NewfoundlanD DogS

8 tips to become a good owner of a Newfoundland dog

2011-10-03T08:55:00.003+02:00

It is surely nice to own a Newfoundland dog, but great responsibility goes with it as well. If you whether have got a dog or you are planning to buy one (or just being curious and reading), here are few advices that may be useful. Yes, there are many things that a dog owner should pay attention to and it’s probably impossible to mention them all, but here are a couple of examples.

1. Always be patient with your Newfoundland dog. Newfoundland dogs are known by their calm nature and called “gentle giants”, so if your dog is patient, it will be great if you could be patient at least as it is.
2. Always clean the mess that your Newfoundland dog leaves behind. Yes, it can be boring (and not pleasant of course) sometimes, but keeping your house clean is important for both of you and your Newfie.
3. Don’t ever hit your dog. It’s never necessarily to do it. So what if your dog didn’t manage to succeed at certain training task at his first attempt? Newfoundland dogs are usually easy to train and there so no reason for getting upset if your dog needs a bit more time than you expected.
4. Don’t be lazy to take your Newfoundland dog for a walk. Your dog should be taken for an at least one walk a day. It will help your dog not becoming fat and it’s good for its health overall.
5. Play with your Newfoundland dog. Besides training and walking your dog, sometimes it’s good just to spend your time with it. Game choice is up to you, if you are out of ideas, you can search for some advices HERE.
6. Reward your Newfie when it successfully completes the task that you gave it. The award can be some kind of a treat, or simply saying “Good boy/job” to it.
7. Always supply enough water for your Newf. Newfoundland dogs like water a lot, but they also need it for cooling on warm days.
8. Give your dog a name. Well, this might doesn’t fall under the “tips list”, because it’s normal that people are giving their dogs names, but in case that you can’t decide, here are a couple of name ideas for your Newfoundland DOG.

Additional information about Newfoundland dogs nutrition

2011-09-20T10:33:00.001+02:00

A nutrition theme was already discussed and some of the following information could be already mentioned before, but the subject will now mostly be nutrition of puppies, while it was about Newfoundland dogs of all ages before (about this breed in general).
When you buy a Newfoundland puppy, one of things that you need to do is to ask puppy’s breeder what was the puppy’s nutrition like. Of course, he will almost certainly say it before you manage to ask him, but in case that he forgets it’s on you to remind him. When you find out about puppy’s diet that it had, it’s ok to continue with the same, because probably there will be no reasons for changing it, especially if you see that your puppy is growing well. If you really want to, you can change your puppy’s diet, but if you decide it, do it gradually (over a period of at least 5 days), because you don’t want your puppy getting any stomach problems.
When speaking about your Newfoundland puppy’s nutrition, it’s important to mention that you shouldn’t let your puppy to become fat. They are quite big breed and already have got a slower metabolism, so getting too fat is really bad and unhealthy for them. If they become overweight, it will be hard for them to carry their weight on their feet, and their legs will become damaged. Yes, it falls under the “already mentioned information” list, but if something is important, it’s probably better to discuss it more times than forget about it and not mentioning it a single time. Anyway, some of the owners may be unsure how to check are they puppies having normal weight. The common way for doing this is to gently press your puppy’s ribs, you should feel them all.
So, let’s start discussing the food that’s good for a Newfoundland puppy (and the food that isn’t good as well). When talking about milk, many people tend to buy cow’s milk, and it’s usually a good choice. If for some reason puppy shows that it doesn’t like this kind of milk, a good replacement should be goat’s milk. Also, even small children do know that dogs like to eat bones, so what about them? Well, the best are raw and big ox bones, and it would be best that puppy chews only that ones. Cooked bones, bones of pork and lamb can be dangerous to puppies.
There are usually two ways to feed dogs: first one is using dog’s food, while the other one is choosing and mixing food on your own. If you decide to choose the first way, just simply read the guide and follow it. If it shows how much food to give during the whole day, just split it equally in (would be best) 4 meals. If you pick second way, meals usually include milk and meat. When puppy grows to approximately 15 weeks of age, you can add vegetable (that is lightly cooked) to their nutrition as well. Also, if you select this way of nutrition, be very careful about quantity of the food that you’re giving to your puppy (inform yourself very well before doing it).

What kind of activities should I do with my Newfoundland puppy besides training it?

2011-09-12T22:07:00.002+02:00

There are no many or complicated things that should be

mentioned here and it’s a big possibility that a lot of

people

(not only dog breeders) already have heard for them, but

still let’s take a look at a couple of tips that every man who

owns a dog might be interested to.

Besides training, activities that you can do together with

your Newfoundland puppy are usually walking it, playing

with it or letting your Newfoundland puppy to swim. Playing

with a Newfoundland dog was already mentioned, and you

can check it here, so let’s talk a bit more about the

remaining two options (there were a couple of words about

them as well, but it will be slightly more specific now).

So, let’s start with swimming. Anyone who either owns a

Newfoundland dog or is informed about them, he almost

certainly knows that they like water and to swim. Or they

don’t? Well, actually, most of Newfoundland dogs can

swim, but some of them can’t. So, if you find yourself

close to a water area, don’t be like: “Oh, it’s a

Newfoundland dog, it knows to swim” and throw it into the

water. Asking breeder about this when buying a

Newfoundland puppy would be a good idea, but in case

that he can’t answer you, you should probably consult

people who are professionals in this area.

When talking about walking, the walk is surely one of the

most common activities that people do with their dogs.

Also, it was already mentioned that Newfoundland dogs are

quite big breed of dogs and their metabolism is a bit

slower, so it’s important that they don’t get fat. A walk is

one of the activities that help in preventing it. In the

beginning, you should be careful because your puppy’s

joints are sensitive and it has got heavy body to carry on its

legs as well. So, until your puppy grows up to the 10 weeks

of age, you can walk it two times a day and a walk can last

for 5 minutes. It will be enough. Then, you can increase

walking time a bit every next time, so it’s good that a

puppy that’s about 5 months old gets walked twice a day

(and walk should last for about ten minutes).

Also, these numbers doesn’t have to be 100% accurate all

the time. They can be used for orientation while spending

time with a Newfoundland puppy, but if you at any time

notice that your puppy is getting tired, feel free to stop

walking it (or some other activity). There can be a lot of

reasons for your puppy getting tired fast. For example, if

suddenly gets hot outside. If you notice that the weather is

sunny, it would be best that you don’t even walk your

puppy at that moment.

Can I have a Newfoundland dog and keep my house clean as well?

2011-09-07T11:37:00.001+02:00

Some people may be afraid of buying a Newfoundland dog,
(mostly the ones who haven’t got a yard) because they are
worried whether they house will remain clean or not. When
talking about dogs in a house and keeping its cleanliness,
it’s mainly about getting rid of dog’s feces. Of course, it is
usually a very unpleasant thing to do, but here are a
couple
of things that a Newfoundland dog owner might be
interested to know.

First of all, it should be mentioned that puppies can’t control their needs “to go to toilet”, so that’s why they by the word toilet consider everything around them. It’s like having a little baby, but without using diapers. Actually, when talking about diapers, there are also diapers for dogs and they should be available for buying in most of pet stores. However, if you consider buying diapers for your dog as an option for keeping the house clean, it would probably be a good idea to consult a vet first before doing it (to find out is there any possible reason that you shouldn’t do that and to generally inform yourself).

Ability to control their bowels (and bladder as well) will come as your Newfoundland puppy grows older. However, it’s not like you should just sit and wait for that to happen. It would be great if you could put some effort and try to recognize the signs that shows that your puppy wants to do a certain activity. Yes, it can be hard in the beginning, but it’s far from impossible. If you manage to see these signs on your dog and if you are able to take him to the place where is he supposed to do this acts, you will spare a lot of time (and prevent unnecessarily dirt in your house as well of course). Beside “recognizing signs”, it would be also a good idea that you take your puppy outside after its meals and after it wakes up, so you can try to make it get used on doing this kind of needs outside the house.

Also, of course that you won’t be able to always prevent your puppy from making your house dirty. Therefore, when you see that your puppy is sleeping, you should put few pieces of paper (usual newspaper will be fine) on the floor, so your puppy is likely supposed to understand it over time.
Even with extra care, accidents will happen and you will have to do an unpleasant job sometimes. However, you should never punish your puppy because of that, not just because it isn’t a nice thing to do, but your puppy most likely won’t understand it, even if you catch it while doing it. Most Newfoundland dogs are trained easily, so remaining calm and keeping patience shouldn’t be a problem for their owner.

Is grooming a Newfoundland puppy a hard thing to do?

2011-09-03T14:04:00.012+02:00

Newfoundland dogs are pretty big breed of a dog, so when some people see them and consider buying them, they may ask themselves (beside some other facts) are these dogs hard to groom. It’s never easy to answer on a question like that, because people have different preferences and opinions and therefore some of them do certain things in an easier way than other and vice-versa. Yes, you will need to spend some time on doing this and it may seem a little boring sometimes, but if you are thinking of buying a dog it means that you like them, so doing an activity that is related to it shouldn’t represent a problem to you.
Ok, so let’s get to the point. In the beginning, it will be a good idea that your puppy is being groomed at least once a day. A slicker brush is more than enough for doing this. There is nothing special that should be mentioned here, except that you should be very careful when brushing inner parts of its legs and its stomach, because they are more sensitive than other parts of its body. When your Newfoundland puppy grows a bit, you can groom it once a week instead of every day. Also, you may consider using some other tools beside brush for keeping your Newfoundland dog clean, so if you are unsure about that (or anything else related to your dog), it will be the best idea that you consult the breeder that you have bought dog from (or a vet of course).
Grooming Newfoundland puppy shouldn’t be a hard thing to do, but yet there are few things that their owner should know. First of all, try not to make a long procedure of grooming. As it was mentioned, your puppy should be groomed at least once a day at start, so, if you even make it last long, you are not the only one who will get bored of it. Also, don’t get this like “Ok, I’m going to finish this job in 5 seconds”, doing it fast isn’t the best thing to do either. Just try to do it in a best way possible and also pay attention to its ears hygiene, because it’s very important to them.

Besides taking a good care of your Newfoundland puppy’s coat, it also important that you teach it that grooming isn’t anything that it should refuse to do. Even if you have any difficulties sometimes, never lose your temper and try to be the best owner you can be.

Should my Newfoundland puppy have friends?

2011-08-30T14:51:00.001+02:00

Many of dog owners are often questioning themselves whether or not their dog should meet other dogs. Well, like humans (and other animals beside dogs), Newfoundland dogs need to establish friendships with others, so it’s ok that they meet some other dogs, but of course there are few things that their owner should be aware of. One of them is certainly that he should make sure first that the dogs that his dog is meeting are friendly and non-aggressive.

So, if my puppy should have friends, is it important that it has a lot of them? Well, it’s not like that dogs have got facebook so they can boast to each other for how many friends have they got, but if a puppy doesn’t meet any other dog, there’s a possibility that it can become shy in the future. Besides meeting other dogs, if you want to take your puppy to a place where are a lot of people, it will be a good idea that your puppy have seen people before, so before taking your puppy somewhere, your puppy should see some other people except you(for example you can show it to your friends, family or so)
Is it ok that my puppy meets children? Newfoundland dogs are known as the dogs who are good with children, so they usually get on well together.

It is common to say that experience is very important, it can’t be bought by money and you can’t gain it by talking to somebody. Like the word says itself, you have to experience something first to get certain knowledge from it and that will serve you when making decisions in future that are somehow related to what you have experienced. Puppies should also gain certain experience, and their owner can’t take care of his puppy 24/7, but he should do as much is it in his power to ensure that his puppy will grow into a friendly adult.
Puppy’s regular grow into an adult dog is very important. Also, it’s very good if an owner of a puppy can recognize what is his pet trying to say to him. For example, if you see that your puppy lowered its tail and it is scared of something, you shouldn’t force him to that object, whatever it is. Your puppy will make decision on its own, when it feels that it is ready. The owner’s most important task is to have a lot of patience for his puppy, like while he’s training it.

Newfoundland puppies training

2011-08-26T22:48:00.000+02:00

Ok, so here’re few things about training of Newfoundland puppies that you might be interested in. If you have got a Newfoundland puppy, it’s good to start with its training as soon as possible. Also, even if you are considered by pet’s owner in your family, it’s a good idea that you introduce other family’s members in puppy’s training as well. The main thing that you should tell them (and you should know that too), is that the dog must not be superior to its owner. A subordinate puppy obeys orders better than the one who thinks that’s on higher level than its owner and therefore it’s easier to train.
When you are training your Newfoundland puppy, use same words whether you are commanding or praising. If you use different words (of course that people in most of cases tend to use same, but this can happen by mistake as well), there is a big possibility that the puppy will get confused and its training will be overall harder.

Also, when you are rewarding your puppy, do that as quickly as possible, so the puppy can realize that it got rewarded for doing something in a way it should.
While you’re training your puppy, try not to make lessons too complicated or long, especially at the beginning. If you feel that your puppy is giving up from doing certain task that you gave it, don’t become impatient and ask from it to do it at all costs. Just give him some other simpler lesson and complete the training for that day, because it’s a good idea to finish exercise with a well done job. One of the first lessons that your puppy should be taught is to come when called.
This was already discussed in some of the previous posts, but it will be mentioned once more, as it’s very important whether you are Newfoundland or some other dog owner. You should NEVER hit your dog and there are many reasons for that. Not only that you will inflict pain to it (and hitting pets isn’t a nice thing to do), but your puppy can take that on different ways, which depends from situation. For example, if you call your puppy to come to you and it doesn’t come right away, but in 5 minutes and you hit it, your puppy might think that it will be hit every time when comes. Because of this, your puppy might resist obeying this command in future and it will make training harder overall. Even yelling is a bad thing to do, because your puppy may lose its confident.
Newfoundland dogs are known by their patience, so try to be at least patient as they are, never lose your temper and try to make both of you and your puppy happy.

Newfoundland puppies

2011-08-22T03:12:00.000+02:00

When people see Newfoundland puppies, they usually react like: “Oh, I like them very much, they’re so cute”. Well, like all other puppies, certainly they are, but if someone wants to become their breeder, there are a lot of things that he should know about them besides their appearance. Breeding a dog is surely a nice thing to do, but great responsibility goes with it as well. So, if you are reading this and want to whether become their breeder or just being curious and want to know a little bit more about Newfoundland puppies, here are few (hopefully useful) advices.

First, let’s start with basic things that you should think about before buying a Newfoundland puppy. Puppies need to have a bed to sleep in, of course not as big as yours, but they will be satisfied with a large carton with one long side cut down to approximately 7cm from bottom and with a blanket. When talking about puppy’s nutrition, it’s ok to continue with diet that your puppy had by its previous owner. You can change diet if you want to, but if so, do it very carefully and gradually in order to avoid possible stomach problems of your puppy. Newfoundland dogs like water, so you should have got water bowl, the shallow one if possible, in order to avoid floods in your house. Like kids (and all other young living creatures), Newfoundland dog puppies like to play. Buying them toys is ok thing to do, but be very careful while selecting them. It’s very important that the toys are appropriate and not dangerous, because you don’t want your puppy get hurt.

However, besides stuff from above, there are more things that you might be interested in. For example, if you have got a swimming pool, it’s important that it must be fenced. Yes, Newfoundland dogs are good swimmers, but it happened that some dogs drowned because they couldn’t climb out. Also, when talking about water, if you have got a fish pond, it would probably be a good idea to fence it as well. Gardens can be dangerous places for puppies, because they like to chew things and some plants in garden can be poisonous for them. Therefore, you’ll probably wish to fence garden somehow, or at least prevent access to them. So, fencing is important mostly because of safety of your puppy, but to prevent it escape as well, because even a young one is able to do it.
Of course, there are more things that an owner of Newfoundland puppy should know about his pet, but like the title says, these are basic stuff and more information about puppies are coming soon.

Newfoundland – The origin of Newfoundland dogs

2011-08-19T13:14:00.000+02:00

After reading certain content of this blog it’s a quite big possibility that you read word “Newfoundland” many times and that totally makes sense, because the blog is about Newfoundland dogs. Also, probably a lot of the people do know where Newfoundland is, but even if so, besides geographic orientation, it will be said about some more basic things, that you may have interest in, whether you do or not own a Newfoundland dog.
Newfoundland and Labrador is one of the 10 provinces of Canada and it’s located on the east of the country. Geographical, it is composed by the island of Newfoundland and land area of Labrador, which borders Quebec, one of the provinces. Originally, this province was called only Newfoundland and it became the newest province of Canada, after its joining. Since 2001, the name “Newfoundland and Labrador” it official, so following text will be mostly about whole province.

It’s easy to conclude that the name “Newfoundland” means “New Found Land” in English, while the origin of Labrador isn’t exactly determined, but it’s credited to a Portuguese explorer Lavrador. There is about half of a million people living in Newfoundland, and the total area of the province (both land and water) is about 400.000 square kilometers. The capital city of Newfoundland and Labrador St. John’s is also a largest city in province and about 40% of province’s population lives there.
If we look back in the past, we’ll be able to see that, before becoming the tenth province of Canada, Newfoundland was United Kingdom’s colony. It became Canadian’s province on 31st of March, 1949, as “Newfoundland”, but as it was mentioned, from 2001 to date official name of the province is “Newfoundland and Labrador”.
For Newfoundland and Labrador’s province climate should be said that there are 6 of its types. If we would want to call it by one name, we would probably say that Newfoundland has some kind of a humid continental climate, which is influenced very much by the sea. Northern Labrador has polar tundra climate, while the southern has subarctic climate.

So, before ending, let’s say something about culture. Culture is quite wide term, so when talking about culture of a certain country, there are many things that can be referred to that. Here, we will say a bit about Newfoundland and Labrador’s music. Newfoundland has its own dialects of French, English and Irish language, so it’s easy to guess that their music is influenced by English and Irish (and Scottish as well). A lot of their music is focused on the sea and sailing, so therefore there are a lot of songs speaking about these subjects.

Landseer Newfoundland dogs

2011-08-16T12:30:00.001+02:00

Landseer is a breed of dog, which is mostly considered as a black and white type of Newfoundland dog. Their life span is up to 10 years.

They have got small eyes and black nose. Ears are pendant and their shape is closest to the triangle. Like other Newfoundland dogs, they also have webbed feet, which help them while swimming and their tails hang down. Also, their long outer coat is flat, while their undercoat is thick and oily. Landseers are quite big dogs and they tend to droll, but not so much as other giant breeds.
Though they have same origin, there are certain differences between a Landseer and Newfoundland dog. Landseer has shorter hair than Newfoundland and it doesn’t have so deep breast. In general, Landseer’s legs are longer than other Newfoundland’s, so they are a bit taller. Longer legs make them excellent runners, all in all quicker and therefore they are usually consider as dogs that are easier to train than others of its breed.

The temperament of Landseer dogs is similar as of other Newfoundland’s. They are known for their patience and loyalty. Also, they are very intelligent, noble and protective. If they recognize any sign of a danger, they will protect their owners. Knowing their nature is very important, mostly because of their training. They are calm and sensitive to voice, so the owner should be patient if he wants to succeed in training them. He also needs to be calm, but confident as well. Patience is the key. If dog doesn’t do something right away, there is no need for any kind of anger. If dog is patient, then the least what his owner can do is to be at least patient as his pet. Besides training,

Landseer should be taken on a walk, once a day at least.

When talking about Landseer’s health, it should be mentioned that they are prone to hip dysplasia, which can be found in many animals. Like with other Newfoundland dogs, owners of Landseer dogs shouldn’t let them to get fat. The Landseer is also prone to a hereditary heart disease called sub – aortic stenosis (SAS), so it’s recommended that breeders check their puppy’s hearts by a veterinary cardiologist at 8 – 12 weeks of age.

If someone wants to buy a Landseer and want to know can he ensure living conditions for it, he should know that they aren’t very active indoors and if you want to keep them outside, small yard is enough for them. They are sensitive to heat, so, when it’s warm weather, you should always provide them a lot of shade and cold water. Also, these aren’t only information that Landseer owners should know, but they are one of the basics.

Newfoundland dogs prices

2011-08-12T12:49:00.004+02:00

Are Newfoundland dogs expensive and hard to afford? Does it pay off to buy some? Well, answering on this one isn’t an easy task.
A price of a Newfoundland dog is usually about 1000$, but it can vary up to 2000. It is hard to answer are they expensive, because prices are very relative term. People are not earning same amount of money, plus their preferences are different. Some of them would rather buy some new fancy clothes, while others will spend their money on vacation. Therefore, a price of Newfoundland dog won’t be defined in this article as cheap or expensive, everyone knows his possibilities and will determine that for himself.
The price of Newfoundland dogs is higher, as the dog has more qualities. There are Newfies that cost less than 1000$, and it doesn’t have to mean that they’re bad, but it’s usually an older puppy. Some people might not be so picky, but the most of them will consider age as important criterion while deciding whether they will or not buy a pet.
So, like everywhere, more quality requires more money. Sometimes it’s better to give a bit more money for something that you know it’s good, then for something cheap and bad. The important thing about prices (and about buying a Newfoundland dog, because it’s pretty sure that if someone looks a price of some certain thing, he’s interested in buying it) is that u always get informed very well about anything that you’re buying.
When talking about Newfoundland dogs, it’s great to know that you’re buying your pet from a reputable breeder. This isn’t possible always, but would be good to happen. How should reputable breeder look like? Well, some people suggest that Newfoundland dogs buyers should find breeders that tested the parents hips for dysplasia. Besides this, if the seller did any other kind of tests, it should mean that you found a good breeder.
The price of Newfoundland dogs also depends from their color. It probably won’t be always like this, but usually black are the cheapest, then black-and-white (“Landseer”) and gray, the rarest and most expensive.
Besides giving money for buying a Newfoundland dog, of course that it will “ask” for more money, like buying food and other expenses. So, it can’t be told “Yes, it does pay of to have it” or “No, it doesn’t”. Like it was said on the beginning, it depends from the people and their desires. If someone likes animals and has enough earnings to finance it, having a pet is a pleasure for him.

Names for Newfoundland dogs

2011-08-09T19:22:00.001+02:00

Newfoundland dogs have got a lot of nicknames, such as Newf, Newfie and certainly the most popular – the gentle giant, because he really is it.. Ok, so, these are nicknames and you won’t name your dog with any of them, but probably the main reason for writing them is last nick – gentle giant. A lot of people name their pets according to their appearance, skills or something that’s special for them. Newfoundland dogs are big, they have got a kind nature and they are very patient. So, if you are out of ideas you can always give your pet a name that fits into his look or behaving.
Also, there are people that would like that their Newfoundland dog has the same name as certain famous Newf. Therefore, if you are one of them, here are few examples: Bilbo (was lifeguard on the beach), Hairy Man (helped a young a girl and her family to save more than 150 people from a shipwreck), Swansea Jack (well-known Welsh rescue dog), Josh (winner of the Westminster Dog Show, 2004), Robber (dog of the composer Richard Wagner, inspired the opera “Flying Dutchman”) and others.

If you don’t want to, of course that you don’t have to give your Newf the same name as some famous Newfoundland dog had. Besides giving famous names or according to their look, you can always be creative, or search the net if you aren’t into dog’s names. Some good examples for names could be: Blake, Bruno, Buxley, Greta, Henry, Flora, Sam, Jessie, Jumbo, Wolfgang, Max and so on. Newfie is considered by a nickname, but it can be also a name for your Newfoundland dog.
Is the name important and does it determine the one who carries it? Well, this is very questionable and hard to answer. Some people think it is, so they are very slow and careful while deciding what name will their pet have, while others don’t pay so much attention to it and naming isn’t a hard job for them. However, it’s probably a good idea to give your dog some usual name, so he can get used to it easily. This is especially important while training phase. The sooner your Newfoundland dog learns his name, further job will be easier. If your Newf doesn’t remember his name right away, don’t be impatient. Newfoundland dogs are known as patient, so if you want to earn their trust, it will be good that you act on the same way.

How to play with your Newfoundland puppy?

2011-06-30T11:01:00.000+02:00

Playing games is certainly one of the most important things in life of every creature who walks this planet. According to that, games take big part of everyone’s life, so therefore pets as well. This is a text about Newfoundland puppies, but the most of the story will be told referred to all dogs. However, don’t think that things that you read here can’t be applied on your Newfoundland puppies just because the most of information can be taken as general information.

First of all, you should know that playing with your pet isn’t just useful for it, but for you too. Games are extremely good for both physical and mental development. Playing isn’t just having fun as some people think, but learning a lot of important stuff too. So, while you are playing with your Newfoundland dog puppy, you are also teaching it some things and you can be unaware of that. For example, besides only having fun, your pet is learning how to behave itself. As it was explained through comparison on the start, I would like to compare humans and dogs now once more. When you’ve read word “behavior” you might thought “Yeah, like the dog’s behavior is important”. Well, actually, it really is. We all know why are some spoiled people (I say people but it’s mostly referred to teenagers) acting the way they do – it’s because they were spoiled while they were kids. Situation is similar with the dogs. Don’t take this wrong, it’s doubtless that you need to offer love and attention to your pet, just be careful to not be too careful.

So, we can start now with listing real games that you can play with your Newfoundland puppy. The most popular game with all dogs is certainly, you are guessing – Fetch. Yes, this game is not only popular but very good for your dog. You should start this game by showing a toy (ball, stick) to your dog and telling it certain command that your pet should be get used to. This command is “sit” in most of the cases. After this, you need to throw the object that you are keeping (don’t throw it too far at the beginning) and you should tell to your dogs commands like “bring it”, “get it” and so on. It’s is important that these words are spoken with encouraging tone and confident voice, and that you don’t yell at your dog. It is very important not to yell, so what if your dog didn’t do it from first attempt? After each successful period of the game, reward him with words that you are free to choose.

Hide and seek is also a game that can be played with your Newfoundland puppy. In this game you need to put you puppy in “sit position” and go and hide somewhere (This game can require one person more besides you, if your puppy is impatient or not enough trained to be calm without you standing by its side). After you hided yourself, start calling puppy’s name. It will seek you until it finds you.

Besides all these games, I think it would be good to mention some things that you could and you couldn’t do with your pet (things that you should be aware of). You should know what toys your pet likes and keep them while removing the ones he doesn’t. Pay attention on your voice too, high voice usually excite your dog while lower voice mostly means some kind of a command. Also, while doing all this, occasionally teach your dog commands like “sit”, “drop it” and so on.

Things that you shouldn’t do with your dog are yelling on it and chasing it. Also, don’t let your puppy to go to search attention from someone other else, all attention should be granted from you.

Surely there are many more games besides the ones that are mentioned above, but the most of them can be grouped somehow in “tricks”. No one can write down all tricks that people do with their pets, because there are no certain rules. You just need to be creative and patient and you will surely succeed.

Newfoundland rescue dogs

2011-05-25T21:46:00.001+02:00

As you probably already know, Newfoundland dogs like water. You probably also knew that these dogs are famous by their calm nature and strength. As it was mentioned before, there are called “gentle giants”. Besides their kindness, it is probably in their nature to help others. They are not famous only by being brave, but by their life-rescuing abilities. They also like water very much, so most of the life saves that were written are connected to the water somehow.
It was stated that one Newfoundland alone saved over 60 sailors few years ago. Bravery and strength like this one is worth admiring. If you just ask yourself how many people there are on this world who wouldn’t do anything, but this Newf got this all and he certainly deserves huge respect. This can be one of the reasons that there are a lot of Newfoundland Rescue Demonstrations today.
If we go back in time, we can see many life rescues by these dogs. Some of them are officially confirmed, but even if there are some of them that aren’t, don’t be skeptical and suspect that these dogs aren’t good as it’s talked about them. If some information aren’t certain, then it’s probably about the year or number of saved people, but not about incredibility of Newfoundland dogs.
There is an old story and it tells about Napoleon Bonaparte. It is written in history, that he was exiled on the island of Elba. 1815 he tried to escape from there, but the sea was cruel and he fell in water. Then a Newfoundland dog appeared and saved him from being drowned.
Several years after that, in 1828, Ann Harvey has together with his brother, father and Newfoundland dogs rescued over 150 shipwrecked Irish.

In the beginning of 20th century, there is a story that there was a blizzard and one Newfoundland dog saved almost 100 people from sinking ship in Newfoundland. It is thought that the dog took a rope from the deck and brought it to the beach. There was also a breeches buoy (additional device that is attached to the rope) and all people who were on the ship could safely make their move across the shore.
In 1995, there was a hearing - impaired man who was drowning in the Yuba River in Northern California. Boo, a 10 month old Newf, while walking along the river with his owner, noticed this man as he fights for his life. Boo dove into the water without thinking, took the drowning man for his hand and saved his life. According to the statement of the owner of this Newfoundland dog, he didn’t have any training about life rescuing. This confirms how these dogs brave and noble are. It is in their nature and instincts, that they help others, which make them really special, as in dog’s world, so in animal’s and even human’s as well.
It is certain that these dogs deserve big respect for what they done. To save a life to someone is not a small thing, and Newfoundland dogs are surely experts in that.

Nutrition of Newfoundland dogs

2011-05-18T02:14:00.001+02:00

What do Newfoundland dogs eat and how much food should you offer to them? Well, as it was said before, it’s very important that you don’t’ let your Newf get fat, because besides rest possible issues they already have slow metabolism. Also, don’t take this literal and let your dog starve, moderation is very important in all areas of life, so in this one too.
Newfoundland dogs like water a lot, so it’s not hard to guess that they can be fed on “sea food”. Newfoundland dog are excellent swimmers, so in their natural environment they would probably eat food such as fish.
Newfoundland dogs are quite big for their breed, so while growing they need proper food for normal growth. You can probably have a huge choice of dog’s food at supermarkets, but if you know a little bit about your dog, you can buy certain groceries and maybe even save a bit of money.
Everyone needs vitamins, therefore Newfs as well. In aim of giving your dog a healthy life, you must provide him enough vitamins as a normal part of his daily nutrition. So, it’s very important for Newfoundland dogs that they are supplied by vitamins A, D and E, and sources of these can be both vegetables and meat, but meat is a better choice in this case. So, these dogs should be well-supplied by proteins, such as milk and eggs. Pork and lamb are good ideas for feeding your Newf too. In fact, it’s important that the food that you are giving to your dog is high with fat. According to this, soy products are not quite recommended for Newfoundland dogs. Except them, there is more food that shouldn’t be given to Newfs, such as poultry and raw meat, as they can contain bacteria that can hurt Newfoundland dogs. Also, chocolate should never be given to Newf because it’s very dangerous for it.
How many times you should feed your Newfoundland dog a day? Well, this number depends mostly from age. Average adult Newf eats approximately five or six cups of dry food and up to one pound of meat per day.
Now, let’s come back to the not-overfeeding topic again. Like it was mentioned on the top of the text, you should be very careful when feeding your Newfoundland dogs and don’t let them whether overfeed or to be underfeed. Don’t think that your dog will grow bigger if you feed him more, that’s not true. Like any another being, Newfoundland dogs can grow up to the size that their genetic nature allows them, so if you give them more food than you should, they won’t grow more, they will just get fat. If you suspect that your dog is getting fatter than it should be, you can simply start measuring it every day and write that down.
Newfoundland dogs should be supplied with different kinds of food, but be careful that, while feeding your dog, don’t change your food type quickly, as it can be negatively reflected on your pet. It’s quite similar as with humans. If someone eats certain food every day and suddenly starts eating something else, it’s a big chance that it would have negative consequences.
If you are feeling uncertain about something that’s related to your dog’s nutrition or anything else, always consult your vet first. He always knows the best and will offer his professional help to your pet and can advice you very well.
Nutrition is just one need of your Newfoundland's dog. Don’t forget to provide them a lot of love, even while simply just feeding it becouse Newfoundland dogs are kind and gentle too.

Newfoundland dogs health

2011-05-16T23:45:00.003+02:00

When you decide to buy yourself one or even few Newfoundland dogs, one of the main things is to provide yourself knowledge about health and treatment conditions of your pets, because Newfoundland dogs are prone to certain health problems. Once when you learn some basic about your pet’s health, you are ready to buy one for yourself. Buying a Newfoundland dog is a big obligation, BUT don't be afraid, if you know some basic things and do all properly everything will be okay and you will have no problems. First thing you should know at the beginning is if you see anything strange in your Newfoundland’s behavior, best for you is that you don't panic, and call your veterinarian. If you call your vet you will be sure that if he tells you that your dog is fine, it surely is and if he tells you to bring your dog you will take it to vet and then your dog is in safe hands. There are a few diseases of Newfoundland dogs like cherry eye, gastric torsion, cystinuria, elbow dysplasia, addison's disease, cancer etc...

-Let's start with cherry eye, so cherry eye looks like a red mass at the inner corner of your dog's eye. The treatment for cherry eye is usually surgery.

-Addison's disease is also known as hypoadrenocarticism and this extremely serious condition is caused by an insufficient production of adrenal hormones by the adrenalin gland. It is very hard to recognize this disease because signs are vague and can be mistaken for other conditions. Some signs that your Newfoundland have addison's disease is it lethargy and poor appetite, and if you see any of this signs it is best for your dog to take it to vet where it can perform some tests to confirm the diagnosis.

-Epilepsy of Newfoundland dogs is often inherited disease. When your dog has epilepsy this disease can cause seizures which may be manifested by unusual behavior of your Newfoundland such as staggering, hiding or running as if behind chased but this kind of seizures can be also caused by many things like metabolic disorders, infectious diseases and etc.

-Elbow dysplasia can be very painful disease because it is caused by different growth rates of the 3 bones make up elbow of your dog. This disease can be healed by surgery and your vet can also recommend a couple of medication to control the pain.

-Cancer falls in hard diseases like to humans it is same case with dogs. Treatments is also hard part and there is options like surgery, medications etc, symptoms of cancer that you may see on your pet is bleeding from any body opening, abnormal swelling of a sore or bump and hard breathing.

-Cystinuria is disease which is caused by an inability to reabsorb cystine (amino acid). To Newfoundland dogs this kind of disease can cause blockage and urinary tract inflammation. Treatment may include medication and if this disease left untreated it can lead to death.

If yours Newfoundland dogs have any kind of diseases it is important to be with them and take care of them the best you can. Everything that you do for your Newfoundland will make it to feel better and comfortable, however difficult it is. Relation between owner and his dog must be close and full of love, care and patience because every hard situation will be easier to resolve then. If you love Newfoundland dogs it will be no problem for you to help your pet with any kind of a disease.

How to train your Newfoundland?

2011-05-16T19:54:00.002+02:00

Every dog has a temperament, style of learning and its way of understanding a training. First thing you need to do is to find out these factors (related to your dog) and try to comprehend them the best you can, because that is the only way that your dog starts to learn freely from you. If you want to meet your dog a little closer, you will have to spend more time with him and commit yourself more at that time. As for Newfoundland dogs it is important to reward them every time when they do something good by giving them few pieces of food, because then they will feel difference between good and wrong doings. This "before training" part needs only time and commitment and results will be visible after few days or weeks (depends of your commitment) because Newfoundland dogs are very smart and intelligent type of dogs. Giant Newfoundland dogs maybe don't look so smart, but you will notice that they are. Important thing is that you respect and love your dog and everything will be so much easier then, because your Newfoundland dog will return the love and respect two times more. Also, when you spend time with your Newfoundland do not EVER strike, hit, pound or scream at him because that will not bring you anything good, your dog will lose self-confidence and start having fear of you and maybe even in some cases he will start to defend himself and that can and will be very bad for you. When training of your dog starts, you need to pay attention to how fast does your dog learns and how much is he concentrated on training. Newfoundland dogs, like every other dog, have some areas where they are more concentrated on training and also areas where they are less concentrated on training. Here are some examples for your Newfoundlands about relations of environment and dogs concentration:

1.When your Newfoundland dog finds himself in your yard (where he spends the day) and with no other people there, your training will be certainly good and effective

2.When your Newfoundland dog finds himself on some playground (where you take him sometimes) with people around, your training will not be so effective but your Newfoundland will remember few things

3.When your Newfoundland dog finds himself in a part of the city he never or maybe sometimes saw with many people around, your Newfoundland concentration will be very low and training will not be effective at all

These three examples show how much Newfoundland dogs will be concentrated in some situations and how much will your training be effective. This all means that you need to find a good place or an area for your Newfoundland training, because the place where he spends a lot of time training will ensure the best results and as the time goes on you will have the opportunity to show all tricks that your Newfoundland know to your friends at any place (with or without hindering factors). Newfoundland dogs are usually not hard to train. However, there are certain difficulties sometimes, but if you don't like them, you don't have to buy it or train it. Most important from this is to love your pet because Newfoundland dogs are very sensitive and intelligent and everything with them will be more exciting and fun if you love them and respect them. As the time passes by, your Newfoundland can become your best friend and your best consolation can be in his respect and love that he offers you.

History and facts about Newfoundland dogs

2011-05-15T14:13:00.001+02:00

Massive and strong Newfoundland dogs have a double coat that is also water resistant. Tail of these giants is broad at the base and also strong like the rest of the body, eyes are brown colored and relatively small in comparison to the whole face. The ears of this dog are triangular with rounding on the end, breed has a wide muzzle that is rather short and also deep. Newfoundland dogs tend to lose their oily undercoat and you can see then brown, gray or white highlights with black markings. Also about Newfoundland dog’s growth, they are 27-30 inches height and females are 25-28 inches height. There is a claim that Labrador dogs are close relative of the Newfoundland dogs but that claim has never been approved. Back in the past, these dogs are described like lifeguards of the people, they helped many fishermen of the Newfoundland coast in Canada, also they helped with mail delivering, pulled the milk delivery carts and always helped in water, you can read more about it here - Newfoundland rescue dogs. There is a belief that these dogs originate from the Viking's era dogs (nomadic Indian dogs). Newfoundland dogs hauled supplies and ammunition for the army and helped mankind many times, excellent at water trials, do well in carting and these dogs are brave watchdogs. Average cost of one Newfoundland dog is about $1000-$2000 per one pup, when your pup grows up it will be a nice but massive dog and that will force you to think that your dog will eat more food than other "standard size" dogs BUT that is not a case.

Newfoundland dogs do not require large amounts of food, just five to seven cups of food per one day, and while they are puppies, they will eat 4 small meals per day, which shouldn't be impossible for any dog breeder to afford. These dogs life's span is about nine to eleven years and just like humans it all depends from food quality, lifestyle, genes and other factors. Mating of Newfoundland dogs is sensitive and gradual process. Both dogs must be checked for any kind of diseases or some genetic defects etc. When you your dogs mate you must be patient and do not rush anything because dogs will get panic and will not mate at all in that case. So, like a good Newfoundland dogs breeder you must release process to flows naturally and there will be no mistakes. An average litter of Newfoundland dogs (females) is eight to ten puppies and when puppies come your Newfoundland will be great mother and will take care of puppies. If you want to keep all puppies you must prepare yourself with reserves of food and ask the vet for the conditions of growing. Pupps of Newfoundland dogs will be always glad to see you and that will be their biggest charm, when you pamper them you need to pay attention on all of them because they are gentle and joyous BUT also can be a little jealous puppies. When your puppies get bigger they can be good watch dogs and great protectors of their masters and master’s family and they will almost never be aggressive towards anyone unless provoked aggressively.

Training and Health of your Newfoundland dog

2011-05-13T19:49:00.000+02:00

Newfoundland dogs are distinct with their unique webbed paw which gives them ability to be great swimmers. Very relaxed Newfoundland dogs are very clever and easy to train. This is one big pet and like most of extra large dogs, Newfoundland dogs have a slower metabolism and males weighing up to 160 pounds on average. If you want to buy this dog you need to make sure that you have got enough room for this giant in your house. This dog has a giant body and he needs extra large dog house, so you need to make sure that your pet has a nice and comfortable dog house and enough space. You need to provide your pet extra large dog house to give him space to lie down out of the way so he doesn't have to keep getting up to move. Newfoundland dogs are excellent dogs for your kids, they will absolutely love them and the dog will like your kids too. It will be hard to keep Newfoundland dog in your house because you will have to spend a lot of time with him, so outside oasis for relaxation and rest may be the best idea for owner and dog too. These dogs can develop problems with hips carrying their weight in older age as many other large breeds. Large dog like this has a great intelligence and he is really calm and mild with your guests. Newfoundland dogs have extreme generosity and courageous temperament like no other dogs. Big, loyal and patient dog moves slowly, but he is also a gentle giant ready to protect you any time that protection is needed. This dog is usually able to know if somebody holds an evil intention towards the family and it will warn you. Newfoundland dogs like to swim and lie in water and you need to take care to enable them space for that. They are sensitive to your tone of voice and when you train them just be patient and your dog will appreciate that. Also, if you are grooming your pet you need to do it every single day because that is really important and it will keep you dog clean. If you really want to keep Newfoundland dogs in your house or apartment you need to take care that it needs to be an cool place somewhere and you must know that your pet prefer colder climates. Newfoundland dogs are prone to dysplasia and hereditary heart disease so you need to take care of your dog's weight. Newfoundland dogs help people in troubles, people train them to find people in ruins and save them and they have natural water rescue tendencies. It's important that you start with your Newfoundland dogs training program as early as possible because that will make an important ladder in your relationships. Also, do not lose patience or temper on him because he is extremely sensitive and relatively slow dog, those are the facts that you will have to accept. Do not expect from him to always run around as some other dog, because it is not like that. Best for you is to start to teach him the basics of stay, sit, come and similar things. Newfoundland dogs are always quite comfortable doing various kinds of jobs for thier masters. It is better to train your dog with love because that will be more efficient than being harsh on him. Therefore you should make him to do light exercises on a regular basis because this will not only make him fitter but it will also improve his health and your dog will be more safer from any kind of a disease.

Newfoundland dogs - Basic

2011-05-13T19:01:00.004+02:00

Newfoundland dog is a breed of a large dog. These dogs are mostly brown, black or black and white. There are also so-called Landseer Newfoundland dogs, who have brown or black head with white and brown or black body. Besides their size, Newfoundland dogs are known by their huge strength and loyalty. Due to their natural qualities, Newfs are often trained for lifesaving, especially in water.

How do Newfoundland dogs look like? Well, they can weight about 130 pounds (which is quite a lot for a dog) and their height is usually somewhere between 20 and 30 inches. Size of these dogs allows excellent lung capacity, especially for long distance swimming. Their coat is thick and straight, it has two layers and it’s water resistant. The outer coat is oily and quite long, while the undercoat is oily and soft. Newfoundland dogs have broad head and neck and their eyes sometimes seem to be small because of that. Life span of these dogs is about ten years.
Newfoundland dogs are called gentle giants, for their pure heart and calm nature. They don’t have special requests from their owners. When talking about their temperament, they are best known by their patience and intelligence. They don’t bark very often, but they are never afraid and they’ll always protect their family. These information are very important for their owners, as they need to pay attention to this while treating their Newfs. Newfoundland dogs should be considered to be almost equal family members. If someone has positive qualities that are special, it’s certain that he should get some respect for that. Newfs are also getting along very well with other animals and of course with humans as well. They are usually easy to train and even if their training seems to be a hard job sometimes, every second of your time that you spend on them is certainly good investment. They like to play very much,find out more about that here.
Newfoundland dogs don’t have a lot health treats. It should be mentioned that they’re prone to hereditary heart disease and it’s very important to mention that you shouldn’t let your Newf get fat, because they already have slow metabolism and they tend to more a bit slowly. Getting fat is very unhealthy for these dogs. Newfoundland dogs also drool, mostly after drinking water, but if you consider that they are breed of large dogs, you will find out that the drooling is something that can’t be avoided and it’s not that much scary either.
If you are interested in buying a Newfoundland dog, you should check couple of things before that. Like it was said, they are not quite active, so they don’t require large space for living. First of all, Newfoundland dogs like coldness more than heat and they like water, so you should have got place with water in it and shadow where the dog can feel well. Also, you should have leisure time to spend by taking your dog on a daily walk. It’s important for him, walking is good for everyone and you are preventing your Newf from becoming fat.
Owning a pet is certainly a good thing to do, but you should always be sure that both of you and your pet will be happy. It’s not important what kind of a pet you want to get, just always be informed well before doing so. The key in mutual happiness and pleasure is surely to be familiar with needs of the other side, it is quite similar like with humans. Newfoundland dog is certainly one of the dogs that doesn’t ask for too much, but he offers a lot.