im thinking about getting one. just wondering if anyone has had experience w/them.

Very one person dog obidiant and very loving.Great at what ever you want
:D

You might know some of this stuff but I'm gonna type in anyways.. lol

Height is around 26 inches to 28 inches at the withers, with males at the higher end and females at the lower end, of course, though some breeders seem to want to breed them a fair bit larger then that. You can expect about 100 to 150 pounds of dog. :D They don't usually live past the age of 10, though. They have a double coat, that's pretty long... they shed like mofos, this breed seems to be one of the most popular for sending away garbage bags of shedded fur to people who will spin it into dog wool. :P

Their energy level is low to moderrate, so it won't be one of those dogs bouncing off the walls, which is nice to know considering their size. They are exceptional with children and other dogs, if raised with and socialised with them, and usually genial to most people. They drool -- a lot! With training, they have very good focus, though may seem slow to respond to commands at first, of course practice makes perfect, and their focus and dedication win out in the end... with training, they can become amazing dogs, without, they can become troublesome.

The breed is subject to cataracts, OCD, subaortic stenosis, hypothyroidism, cruciate ligament weakness, heart disease, panosteitis, vWD, seizuring, hip and elbow dysplasia, but of course, as long as you find a good breeder, these are uncommon -- it's just always a nice list to have so you know what to look for if your dog gets a limp, or ill in some other way, it allows for faster diagnosis.

So, a breeder should perform some of these health tests: CERF, OFA or Penn Hip, vWD test, thyroid panel... The more, the better, (OFA should be the bare minimum, I'd think CERF and VWD next most commonly done).

Okay, back to that extensive, long, thick coat. It's a common practice, especially with breeders, to keep the out coat (not the under coat!) trimmed down in places, particularily around the genitals, for clenliness (not to mention, sometimes it can take a lot of searching to find things under all that fur if you know what I mean lol). This breed does require a lot of grooming.

Hoped this helped. :)

As sarx said but down here in au most of the newies I have seen weighed from between 50 kg to one that was my very close friend who hit the scales at 87kg, and no he was not fat, just one great ball of mussel and very well endowed in that department. Yes they take a lot cleaning up after them as they shed their coat all the year round, they are friendly but not overly active, social but mostly prefer the company of only one or two people. But please remember that every dog is different, even if they are from the same litter.

50 kg. = 110 lbs.
87 kg = 191 lbs.

Still sounds about right, as 100 - 150 lbs (as I said before) is average. There are always radicals, and when combined with variations in height, build, and muscle mass, even more-so.

My chewfie girl many years ago was a great dog. She had just enough chow to give her a black tongue, but in every other way she was all newfie in looks and temperment.

I knew one in summer to stay cool was cliped so he had a lions mane..
They also need a big car as they love to travel and do not fit to well in compacts..

Rus

thanks guys for the info so far. I was going to say, in Aus it would probably be worth clipping them all over during the summer months.

I remember seeing one of these dogs when i was younger (my dad's mates) and i was so mesmerized. such gorgeous dogs. :wub:

Clipping all over is fine, just please...please don't be like so many suckers and clip the undercoat... Clipping of the undercoat completely defeats the point of clipping since it actually keeps heat away from the dog in hot temperatures (and keeps heat in during cold temperatures)... The dog will be hotter without an undercoat.

I have a similar breed, Bernese Mountain Dogs...

Be prepared for drool! Also One thing about Newfies many owners overlook is grooming. Most groomers charge around 75 - 100$ to groom a Newfie! They require frequent brushing, at least 3 times a week. And because of their love of water combined with their drool they can get a little stinky :P

If you try to do baths at home you should consider investing into a force dryer, which can cost anywhere from 100 - 2500$... if left to dry on their own it can take a Newf SIX hours. That's a lot of wet dog.


Newfies have amazing temperments, I adore them, if not for their sheer size and coat I would recomend them for even first time owners.

Yes they were properly clipped
and gave up the drivers seet of the truck grudgingly.
Had to drive around before getting out.
Rus

Sadly, no, no experience with Newfies - but I'd like some!

They're definitely "high maintenance" dogs, though, that's for sure.

You're going to need to commit a lot of time and money to a Newfie.