by Tammy L Mahan

Created on: December 18, 2008

The Newfoundland dog breed has been around since the 1400's. Originally they were used as work dogs until the 1800's at the time they were called St. John's dog.

PHYSICAL APPEARANCE

The Newfoundland is a massive dog. The average male's height varies from 27 to 30 inches and he weighs 130 to 150 pounds. The average female's height varies from 25 to 27 inches and she weighs 100 to 120 pounds. This dog breed has a huge head and a strong body. The muzzle of the Newfoundland is wide and short and the small ears are triangular shaped. The nose of the Newfoundland is black but the bronze variety has a brown nose. The legs of this breed are webbed to enable swimming and the declaws on the hind legs should be removed.

The coat of this breed is long and outer coat is oily, wavy and water repellent and the dense undercoat is oily. The most popular color of the Newfoundland is black with white on the chest, feet and tail. Grey, bronze, black with blue highlights and black and white are the other colors of this breed.

SOCIAL BEHAVIOR

The Newfoundland is courageous, intelligent and of good temperament that likes spending time with its owners. This breed is also gentle and friendly and is mild with owners and patient with children. This breed will stand between the owner and the intruder to protect his owner and hence makes a good guard dog. This breed's size and ability to sense danger are other factors that help him guard his family. Training this breed is a little difficult and the owner must be calm and patient while being firm as this breed is very sensitive to his owner's tone of voice.

The Newfoundland breed loves water and enjoys a swim during the hot weather and they are often used in water rescues due to their excellent swimming ability. It is recorded that in the 1900's one Newfoundland rescued 92 people from a sinking ship during a blizzard.

REPRODUCTION

The gestation period of this breed is 60 to 75 days but may vary by a few days in some cases. The female Newfoundland can deliver six to ten puppies however most of the female Newfoundland deliver an average of seven puppies per litter.

The Newfoundland is prone to several health conditions that may result in an early sudden death, this breed is also known to have a genetic problem with the valves in the heart. The average life span is eight to ten years.

This dog breed makes a wonderful family pet as well as a guard dog. They are loyal, loveable and protective!

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