COUNTRY: Canada
WEIGHT: 110-150 pounds
HEIGHT: 26-28 inches
COAT: Medium length, very dense
COLOR: Solid black, bronze, particolor
(Landseer)
GROUP: Mastiff
As canines were molded to fill whatever job was needed, residents of the banks of Labrador, St. John's and Newfoundland developed dogs for aiding the fishermen. The early history of these animals consists mainly of unsubstantiated stories and fanciful tales.
Newfoundland folklore tells of an early Tibetan Mastiff-type dog which accompanied Indians migrating across the polar region to the Maritime Provinces. Four thousand years later, in 1001 AD, when the Vikings arrived, they supposedly had "bear dogs" of similar origin. The fusion of these two "long-lost cousins" supposedly created the base for the Newfoundland breed.
By the 1600s, records show European fishing vessels were frequent visitors to the Maritimes and, since nearly all these fleets brought dogs with them, crosses probably occurred with various European breeds who "jumped ship" for a night on the town. Portuguese and Basque fishermen were the earliest, and both Portuguese Water Dogs and Great Pyrenees in turn probably contributed water-proofing, coat variations and water-working qualities, along with size and nobility.
Soon two distinct types developed: the so-called Lesser St. John's Dog (which developed into the Labrador Retriever) and the Greater St. John's Dog (which became the Newfoundland and Landseer).
Early Newfoundlands aided crews and became invaluable aboard ship, rescuing sailors and barking the danger of reefs. Newfies were strong swimmers, and retrieved both people and boats in distress. With the highest tides in the world (reaching 70 feet) in the Bay of Fundy near Newfoundland, it seems likely they were called upon frequently. Not all work was so romantic, however; daily duties found these dogs swimming from ship to ship, carrying lines, or retrieving objects and drunken sailors who had fallen overboard.
By the 18th century, examples of these Newfoundland dogs were brought back to England on British trade ships. Early Newfs were a mixed lot, generally smaller and lighter boned than today's specimens, with a wide variance in colors (often spotted). Coat textures were rough, curly or long, and the high tail often curved in a circle.
Crossing may have occurred again in Europe, but type was eventually stabilized. The Newf evolved into a large, sturdily boned, low-tailed dog still in several colors and usually spotted. About the time a written standard was introduced in the late 1800s, the solid black variety became the rage in England, so much so that the black almost became known as the "only Newfoundland in Britain and North America." Today the spotted Newfoundland is considered a color variety, called Landseer, recognized by FCI as a separate breed. They also come in solid chocolate (bronze).
Nobility, peaceful personality, sleek good looks and superior strength attracted more than seafarers and Indians to the breed. None can forget Lord Byron's epitaph to "Boatswain," his Newfoundland:
Newfoundland backpacking in mountains.
When some proud son of man returns to earth,
Unknown to glory, but upheld by birth,
The sculptor's art exhausts the pomp of woe.
And storied urns record who rests below.
When all is done, upon the tomb is seen Not what he was,
but what he should have been.
But the poor dog, in life the firmest friend,
The first to welcome, foremost to defend.
Whose honest heart is still his master's own,
Who labors, fights, lives, breathes for him alone,
Unhonored falls, unnoticed all his worth,
Denied in heaven the soul he had on earth.
Ye who perchance behold this simple urn,
Pass on,—it honors none you wish tomourn;
To mark a friend's remains these stones arise;
I never knew but one—and here he lies.
WEIGHT: 110-150 pounds
HEIGHT: 26-28 inches
COAT: Medium length, very dense
COLOR: Solid black, bronze, particolor
(Landseer)
GROUP: Mastiff
As canines were molded to fill whatever job was needed, residents of the banks of Labrador, St. John's and Newfoundland developed dogs for aiding the fishermen. The early history of these animals consists mainly of unsubstantiated stories and fanciful tales.
Newfoundland folklore tells of an early Tibetan Mastiff-type dog which accompanied Indians migrating across the polar region to the Maritime Provinces. Four thousand years later, in 1001 AD, when the Vikings arrived, they supposedly had "bear dogs" of similar origin. The fusion of these two "long-lost cousins" supposedly created the base for the Newfoundland breed.
By the 1600s, records show European fishing vessels were frequent visitors to the Maritimes and, since nearly all these fleets brought dogs with them, crosses probably occurred with various European breeds who "jumped ship" for a night on the town. Portuguese and Basque fishermen were the earliest, and both Portuguese Water Dogs and Great Pyrenees in turn probably contributed water-proofing, coat variations and water-working qualities, along with size and nobility.
Soon two distinct types developed: the so-called Lesser St. John's Dog (which developed into the Labrador Retriever) and the Greater St. John's Dog (which became the Newfoundland and Landseer).
Early Newfoundlands aided crews and became invaluable aboard ship, rescuing sailors and barking the danger of reefs. Newfies were strong swimmers, and retrieved both people and boats in distress. With the highest tides in the world (reaching 70 feet) in the Bay of Fundy near Newfoundland, it seems likely they were called upon frequently. Not all work was so romantic, however; daily duties found these dogs swimming from ship to ship, carrying lines, or retrieving objects and drunken sailors who had fallen overboard.
By the 18th century, examples of these Newfoundland dogs were brought back to England on British trade ships. Early Newfs were a mixed lot, generally smaller and lighter boned than today's specimens, with a wide variance in colors (often spotted). Coat textures were rough, curly or long, and the high tail often curved in a circle.
Crossing may have occurred again in Europe, but type was eventually stabilized. The Newf evolved into a large, sturdily boned, low-tailed dog still in several colors and usually spotted. About the time a written standard was introduced in the late 1800s, the solid black variety became the rage in England, so much so that the black almost became known as the "only Newfoundland in Britain and North America." Today the spotted Newfoundland is considered a color variety, called Landseer, recognized by FCI as a separate breed. They also come in solid chocolate (bronze).
Nobility, peaceful personality, sleek good looks and superior strength attracted more than seafarers and Indians to the breed. None can forget Lord Byron's epitaph to "Boatswain," his Newfoundland:
Newfoundland backpacking in mountains.
When some proud son of man returns to earth,
Unknown to glory, but upheld by birth,
The sculptor's art exhausts the pomp of woe.
And storied urns record who rests below.
When all is done, upon the tomb is seen Not what he was,
but what he should have been.
But the poor dog, in life the firmest friend,
The first to welcome, foremost to defend.
Whose honest heart is still his master's own,
Who labors, fights, lives, breathes for him alone,
Unhonored falls, unnoticed all his worth,
Denied in heaven the soul he had on earth.
Ye who perchance behold this simple urn,
Pass on,—it honors none you wish tomourn;
To mark a friend's remains these stones arise;
I never knew but one—and here he lies.