The Newfoundland is a large, usually black, breed of dog originally used as a working dog in Newfoundland. They are known for their sweet dispositions, loyalty, and natural water rescue tendencies.
Appearance
Newfoundlands ("Newfies" or "Newfs") have webbed feet and a water-resistant coat. Males weigh 60–70 kg (130–150 lb), and females 45–55 kg (100–120 lb), placing them in the "giant" weight range. Some Newfoundlands have been known to weigh over 90 kg (200 lb).
Most Newfoundlands are black. The standard colors of the Newfoundland are black, brown, gray and landseer (black head and white and black body). The Landseer is named after the artist Sir Edwin Landseer, who featured them in many of his paintings. Some kennel clubs consider the Landseer to be a separate breed; others consider it simply a Newfoundland color variation.
Temperament
The Newfoundlands is description as "Sweetness of temperament is the hallmark of the Newfoundland; this is the most important single characteristic of the breed.". They are nicknamed the "Gentle Giant" and "Nature's babysitter." They are protective of children.
Relative to other breeds, Newfoundland puppies, especially older puppies, tend to be calm. Newfoundlands take up to three years to reach full maturity. They have deep barks, but are not good guard dogs. They have been known to grieve when separated from their families. Their large size makes them difficult to keep in many living situations, but since they are not very active, as long as the room they lie down in is big, they won't really move too much and just stay there for long periods of time. They do not move around in the house too much, though they tend to spread out and cover large areas of space. Newfoundlands don't really need too much exercise. They would be quite content to sit at home for long periods of time as long as they know that there is someone there to love them. A Newfoundland will know whether or not someone is at home and as long as someone is with them, they are quite content, but if there is no one home, a Newfoundland dog will actually appear to be sad and sit and wait for you to return home.
