Cascadians
New member
Wolf. Mastiff. Bear. Vikings. Bear Dog. Indigenous Newfoundland Indian water dogs.
What made the Newfoundland dog? What is the ancestry?
I often wonder this as I watch Orka. He is like no other dog I have ever experienced. I see wolf bear otter gorilla and dog in him, and so many onlookers have said or screamed the same things.
Can and has there been a DNA test to determine the Newfoundland ancestry?
Reading various websites, kept coming across the Viking Big Black Bear Dogs. 1001 AD.
" .... skeletons of large and powerful dogs were found in the remains of the Viking settlements in Newfoundland, discovered by the Norwegian Viking researchers Helge and Anne-Stine Ingstad. It is believed that the "Bear-dogs" of the Vikings interbred with the large black and white waterdogs of the Beouhik Indians, a tribe that once lived on the northeast coast of America. Nearly 500 years after the Viking settlement Newfoundland was rediscovered, and the British annexed the island. Between the Vikings and the British, the Newfoundland Dog developed into a very unique dog, large and black, functioning well in water and on land."
http://readytogoebooks.com/LB-dog-SH.htm
There really was a bear dog, or dog bear.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bear_dog
Have also read the Tibetan Mastiff was the mastiff breed ancestry.
My Newf is wild, go go go, endless energy, driven to explore, to run like the wind for hours, swim, play, sniff, greet other dogs. He's confident and a leader, king of any territory he passes through. He can be obsessive, hormonal, dominant and bratty, yet usually patient sweet and serviceful. He's incredibly vocal. He loves to howl and never passes up an opportunity to howl. He finds echo spots and lets loose, loud, eerie, musical, deep and powerful voice. He projects his howls over great distances. He also bugles, bays, sings, whines, barks, chatters, and has an amazing vocal repertoire. Wild and spooky sounds. So many truly strange deep sounds. He clearly sees and responds to things humans cannot see, and has a spiritual dimension that astonishes me.
He has a very sensitive nose and smells things miles away. His nose is usually twitching and sniffing.
In the house he's calm and can snooze and snore for hours with contentment. He craves lovebugging and literally purrs with pleasure. But even when he's asleep he's alert underneath. Pick up a coat or keys in a back room, change routine and he's right there, wagging, talking, eager to go out for more adventure. He's intuitive.
Every day he seems to mature and grow. He's 2 years and 2 months at the moment. He has a very active life with a variety of experiences.
In his stance, attitude, actions, often he seems more wolf than dog. He obviously relishes wild places and becomes more wolflike the wilder it gets. He also has many movements and behaviors like a bear. In the water he gets playful and has otter antics. Sometimes gorilla behavior, walking around on his hind legs amongst trees and examining fruit and branches, like a gorilla bear combo.
He's super alert and watchful at night like the Tibetan Mastiff. His howls deepen and vary with amazing sound modulations at night. He wants to make long vocal announcements to the entire neighborhood during the night. He has a definite independent streak.
He is a powerful swimmer. Yesterday he decided he loves rough water and rapids. He climbs cliffs like a mountain goat. He craves new explorations yet exercises caution.
It is an odd feeling, having this wonderful creature who seems civilized and so well trained on the surface, but instantly clicks into a mysterious beast when his paws hit a trail or we get away from asphalt and buildings. Orka goes many places and I hear continual running commentary from hundreds of ppl about how unusual he is, how they cannot believe he is a dog, how incredible his sounds are.
So I wonder, all the time, what his makeup is, how much is genes, how much is his soul, as he always surprises me with his depth of emotions and spirituality.
What made the Newfoundland dog? What is the ancestry?
I often wonder this as I watch Orka. He is like no other dog I have ever experienced. I see wolf bear otter gorilla and dog in him, and so many onlookers have said or screamed the same things.
Can and has there been a DNA test to determine the Newfoundland ancestry?
Reading various websites, kept coming across the Viking Big Black Bear Dogs. 1001 AD.
" .... skeletons of large and powerful dogs were found in the remains of the Viking settlements in Newfoundland, discovered by the Norwegian Viking researchers Helge and Anne-Stine Ingstad. It is believed that the "Bear-dogs" of the Vikings interbred with the large black and white waterdogs of the Beouhik Indians, a tribe that once lived on the northeast coast of America. Nearly 500 years after the Viking settlement Newfoundland was rediscovered, and the British annexed the island. Between the Vikings and the British, the Newfoundland Dog developed into a very unique dog, large and black, functioning well in water and on land."
http://readytogoebooks.com/LB-dog-SH.htm
There really was a bear dog, or dog bear.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bear_dog
Have also read the Tibetan Mastiff was the mastiff breed ancestry.
My Newf is wild, go go go, endless energy, driven to explore, to run like the wind for hours, swim, play, sniff, greet other dogs. He's confident and a leader, king of any territory he passes through. He can be obsessive, hormonal, dominant and bratty, yet usually patient sweet and serviceful. He's incredibly vocal. He loves to howl and never passes up an opportunity to howl. He finds echo spots and lets loose, loud, eerie, musical, deep and powerful voice. He projects his howls over great distances. He also bugles, bays, sings, whines, barks, chatters, and has an amazing vocal repertoire. Wild and spooky sounds. So many truly strange deep sounds. He clearly sees and responds to things humans cannot see, and has a spiritual dimension that astonishes me.
He has a very sensitive nose and smells things miles away. His nose is usually twitching and sniffing.
In the house he's calm and can snooze and snore for hours with contentment. He craves lovebugging and literally purrs with pleasure. But even when he's asleep he's alert underneath. Pick up a coat or keys in a back room, change routine and he's right there, wagging, talking, eager to go out for more adventure. He's intuitive.
Every day he seems to mature and grow. He's 2 years and 2 months at the moment. He has a very active life with a variety of experiences.
In his stance, attitude, actions, often he seems more wolf than dog. He obviously relishes wild places and becomes more wolflike the wilder it gets. He also has many movements and behaviors like a bear. In the water he gets playful and has otter antics. Sometimes gorilla behavior, walking around on his hind legs amongst trees and examining fruit and branches, like a gorilla bear combo.
He's super alert and watchful at night like the Tibetan Mastiff. His howls deepen and vary with amazing sound modulations at night. He wants to make long vocal announcements to the entire neighborhood during the night. He has a definite independent streak.
He is a powerful swimmer. Yesterday he decided he loves rough water and rapids. He climbs cliffs like a mountain goat. He craves new explorations yet exercises caution.
It is an odd feeling, having this wonderful creature who seems civilized and so well trained on the surface, but instantly clicks into a mysterious beast when his paws hit a trail or we get away from asphalt and buildings. Orka goes many places and I hear continual running commentary from hundreds of ppl about how unusual he is, how they cannot believe he is a dog, how incredible his sounds are.
So I wonder, all the time, what his makeup is, how much is genes, how much is his soul, as he always surprises me with his depth of emotions and spirituality.
