Semi-New to Newfs

DameOfDanes

New member
Hello!
I'm for Illinois in the US and I'm looking at buying a newf puppy. I currently have a female deaf Great Dane rescue, a female newf/brit/ whatever else mix that we reacued, and regularly visiting goldens (a male and a female). The great dane and the male golden have been through extensive obedience training. The female golden is a year and has quite a lot of obedience training and will start basic therapy work in the next 6 months. The newf mix is a year but didn't do past basic obedience outside the home as she is so scared of strangers. Her puppyhood was really traumatic.
We plan on visiting a breeder this weekend to meet their dogs.

With our newf we would like to get into water work and possibly drafting once old enough.
The drool isn't a huge issue to us, but given the option less drool would be better.
We were wondering what you see in your newf's personalities and if you see differences between your males and females. We were told females drool less but can be more difficult to train. Is there attachment differences between males and females? Thanks in advance and if this needs to be moved please feel free to instruct me where.
 

DAWNMERIE

Active member
Well, I can tell you is the opposite with the drool between males & females! Myra can flogger with the best of them! Think that it honestly depends on the size of the flews. What I will tell you when buying a puppy is do your homework, and then do more homework. Best thing is to go to the shows and speak with breeders, I think there is a sticky note with purchasing a puppy advise. Best of Luck!
 
I think Dawnmarie is exactly right. The size of the flews would influence the amount of drool more than gender. My female Newf's flews are on the smaller side and she only drools really bad when she is nervous, excited or sees and smells food.
 

wrknnwf

Active member
Just as a friendly caution, please be wary of any breeder or anyone else who tells you that their Newfs don't drool or that females drool less than males or that females are less trainable. It's simply not true. Each dog is an individual and it is a Newf trait to drool. Period.

I say this, because I don't want you to be unhappy, disappointed or embarrassed, or be taken in by some disreputable person.

"Non drooling Newfoundlands" is a common marketing ploy by unscrupulous sellers. Also, don't fall for the "rare" colors pitch. There are no rare colors, but there are colors that responsible breeders, who care about producing healthy Newfs that adhere to the breed standard, avoid producing. Some unusual colors may be genetically linked to health problems, and any color other than black, white and black, brown or grey is not desirable in the US and cannot be shown in AKC conformation events.

Any breeder who is not showing or having their dogs shown in conformation and/or working events is most likely not reputable and should be avoided in favor of those breeders who do show and work their dogs.

What you should know about Newfs is that they are dogs that do not respond well to harsh training techniques and can "shut down" in a heartbeat. Newfs are sensitive, highly intelligent and biddable if given the chance. If you use positive reinforcement methods you will find that Newfs respond well and quickly. A happy Newf is generally a hard working Newf. But again, each dog is an individual and will respond differently. It has nothing to do with gender and everything to do with the trainer's patience, consistency and training technique, as well as the dog's own personality.

Newfs should be started in puppy obedience at a very early age and introduced to water work as soon as possible. You should learn which exercises are the basis for water work and practice those on land while your pup is young and when the weather is not suitable for swimming.

If you want to do draft work, obedience exercises are the foundation and the earlier you start training those exercises, the better. A young dog, not a puppy, can learn to wear a harness or pull something like an empty milk carton, but they should not pull any loads until they are physically more mature.

If you want to do water or draft work, I highly recommend becoming involved with your regional Newf club. They can advise you on everything from finding a breeder to training your dog. You can find the one closest to you by visiting the Newfoundland Club of America's website.

Also, while you're there, please read the breed standard and become very familiar with it. That is the most important guide for newcomers to follow. Not some nonsense about Newfs that don't drool. NCA also has a list of breeders that follow the NCA's code of ethics. It's just a starting place. But there are many other reputable breeders that aren't on that list and getting involved with your Regional club will help you find responsible breeder who will be your mentor and friend.

Hope this is helpful.
 

R Taft

Active member
My Darling Katy is the best Drooler of them all.........And before her we had Tobias, who could also drool to extreme... I don't think the sex matters. Drool is the never on my list of ntos or wants with newfies. Good health checks of hips and elbows, heart, cystinuria etc is more important and also I like to know the parents and meet and greet them. My last two pups came from the same bitch and I adored her and she is still fit as a fiddle at seven. The dog she was bred to was ten when he was last bred and still hooning around... That is more important to me.
I love doing Draft and Waterwork with my newfies and I also do Rally and Obedience which is a good back ground for all of it....
The flews that Katy has and make her drool actually come in quite handy when she retrieves, she hardly ever swallows any water... it travels straight past, hardly gets swallowed. We have found the tight lipped dogs we have at training, such as some newfies and the leos we have here, often seem to almost vomit up some water after a lot of retrieve work. Not sure if that is co incidental or a real thing. All mine are quite drooly and have a lot of flew. I do a lot of water work all year round....
 

Newfobsessed

New member
All the previous advise is, as usual, great. All I can add is, as stated before, join a local club. Go to the club's activities, where you will see the Newfs and their owners in action. You can talk to them, watch them, and that will help you make your journey to your Newf. Going to shows is great too! Just see and meet as many Newfs and Newf breeders as you can. The internet is full of lies. Still nothing compares to being there. Best of luck. If you get a Newf from a reputable breeder, and put your time into him/her, you will be many, many times over of what you put into your Newf, back to you !!!!
 

NinaA

New member
Learn. Learn. Learn. And if a breeder tells you they don't drool - Run. Fast. All drool, some more than others. It has to do with the shape of the head and mouth and the flews. Same with colors and shedding. If the breeder tells you they don't shed a lot - Run. If a breeder tells you they come in cream or silver - Run. Know the standards and stick with that. Go to shows. Join the local clubs. Enjoy.
 
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