reputable Newfoundland breeders that you can buy a puppy.

Go to this page for our complete list of reputable Newfoundland breeders in various states in the United States.

On this page, you will see how much these breeders sell their puppies for, and how many puppies they have available.

A few of these breeders are listed below.

  1. Jessica Brunette

    Puppy Price: Check with breeder

  2. Bear Paw Newfoundlands

    Puppy Price: Check with breeder

  3. D&D Newfoundland

    Puppy Price: $3200.00

  4. Hobby Horse Homestead

    Puppy Price: Check with breeder

  5. Jared Gehman

    Puppy Price: $3200

Adopting or Rescuing the Newfoundland

You may consider adopting a dog instead of buying a puppy. Many dogs, Newfoundlands included, are currently available for adoption in your local dog shelters.

These helpless but adorable dogs are waiting in dog shelters hoping that someday someone will rescue them. Dog adoption costs are lesser than the cost of a new puppy. Dog adoption costs are usually around $300 or even less.

In addition to your local dog shelter, another good place to find dogs that are available for adoption is petfinder.com.

Below is an adorable Male Newfoundland named Deejay that is currently available for adoption on Petfinder.com. You can find other lovely Newfoundlands like Deejay on pefinder.com.

Newfoundlands like Deejay are available for Adoption! It is cheaper to adopt. Image from petfinder.com

You can find more Newfoundlands that are available for adoption on petfinder.

Newfoundland Growth

Newfoundland Growth

New Newfoundland owners need to know about the growth of their Newfoundlands. This will help them plan their living spaces accordingly.

Also, knowing the typical growth pattern of the Newfoundland will help new owners catch the abnormal growth of their Newfoundland early.

See our calculator for predicting how big your Newfoundland puppy will get. You will also learn about the typical weight of the Newfoundland at different ages and how to catch abnormal growth in your Newfoundland

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The Temperament of the Newfoundland

The temperament of the Newfoundland based can be summarized as in the table below.

The table shows the scores of the Newfoundland for 13 important dog behavioral factors.

We obtained these scores by analyzing raw data from the C-BARQ dog personality survey tool. The higher the score of a dog for a factor, the worse the temperament of the dog regarding that factor.

The C-BARQ tool was developed by researchers from the University of Pennsylvania, and it is a scientific tool that is used worldwide for reliably measuring the temperament of dog breeds.

See our complete analysis of the temperament of the Newfoundland here.

Factor Score
Stranger Directed Fear 6.6 percent
Prey Drive 48.4 percent
Excitability 40.6 percent
Attachment Attention Seeking 37.6 percent
Nonsocial Fear 35.3 percent
Dog Rivalry 32.6 percent
Separation Related Behavior 29.8 percent
Energy Level 27.6 percent
Dog Directed Aggression 27.0 percent
Touch Sensitivity 26.0 percent
Dog Directed Fear 24.9 percent
Stubbornness 24.9 percent
Owner Directed Aggression 21.2 percent
Stranger Directed Aggression 15.8 percent
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How Long Newfoundlands Live

The lifespan of the Newfoundland is typically from 8 to 10 years.

Moreover, a few years back, veterinarian researchers performed a scientific study to determine the lifespan of the Newfoundland. In this study, the scientists collected data on how long 269 pet Newfoundlands lived.

From the study, it was found that Newfoundlands have an average lifespan of 9.67 years. Furthermore, the study found that it is not uncommon for Newfoundlands to live as long as 15.8 years.

Note that you need to put in some effort if you want your Newfoundland to live long.

Newfoundlands live long if they eat well, drink well, exercise well, and visit the veterinarian regularly.

There are also dog supplements that you can give your Newfoundland to improve your Newfoundland`s quality of their life.

Click here to learn more about how to make your Newfoundland live long.

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Newfoundland Litter Size

Researchers from the Norwegian School of Veterinary Science did a study where they counted the numbers of puppies in 57 different Newfoundland birth litters.

From this study, the researchers found that the average number of puppies that Newfoundlands can have is 6 puppies. Also, the Newfoundland can have as few as 1 puppies per litter and as many as 12 puppies per litter.

The number of puppies that the Newfoundland will have depends on factors such as the age of the Newfoundland, the method of pregnancy, etc.

Click here to see our calculator for predicting how many puppies your Newfoundland will have and how the litter size of the Newfoundland compares to the litter size of other dog breeds.

How Fast Newfoundlands Can Run

How fast a dog breed can run is a good measure of how athletic the dog breed is.

The American Kennel Club (AKC) regularly conducts dog running competitions. The AKC records the running speed of competing dogs in these competitions. These competitions are open to all dog breeds.

Based on our analysis of the speeds of 27 different Newfoundlands, the average speed of the Newfoundland is 18.5 mph (29.7 kmph).

The fastest speed on AKC record that the Newfoundland ran in a race is 23.88 mph (38.4 kmph) and the minimum speed on record in a race for a Newfoundland is 7.96 mph (12.8 kmph).

Click here to see how the speed of the Newfoundland compares to the speed of other dogs and other mammals such as cats, horses, humans, etc.

How fast Newfoundland can run compared to other mammals

Good Names for Newfoundlands

Here are some really good names that are typical for the Newfoundland ranked by popularity:

  • Teddy
  • Howie
  • Deejay
  • Rockland
  • Duke
  • Hobbs
  • Raisin
  • Zhuangzhuang
  • Axl
  • Rupert
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How Intelligent are Newfoundlands?

Newfoundland
Intelligence Rank 34 out of 130 dog breeds
Trainability Tend To Learn New Commands After 15 To 25 Repetitions

According to Prof. Stanley Coren, a Canadian psychology professor/dog trainer, the total intelligence that a dog demonstrates is the addition of three types of intelligence. These intelligence types are:

  1. Instinctive Intelligence: This is the natural intelligence that comes from instinct. For example, dog breeds that have been historically bred to be guard dogs will have a high `guarding` intelligence compared to dogs that were not bred for guarding.

  2. Adaptive Intelligence (learning and problem-solving ability): This indicates what a dog can learn to do for himself or herself. Adaptive intelligence is specific to each dog, and not breed specific. You can improve your dog`s adaptive intelligence by investing time to train your dog.

  3. Working/Obedience Intelligence: This type of intelligence is breed-specific. Certain dog breeds tend to have higher working/obedience intelligence than some other breeds. This intelligence is the closest to what we might call school-learning ability and it is based upon what the dog can learn to do when instructed by humans. This type of intelligence can be measured for each dog breed and compared to that of other dog breeds.

Professor Stanley Coren measured and ranked the working intelligence of about 130 different dog breeds.

Prof. Coren found that the Newfoundland has an obedience intelligence rank of 34 out of 130 dog breeds. Thus, Prof. Coren put Newfoundlands in the `Above Average Working Dogs` category.

This means that Newfoundlands tend to learn new commands after 15 to 25 repetitions.

However, we should mention that a dog should not be judged based on its intelligence alone. There are other important factors you need to consider when deciding on which dog breed to get. These other factors include sociability, adorability, and compatibility of the dog breed with your lifestyle.

See the intelligence ranking of some other dog breeds below:

Breed Intelligence Rank
German Shepherd Dog 3
Doberman Pinscher 5
English Springer Spaniel 13
Belgian Sheepdog 15
Brittany 19
Belgian Malinois 22
Vizsla 25
Cardigan Welsh Corgi 26
Chesapeake Bay Retriever 27
Norwegian Elkhound 36
Affenpinscher 37
Bedlington Terrier 40
American Foxhound 46
Alaskan Malamute 50
Akita 54
French Bulldog 58
Italian Greyhound 60
Chinese Crested 61
Bullmastiff 69
Basenji 78
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How Popular are Newfoundlands with New Dog Owners?

Every year, the American Kennel Club (AKC) publishes information on how popular a dog breed is in that particular year. The AKC gets the popularity information of a breed from how many dogs of that breed the owners register with the AKC every year. The AKC collects this data for about 200 dog breeds.

The graph below shows the popularity trend of the Newfoundland.

The popularity of the Newfoundland averaged over the years is Number 38 out of about 200 dog breeds.

Popularity of Newfoundland

Do not get a dog breed just because it is a popular dog breed. And do not reject a dog breed just because it is an unpopular breed.

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Health Problems in Newfoundlands and How to Prevent Them

Every dog breed has its own set of health problems that it tends to develop. There is nothing like a perfect dog breed.

The Newfoundland is prone to certain genetic health conditions. The Orthopedic Foundation for Animals (OFA) is an organization that keeps track of genetic health problems in dog breeds.

From the extensive records that the OFA keeps, the OFA knows what health problems each dog breed is naturally prone to develop.

Hence, the OFA recommends which health screening breeders should perform on a dog breed to make sure that the breeders won`t breed `defective` dog parents that can pass down defective genes to their puppy offspring.

If you want a Newfoundland puppy that will grow up to be healthy, make sure that your Newfoundland breeder screens your puppy or your puppy`s parents for the health problems that the OFA recommends for your puppy`s breed. This will increase the chances that your puppy is free from genetic defects.

The following are the health tests that Orthopedic Foundation for Animals (OFA) recommends that breeders should screen Newfoundlands for:

  1. Cardiac Evaluation
  2. Cystinuria
  3. Elbow Dysplasia
  4. Hip Dysplasia
  5. OFA Website

You can find out more about OFA`s recommended tests for Newfoundlands here.

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How to Take Care of Newfoundland

How to feed your Newfoundland.

To take good care of your Newfoundland, you need to make sure that you groom your Newfoundland regularly.

Secondly, you need to find a veterinarian in your area that will routinely check the health status of your Newfoundland regularly, and give you appropriate recommendations on your Newfoundland`s preventative care.

Thirdly, you need to commit some time to exercise your Newfoundland daily. Regular exercise helps improve the health and quality of life of your Newfoundland.

Also, you need to feed your Newfoundland high-quality dog food, and the food should be of the right amount to prevent your Newfoundland from getting overweight or underweight.

See our recommendations on what to feed the Newfoundland and how much food to feed the Newfoundland at different life stages.

Finally, you need to make sure that your Newfoundland has access to clean water all the time. See our recommendations on how much water your Newfoundland needs to drink at different ages.

How much water your Newfoundland needs.

Dog Breeds That Are Similar to Newfoundlands

If you have not made up your mind on which dog breed to get, you may also want to consider some other dogs similar to the Newfoundland.

We crunched the numbers and found that the following dog breeds that have similar behavior and temperament as the Newfoundland:

Other Things to Know About Newfoundlands

Here are some of the very important characteristics of the Newfoundland that you need to know about the Newfoundland breed:

  • Newfoundlands do not adapt well to apartment living.
  • Newfoundlands do not like to be left alone.
  • Newfoundlands have the tendency to develop certain health problems.
  • Newfoundlands do the things they do with very low vigor. They are not forceful.
  • Newfoundlands cannot tolerate hot weather. They are not suited for hot environments.
  • Newfoundlands require a lot of grooming and are not very easy to groom.
  • Newfoundlands are easily disturbed by noise in their environments. They are sensitive to human tone. They will understand the tone of your voice when you try to correct their behaviors with a firm tone.
  • Newfoundlands get along well with other dogs.
  • Newfoundlands are very friendly towards strangers.
  • Newfoundlands gain weight easily. You need to pay careful attention to what you feed them.
  • Newfoundlands are highly intelligent.
  • Newfoundlands have a high prey drive. They do not get along well with other pets.
  • Newfoundlands are highly vocal. They have the tendency to bark and howl.
  • Newfoundlands are very playful.
  • Newfoundlands can tolerate cold weather.
  • Newfoundlands are great family dogs. They are very affectionate with family.
  • Newfoundlands get along well with kids. They are kid-friendly.
  • Newfoundlands shed. They are not recommended for people with dog allergies.
  • Newfoundlands have a very high tendency to drool.
  • Newfoundlands are very easy to train.
  • Newfoundlands weigh 100 to 150 pounds when fully grown.
  • Newfoundlands are 2 feet, 1 inch to 2 feet, 5 inches tall at the sho when fully grown.
  • Newfoundlands have a lifespan of 8 to 10 years.