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Newfoundland

The breeds · working

AKC Working · UKC Guardian · FCI standard 50

Newfoundland.

FCI 50 utilization: sledge dog for heavy loads, water dog. AKC: a multipurpose dog, at home on land and in water, capable of draft work and with natural lifesaving abilities. UKC: multipurpose dog at home on land and in the water, capable of draft work, with natural lifesaving instincts. RKC: towing fishermen's carts, pulling logs for lumberjacks, hauling in fishermen's nets, jumping from boats to retrieve lost equipment, and more recently jumping from low-flying aircraft and helicopters to rescue swimmers..

Breed sets the odds. The parents set the dog. Every number here shows its source, its spread and how sure we are. Nothing on this page is a prediction about one dog.

11YRMedian lifespan10.9 to 11.6, measured on real dogs.
28 / 26INHeightdogs 28, bitches 26. An ideal from the standard, not a range.
100–176LBWeight, all linesbreed dogs 130 to 176 lb; breed bitches 100 to 143 lb.
1HRSExercise, every dayUp to 1 hour per day (RKC). The constraint most homes get wrong.

The body

What the breed is built like. Registry standards give an ideal, not a range.

Height at the shoulder

dogs 28 in (28 to 28) · bitches 26 in (26 to 26)

Breed clubAKC breed standard, 1990

Every registry prints an average, not a range, and all agree at 26 in.

Weight

dogs 130 to 176 lb · bitches 100 to 143 lb

Breed clubAKC breed standard, 1990

Low and high span the registries (100 to 120 lb) and the Wikipedia range (to 143 lb).

Coat

AKC: flat, water-resistant double coat that tends to fall back into place when rubbed against the nap; outer coat coarse, moderately long and full, straight or wavy; undercoat soft and dense; backs of legs feathered; excess hair may be trimmed. UKC: a short, flat coat is a disqualification. FCI 50: water-resistant double coat, trimming and scissoring not encouraged. Colours: black, brown, gray, and white-and-black (Landseer); FCI lists black, white and black, brown.

Breed clubAKC breed standard, 1990

Shedding

Sheds (RKC). The undercoat is often less dense in summer or warmer climates (AKC standard).

Breed clubAKC breed standard, 1990

Heat tolerance

2 of 5 · Flat, water-resistant double coat; outer coat coarse, moderately long and full; soft dense undercoat, often less dense in summer or warm climates

DerivedAKC breed standard, 1990

Derived from the standard's coat description on the library scale: heavy double coat = 2. A large dark dog in heat is a welfare concern; the scale does not capture mass.

How long they live, and what they cost

Measured on real dogs, with the sample and the spread. Never a guess.

Median lifespan

11 years (10.9 to 11.6)

MeasuredMcMillan KM, 2024

Low and high are the Dogs Trust 95% CI. The RKC and AKC bands are registry guidance and the Swedish figure is a different measure, so they stand in the text and are not averaged in.

The dog at home

What the breed asks of a day. The first thing most homes get wrong.

Exercise need

Up to 1 hour per day (RKC)

Breed clubThe Royal Kennel Club

RKC band mapped: up to 1 hour = 60.

Exercise need

Up to 1 hour per day (RKC). AKC breed page energy level 3 of 5.

Breed clubThe Royal Kennel Club

Energy

AKC breed page: energy level 3 of 5, mental stimulation needs 3 of 5, playfulness 3 of 5.

Breed clubAKC

Grooming load

4 of 5 · Every day (RKC grooming band); coat length medium; sheds. AKC breed page: coat grooming frequency 2 of 5, shedding 3 of 5, drooling 5 of 5.

Breed clubThe Royal Kennel Club

RKC band mapped: daily = 4 (library scale: 4 = daily or regular clipping).

Grooming

Every day (RKC). AKC standard: excess hair may be trimmed for neatness; whiskers need not be trimmed.

Breed clubThe Royal Kennel Club

The work

What it was built to do in the field, and what a test or trial asks of it.

Role

FCI 50 utilization: sledge dog for heavy loads, water dog. AKC: a multipurpose dog, at home on land and in water, capable of draft work and with natural lifesaving abilities. UKC: multipurpose dog at home on land and in the water, capable of draft work, with natural lifesaving instincts. RKC: towing fishermen's carts, pulling logs for lumberjacks, hauling in fishermen's nets, jumping from boats to retrieve lost equipment, and more recently jumping from low-flying aircraft and helicopters to rescue swimmers.

Breed clubFederation Cynologique Internationale, 1996

Not a gun dog; no game traits recorded.

Also used on

Draft and haulage on land: fishermen's carts, logs, nets (RKC); sledge dog for heavy loads (FCI 50); NCA draft tests exist alongside the water tests. The NCA and Wikipedia both describe water rescue and lifesaving as the breed's signature work.

Breed clubThe Royal Kennel Club

Field trial standard

NCA water tests (first sanctioned test 1973, plans developed 1971): Water Dog (junior, six exercises incl. bumper retrieve, life jacket retrieve, rope to a swimming steward, towing a boat, swimming with the handler); Water Rescue Dog (senior, six exercises incl. leaping from a boat, discriminating among three swimmers and carrying a life ring, line to a boat, rescuing the handler who falls overboard); Water Rescue Dog Excellent (WRDX, six exercises incl. unconscious victim and victim under a capsized boat). The NCA also runs draft tests.

Breed clubNewfoundland Club of America

Titles and test content from the NCA page as archived; the Water and Draft Test Regulations themselves were not opened.

Water work

Water rescue is the breed's work. NCA: the large stature, powerful muscles, waterproof coat and webbed feet let it swim with the speed and endurance to rescue a drowning person. AKC standard and UKC: webbed feet; natural lifesaving abilities. FCI 50: the tail acts as a rudder when swimming; the hindquarters drive pulling, swimming and ground cover. Wikipedia: huge lung capacity for long swims and an oily waterproof double coat.

Breed clubNewfoundland Club of America

Cold water

5 of 5 · Water-resistant double coat with dense undercoat, webbed feet, bred for work in the cold North Atlantic water (FCI: withstood extreme climate and sea; NCA: waterproof coat and webbed feet for speed and endurance in water)

DerivedAKC breed standard, 1990

Derived from the coat (AKC, UKC, FCI) and the breed's water-rescue work (NCA, FCI).

How common the problems are

Evaluated dogs skew toward breeding stock; the numbers are still the best there are.

Hip dysplasia

25.8% · 25.8% dysplastic of 20,062 OFA hip evaluations (current all-data, accessed Oct 9 2026); normal 72.2%; mild 13.5%, moderate 9.7%, severe 2.6%; breed rank 30 among OFA breeds

MeasuredOrthopedic Foundation for Animals

OFA's database is voluntary and skews to breeding stock, and affected dogs are under-reported, so true prevalence is probably higher. Giant-breed figure shown plainly. Wikipedia cites other US studies with 24.8% hip and 22.7% elbow dysplasia in Newfoundlands, and 17.16% at university hospitals; not recorded as separate values.

Elbow dysplasia

23.3% · 23.3% abnormal of 10,729 OFA elbow evaluations (current all-data, accessed Oct 9 2026); normal 76.4%; grade 1 15.7%, grade 2 4.7%, grade 3 3.0%; breed rank 17

MeasuredOrthopedic Foundation for Animals

OFA's database is voluntary and skews to breeding stock, and affected dogs are under-reported, so true prevalence is probably higher. Giant-breed figure shown plainly.

Most common disorders

Wikipedia, summarising published studies: predisposed to gastric dilatation-volvulus (UK club survey: 10% of deaths vs 2.5% overall, with a small, voluntary sample), dilated cardiomyopathy, hip dysplasia and cranial cruciate ligament deficiency (highest of the breeds in a 27-hospital US review), hypothyroidism, skin disease. Parent-club tests: hips, elbows, cardiac exam, cystinuria DNA (AKC CHIC); UK Good Practice: hips, elbows, cystinuria DNA; Best Practice: eyes (RKC).

EditorialWikipedia

Secondary summary. No Newfoundland-specific VetCompass paper was opened.

More

akc bands

AKC breed page trait scores (1-5): Energy Level 3; Mental Stimulation Needs 3; Trainability Level 3; Barking Level 1; Watchdog/Protective Nature 5; Good With Young Children 5; Openness To Strangers 5; Good With Other Dogs 5; Shedding Level 3; Coat Grooming Frequency 2; Drooling Level 5; Affectionate With Family 5; Playfulness Level 3; Adaptability Level 4.

Breed clubAKC

Fourteen AKC bands in one row; the selector reads each by name. Breed-club ratings: a tendency, never a measurement.

How to read this page

Every value carries a label. Measured means peer-reviewed data on many dogs. Studied means peer-reviewed, smaller or indirect. Breed club means a club or registry states it. Editorial means expert opinion with no measurement behind it. Where two good sources disagree, both are shown and neither is averaged.

Published when the entry rests on the best information available from no fewer than three independent sources, checked by a second pass that did not write it. 9 sources on this page. Found something wrong? Tell us and the correction is logged with its date.

Also called
Newf, Newfie

Every breed, read the same way.

The breed index grows as entries clear the standard. Gun dogs first.

All published breeds

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