Newfoundland
Learn about the temperament and personality of the Newfoundland. Discover what he's like to live with, his traits and characteristics and how he generally behaves. And look at lots of Newfoundland photos.

Newfoundland: | ||
---|---|---|
Ease of Training | ![]() |
Explain rating |
Intelligence | ![]() |
Explain rating |
Shedding | ![]() |
Explain rating |
Watchdog | ![]() |
Explain rating |
Guard Dog | ![]() |
Explain rating |
Popularity | ![]() |
Explain rating |
Size | ![]() |
Explain rating |
Agility | ![]() |
Explain rating |
Good with Kids | ![]() |
Explain rating |
Newfoundland Temperament
The Newfoundland, known as the "Gentle Giant," is a dog of courage, devotion, and loyalty. They are huge dogs! They were bred to be working dogs who spend all of their waking time with their family. They will want and need to be part of your family. Today, Newfs excel at water work and carting and do well at obedience. They also make excellent therapy dogs. However, it is important to get started on obedience training early with a Newfoundland, as a rambunctious, unlearned six-month-old Newfoundland can pull you out into traffic on the end of a leash because of his size and strength. The Newfoundland is docile and intelligent, and responds well to training, as he is eager to please you. The Newfoundland has a sweet disposition and is affectionate, but not overly demonstrative. He needs regular exercise and likes to spend time outdoors. He will need a fenced-in yard (and the fence should be at least six feet high). However, he is too lazy to get his own exercise and will probably need you to join him to convince him it's a good idea. Newfoundlands are excellent with children, and are very tolerant, so children will have to be taught to be gentle with their Newfoundland. However, the Newf is clumsy and huge and can accidentally knock children over. He is not overly protective, but his size might be enough to deter evildoers. The Newfoundland can be demanding of your time and attention and does not do well if ignored. A bored or lonely Newfoundland is a destructive giant. They will destroy your garden in a minute. Speaking of mayhem, the Newf is not the dog for the house-proud. They slobber all over everything, and they bring the world back into the house with them in their fur and on their feet. They also shed giant balls of fur. And they will want to sleep in your bed. Newfoundlands are loving and loyal and devoted and make excellent pets. They are emotionally sensitive and perceptive of your mood. They are fun, entertaining, and benevolent. And their nose is usually the exact height as your dining room table. Own one and your life will never be the same.
Newfoundland Training
The Newfoundland is intelligent and quite easy to train. He learns new commands quickly at an above average rate.
Newfoundland Shedding
The Newfoundland is a very heavy shedder. He sheds an awful lot of hair! You'll find hair all over your home, stuck to everything! You'll probably even find it in the butter!
Newfoundland Grooming
The medium-length coat of the Newfoundland only requires an occasional brushing. But because he sheds excessively you may find yourself brushing him daily to remove loose hair. (What you get out with a brush doesn't fall out in your home!)
Adopt a Newfoundland
Newfoundland Photos
Rating: Ease of training
Tells you how easy or difficult a breed is to train.
A higher rating means the breed is easier to train, a lower rating means the breed is harder to train.
An easy to train breed require less time and patience to train.
Rating: Intelligence
Tells you how intelligent a breed is in terms of how quickly it can learn commands from humans. A higher rating means the breed will learn your commands faster (and is therefore generally considered to be more intelligent), while a lower rating means the breed will learn your commands more slowly (and is therefore generally considered to be less intelligent).
Keep in mind that this is only one way to measure a dog's intelligence and a low rating might still mean the breed is highly intelligent in other ways.
Rating: Shedding
Tells you how much hair the breed sheds. The higher the rating the more hair the breed sheds.
Rating: Watchdog
Tells you how good the breed is at being a watchdog and raising the alarm when a stranger approaches. A higher rating means the breed will bark vigorously to warn you of a stranger's presence on your property. A low rating means the breed probably won't bark much if a stranger enters your property.
Rating: Guard dog
Tells you how good the breed is at being a guard dog due to the appearance, size, and strength of the breed. A breed with a high guard dog rating will make an intruder think twice before stepping foot on your property.
Rating: Popularity
Tells you how popular the breed is in terms of ownership. A higher rating means that more people own the breed. The more popular a breed is the easier it is to find and purchase one because there are more breeders breeding it.
Rating: Size
Tells you how large or small the breed is. A lower rating means the breed is smaller and a higher rating means the breed is larger. It gives you a quick idea of how physically large or small the breed is compared with all the other breeds.
Rating: Agility
Tells you how agile the breed is. A higher rating means the breed is fast and nimble on its feet while a lower rating means the breed is heavier and slower on its feet.
Rating: Good with kids
Tells you how good the breed is with children. A higher rating means the breed is good with children. Note: all breeds are generally good with kids when they're raised with them.