Is Your Newfoundland Puppy Ready for Water Training?

[fileen]

My new puppy Manfred is just so cute and perfect and beautiful I just had to share him. He is 8 weeks, 16 pounds already, and sleeps 99% of the time. He has already figured out that he's suppose to do the peeing and pooping outside. He loves everyone and can't seem to figure out how to bark although its not for lack of trying. I will try to attach some piuctures.

 

[fileen]

and some more pictures

 

[fileen]

just 1 more

 

[Kurdt]

Aww how lovely. Hes huge though

 

[Moonbear]

OMG! He's so adorable! And HUGE!

 

[hypatia]

Oh, what a great puppy! Hes so cute. I always wished they could stay small for just a little bit longer. I just love that new puppy smell.

 

[Moonbear]

I always wished they could stay small for just a little bit longer.

I don't think this one ever WAS small to stay small. I just love how goofy and wiggly puppies are.

 

[Greg Bernhardt]

haha this is going to be one big boy!

 

[lisab]

He's beautiful, fileen! Congrats!

Look at the size of those paws...

There's a woman in my neighborhood who has about 5 Newfies. She's not more than 5' tall, and she'll take them for a walk, all at the same time! Good thing they're well-behaved dogs.

 

[Dr Transport]

I love Newfees...of course I gravitate towards all big dogs (no pun intended...)

 

[wolram]

Real cool pup, just the thing to keep you busy going walkies.

 

[rootX]

It's awesome!

It looks more like a dog rather than puppy...

 

[Monique]

That's one beautiful dog!

 

[rootX]

There's a woman in my neighborhood who has about 5 Newfies. She's not more than 5' tall, and she'll take them for a walk, all at the same time! Good thing they're well-behaved dogs.

Are they like this big?!

http://www.gentlegiantsrescue.com/images/Melody and Newfie 1 smudged edge 700.jpg



I prefer German Shepherds - neither big nor small.

 

[Kurdt]

Just looked up the size Newfoundland's grow to and its pretty much the same as a Dobe. He does look a lot bigger than Freija was but it could just be fluff.

 

[fileen]

Are they like this big?!

http://www.gentlegiantsrescue.com/images/Melody and Newfie 1 smudged edge 700.jpg



I prefer German Shepherds - neither big nor small.

The vet said he should finish between 120 and 150 pounds. Hes the biggest of his litter, and the nicest for conformation. His mom and dad both stand above my waist at the shoulder. They are massive dogs. I admit I expected him to be smaller though. I did a double take when I went to pick him up, he's mostly fluff but he's still very large for a puppy. Apparently he will double in size ever 2 weeks or so. I wanted a large dog because my Dalmation can be a bit of a bully with other dogs, and I figured she's not about to pick on a dog that is 4 times her size and weight. I researched breeds and breeders for months, and I picked the Newf for personality reasons. They are very easy to train, almost never aggressive, not hyper, not chewers, don't generally go chasing a scent and are great with kids. His hips and ears and eyes are all guaranteed, and the breeder gave up 6 months of insurance in case of any sort of medical problem. Hes so handsome she asked us to keep him intact for a couple years so she can get a littler by him. We might just so we can get another puppy. I had to put my MCAT prep course off for a year in order to pay for him... they are rather pricy, but worth every penny. He just loves every one. He trots from person to person just wanting to be picked up and cuddled. I've never had such a cuddly puppy before. Hes simply perfect

 

[Moonbear]

Hes so handsome she asked us to keep him intact for a couple years so she can get a littler by him. We might just so we can get another puppy.

Keep in mind that any behavioral problems associated with keeping him intact (i.e., marking his territory by lifting his leg places you don't want it lifted) will develop early. Waiting a couple of years to have him neutered might leave you stuck with some undesirable behaviors. You might want to discuss this plan with your vet, and find out if s/he has any breed specific advice about this.

 

[turbo]

Just looked up the size Newfoundland's grow to and its pretty much the same as a Dobe. He does look a lot bigger than Freija was but it could just be fluff.

Nope! Newfies can be massive. Not as big as St. Bernards, but still very large, with very solid bone structure and musculature. I grew up with childhood friends who had a Newfie, and he would gladly tow us around on "flying saucer" aluminum sleds, and give the little kids rides (cheaper than a pony), and when we collapsed in the living room after a day of fun, Cap'n would let all of us lean on him as we lay on the living room floor. He didn't live as long as my family's dog because he was crippled by hip displasia (sp?) and they put him down because he was suffering so. He was a VERY loving and sweet dog.

 

[Kurdt]

Odd. The webby I was on said 28 inches (average) at the shoulder for boys. Same as Dobes

 

[turbo]

Odd. The webby I was on said 28 inches (average) at the shoulder for boys. Same as Dobes

Yeah, but your Dobe is a basketball player. Newfies are defensive linemen (American football). The difference is in sheer mass.

 

[Kurdt]

Yeah, but your Dobe is a basketball player. Newfies are defensive linemen (American football). The difference is in sheer mass.

Well I was going off height

 

[rootX]

They don't have any aggressive look .. :)

But, I wouldn't mess around with a really big dog.

 

[lisab]

Well I was going off height

aspect ratio for Dobies <> aspect ratio for Newfies

 

[turbo]

They don't have any aggressive look .. :)

But, I wouldn't mess around with a really big dog.

Newfies are NOT aggressive. They are in fact life-savers, and will willingly help humans in distress. They were very popular life-savers on commercial fishing boats in the past.

 

[turbo]

aspect ratio for Dobies <> aspect ratio for Newfies

Yep! Newfies are very solid dogs, strong swimmers, great pullers. I wouldn't mind sharing my house with one except that my wife and I have "just" enough room here now, and a Newfie would be a big, joyful encumbrance and moving barrier all day long. Plus, he would eat as much food as we do.

 

[fileen]

Keep in mind that any behavioral problems associated with keeping him intact (i.e., marking his territory by lifting his leg places you don't want it lifted) will develop early. Waiting a couple of years to have him neutered might leave you stuck with some undesirable behaviors. You might want to discuss this plan with your vet, and find out if s/he has any breed specific advice about this.

Recent studies have shown that the larger breeds of dogs should not be neutered until 1.5 years to 2 years. After talking with my vet he said that I should leave it as long as I can, I guess neutering too early can cause growth problems which can lead to serious medical issues later in life. The breeder had 10 intact males and I met all of them. They were just big old teddy bears as far as I could tell. Our dogs have a huge fenced in yard just for them, so he can lift his leg where ever he wants provided he does it outside. So far he seems to understand that he must do this outdoors and he is only 8 weeks. If behaviors arise which I think are hormonal we won't wait to neuter him, but if we can leave him whole for a while then we plan to do so. My main concern is the rate of growth. We have to carry him up and down the stairs until his is at least 6 months to help avoid hip problems and I fear he'll be bigger than me at that point...

 

[Andre]

Congratulations with that doggie. Fileen, great looking.

I would consider leaving him intact. I never had my Siberian Huskies neutered and never encountered any real problems. But then again I lived in the woods then

Just for reference about the http://www.bigpawsonly.com/biggest-dog-features.htm

Irish Wolfhound: weight: 105-125 lbs. height: 35-35 in.
Great Danes: weight: 100-120 lbs. height: 28-32 in.
English Mastiff: weight: 175-190 lbs. height: 27.5-30 in.
Neopolitan Mastiff: weight: 150-180 lbs. height: 26-31 in.
Newfoundland: weight: 130-150 lbs. height 28-30 in.
Saint Bernard: weight: 150-200 lbs. height: 27-30 in

 

[fileen]

He learned to bark today. Up until now he only made the motions but no sound came out. He actually scared himself upon hearing his own bark. I've never laughed so hard in my life!

 

[rootX]

Andre's link says they don't bark much.

 

[Moonbear]

He learned to bark today. Up until now he only made the motions but no sound came out. He actually scared himself upon hearing his own bark. I've never laughed so hard in my life!

That made me laugh out loud just imagining him scaring himself with his bark.

That's interesting about the larger breeds needing to wait longer before being neutered. I wasn't familiar with those studies. If you have references for them on hand, I'd like to see them. Thinking about it, it makes sense, since they probably have a longer growth period than a smaller dog and more demands on their skeleton. Of course, if you wait that long to neuter them, it would be purely for birth control and not for preventing any of the bad habits male dogs get when they hit puppy puberty. But, as you said, play it by ear...if some of the bad behaviors start to show up, you can decide then to do it sooner. It's a good indicator if all the males that breeder has are well-behaved.

 

[fileen]

Andre's link says they don't bark much.

lol they haven't met my puppy, he's proud of his new voice! He mostly just barks when he gets excited, like when we play chase.

 

[fileen]

That made me laugh out loud just imagining him scaring himself with his bark.

That's interesting about the larger breeds needing to wait longer before being neutered. I wasn't familiar with those studies. If you have references for them on hand, I'd like to see them. Thinking about it, it makes sense, since they probably have a longer growth period than a smaller dog and more demands on their skeleton. Of course, if you wait that long to neuter them, it would be purely for birth control and not for preventing any of the bad habits male dogs get when they hit puppy puberty. But, as you said, play it by ear...if some of the bad behaviors start to show up, you can decide then to do it sooner. It's a good indicator if all the males that breeder has are well-behaved.

Unfortunately I don't have any references aside from the vet and the breeder who both told me the same thing on separate occasions. As a science student at the university of Guelph I have access to the international veterinary information service. I can't publish anything obviously since I am not a vet, but I can read at my leisure. Ill have a peek and see what I can find. I should probably research it anyways, as much as I trust my vets I don't know if its wise to take everything they say on blind faith, especially when I am quite capable of doing the research.

 

[tribdog]

That third picture you put up looks like one of those bobble head dogs from taco bell. Are you sure his head is supposed to be so big?

 

[tribdog]

That made me laugh out loud just imagining him scaring himself with his bark.

That's interesting about the larger breeds needing to wait longer before being neutered. I wasn't familiar with those studies. If you have references for them on hand, I'd like to see them. Thinking about it, it makes sense, since they probably have a longer growth period than a smaller dog and more demands on their skeleton. Of course, if you wait that long to neuter them, it would be purely for birth control and not for preventing any of the bad habits male dogs get when they hit puppy puberty. But, as you said, play it by ear...if some of the bad behaviors start to show up, you can decide then to do it sooner. It's a good indicator if all the males that breeder has are well-behaved.

Do big dogs have a longer growth period? I thought they just grew faster.

 

[tribdog]

Aren't these the dogs that instinctively save drowning people? I've always thought that was amazing. I can't think of a better dog to give to a little kid.

 

[fileen]

Do big dogs have a longer growth period? I thought they just grew faster.

I don't know about larger breeds in general but I've been told by the breeder that they do have a longer growth period and that growing too fast can be a huge problem. Thats why we don't feed him a growth formula, instead he gets an all organic adult dog food and then mixed veggies, yogurt and some oatmeal

 

[fileen]

Aren't these the dogs that instinctively save drowning people? I've always thought that was amazing. I can't think of a better dog to give to a little kid.

Yes they are, Manfred will have water training when he is 2 years old. If he successfully completes and passes his water training he will be a certified life guard and can be on any beach, even those that ban dogs. Without the training they can be unruly and take off into the water as they absolutely love to swim. I would like to have the water training so that I can take him with me in the canoe and take him to the lake without worrying about losing him or having him go out too far and drown because he can't get back.

 

[fileen]

Manfed is as of yesterday 22.5 lbs as opposed to his original 16

 

[Andre]

Manfed is as of yesterday 22.5 lbs as opposed to his original 16

Excellent, Fileen; did you adapt the food expenditure balance for the family?

 

[Moonbear]

Yes they are, Manfred will have water training when he is 2 years old. If he successfully completes and passes his water training he will be a certified life guard and can be on any beach, even those that ban dogs. Without the training they can be unruly and take off into the water as they absolutely love to swim. I would like to have the water training so that I can take him with me in the canoe and take him to the lake without worrying about losing him or having him go out too far and drown because he can't get back.

That sounds really cool. Though, I'm now thinking about that thick coat all sopping wet...