Newfoundland

Newfoundland picture

History

It is believed that the Newfoundland dog came from crossing the native Indian dogs of Newfoundland with dogs brought by settlers, possibly mastiff type dogs , they were utilised by the settlers by bringing in fishing nets and then taking the catch to the markets using carts .It is said that a captain of a ship saw this majestic dog and took two back to England ,one of which reportedly saved a sailor's life when he fell overboard in rough seas. Now a days the modern newfie no longer works , although in Europe they can still be seen jumping out of helicopters and assisting the lifeguards , in the UK there is a working lifeguard newfie in Cornwall.

Characteristics

The Newfoundland is a giant breed , but with a passion for its human companions , mostly laid back but can have a streak of mischief when the mood takes them , they are generally very good with other animals to the point of lying flat so a smaller dog can come close without being too intimidated by the sheer mass of the shaggy dog they have seen.

Do not be complacent as these dogs are powerful ( and can be known to suffer from Newfoundland deaf ear , in other words I hear you but I will ignore you and do my own thing) early training and socialisation are a must as an out of hand newfie can be a nightmare , as tales from the breed rescue can confirm , but generally they make excellent companions and house dogs but not for the house proud , as they tend to pick up bits as if they are made of velcro , They adore human contact and do not like to be left for extended periods of time.

Grooming

This is not for the faint hearted , grooming 2 to 3 times a week should keep a newfie clean and matt free , they can matt very easily especially the feathers, under arms and behind the ears , but most enjoy the fuss and will readily lie down with legs a kimbo to be brushed.

Health

As with a lot of giant breeds newfies can have health problem too, most know of hip dysplasia and hearts problems but recently elbows and cystinuria (bladder crystals ) have been known to cause problems. All dogs used for breeding should be fully health tested , hips and elbows via the bva schemes , hearts should be tested by Eco -Doppler scanning and be free of any abnormalities , cystinuria is done via a DNA test , which will tell whether the dog is clear, affected or a carrier.

Also using dogs below the breed average of 26 hips and 0-0 elbows will help to eliminate /reduce the number of dogs that maybe affected by these crippling diseases.With careful breeding these problems have been reduced in recent years and hopefully this will continue to be the case.

Mandatory Health Tests

Recommended Health Tests

More Information

Historical Average Puppy Prices

Year 2002 2003 2004 2005 2006 2007 2008 2009 2010 2011 2012 2013 2014 2015 2016 2017 2018 2019 2020 2021 2022 2023 2024
Price (£) 725 900 950 940 969 1088 1106 1200 1213 1292 1373 1356 1350 1350 1356 1500 1607 1707 2275 2971 2817 2633 2625
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