# Living with a Newfoundland puppy



## NewfoundlandOwner (Dec 22, 2011)

Ozzy the Newfie pup was a little uppity, so I decided on a quick alpha-roll to show him who's the boss around here:





The other dogs have taken him in now! Maybe due to his size, at first he wasn't getting the kind of slack that a puppy generally is afforded by adult dogs. I'm big into prevention before cure, so I supervised all activity between dog and puppy until I was sure everyone was going to be good together. Luckily, this didn't take long. 

Ozzy is growing so fast, it boggles the mind. When I brought him home at 8 weeks, he was 19 lbs. At 10 and 1/2 weeks, he weighs in at 30 lbs. Every 3-4 days, I can visibly detect a size increase. My wife and I have a king sized bed, and I bring him up sometimes at night before bed to get some playtime in before putting him away for the night. I'll have to get him a ramp or some stairs to get up there in the next few months, since I won't be able to lift him there when he weighs 100+ lbs. Literally speaking, he could jump, but that kind of impact wouldn't be good for his joints in the long-term. We even have a ramp for him to get into our SUV when he gets that big. He's a lot like a human child, especially when he gets tired. Most puppies seem to get a little bleary-eyed and cuddle up for sleep. Ozzy will get a bit more hyper and grouchy when he gets too tired. From living with him and corresponding with other Newfie owners, I found that it's common for them to get 'lippy' at this time as well. He'll growl and even bark occasionally, but never in an aggressive manner. In a way, it's like what he does when he wants to play with an adult dog that isn't currently in the mood. Ozzy will strike a play bow, and start growls and barks, along with side to side jumps into more play bows. It's a little annoying, but not aggressive. If we're all laying in bed and he starts acting like this, I put him in his play area and he goes right to sleep with barely a sound. I have two kids, and they both acted like this when they were tired around ages 4-8 or so. 

Ozzy is also very messy. I'm going to try a suggestion from another Newfie owner - elevating his water bowl. I need a bit of advice on that, however. Since he grows so fast right now, I'll need to keep elevating it a little at a time. This is to stop him from placing his entire face in the water. As much as they love water, I'm trying to reduce the amount of chin-rain I get on my floors. It also helps taking him to play on the couch or in bed, if he isn't sopping wet from teeth to chest. I should add that anyone who is overly concerned about having a spotless house should not bring a Newfie home. They are not destructive or anything, but they do love to play in water, and their fur is very, very thick. Shedding season will blow in like the snows of winter, and frequent brushing necessary during this time.

Other than the rain issue, my 2-cents about living with a Newfie is that they're great. A lot of work, but really awesome dogs. Crating can be difficult because they grow so damned fast. It's something you have to see to truly appreciate. I've never had a giant dog breed living with me, so this was a bit of a shock, even after reading about it. I keep Ozzy in a play area rather than a crate, and praise heavily every time he goes outside. Whenever I see him get up, I take him outside to my b/y to potty, and also after playing a bit, eating, some time passed, etc. After just a few days he stopped pooping in the house, but I'm still working on inside peeing. Obedience training is a snap. Although Newfies can be extremely stubborn, they truly love their human's approval, and will very happily work for treats or praise. Going through doors/gates around Ozzy isn't that much fun. Unlike other puppies, he won't try to haul ass through the opening, but he will follow right on my heels and insert his head and shoulders and refuse to back up. I've never seen another breed do this. He won't push or surge forward - just lean into the opening and not back up unless you put a hand to his chest. As adults it's easier to deal with this, because you can apply a little pressure to their chin or side of face and they get the idea. I can't do this with Ozzy, because as large as he is, he's still less than 11 weeks old, and I don't want to cause pain by thoughtless action. Newfies make for very happy puppies, who generally aren't afraid of dogs or people. They love to meet everyone. I'm super-careful to make certain Ozzy only meet 'safe' people and dogs right now. He's gets his next shot in a week, and then he'll be good to go most places, and the last shot in 5 weeks. Newfie puppies can make a lot more noise than I'm used to with other puppy breeds, but will also stay quiet most of the time. I obtained pet insurance, and would highly recommend this for owners of giants breeds, and for other breeds - use your best judgement. My plan is only $30 per month, and hopefully I'll never need to use it for more than Ozzy's exams. 

OK, this is as much as I have time for this morning, but there isn't a lot of info I could find on the day to day life of a Newfie puppy, so I thought I'd provide what I could. Hopefully it will be helpful to anyone else thinking on getting a Newfie puppy.


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## wvasko (Dec 15, 2007)

Oh my, a scratch the belly alpha roll, a very, very, most inhumane program causing extreme stomach pains when pup gets into a laughing spasms. Shame! Shame!


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## NewfoundlandOwner (Dec 22, 2011)

wvasko said:


> Oh my, a scratch the belly alpha roll, a very, very, most inhumane program causing extreme stomach pains when pup gets into a laughing spasms. Shame! Shame!


I hated to get that serious, but we do what we must!


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## Wag_More (Jun 7, 2011)

Oh. My. Goodness. That has to be, honest to god, the cutest puppy I've never seen (not exaggerating) 



> My plan is only $30 per month, and hopefully I'll never need to use it for more than Ozzy's exams.


What company are you using? I asked my vet, and he told me there are only 2 Pet Insurance companies in Canada, and he recommended only one... it was well over $100 a month, and didn't cover enough for me to feel I was getting any semblance of peace of mind. I take it you're in the States? I'll be moving there, so I'd love to check out that company!


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## Abbylynn (Jul 7, 2011)

Awwwe ...... Ozzy is adorable!  I do not know much about the breed ... but he looks just like a little bear! Lol!  I enjoyed the video.


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## bowie (Apr 26, 2010)

Thanks for sharing this. Newfs are one of my favorite breeds but I don't think I could ever own one - all the drool seriously grosses me out, haha.


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## Amaryllis (Dec 28, 2011)

Oh, c'mon! Don't make me want a newfie puppy, that's not fair!


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## NewfoundlandOwner (Dec 22, 2011)

Wag_More said:


> Oh. My. Goodness. That has to be, honest to god, the cutest puppy I've never seen (not exaggerating)
> 
> 
> 
> What company are you using? I asked my vet, and he told me there are only 2 Pet Insurance companies in Canada, and he recommended only one... it was well over $100 a month, and didn't cover enough for me to feel I was getting any semblance of peace of mind. I take it you're in the States? I'll be moving there, so I'd love to check out that company!


Thanks for the cuteness vote! Yes, I'm in the States, and the company I used is called 'Embrace'. I took the lowest cost plan, but customized it with things I wanted. I upped the annual max to $10,000 from $5,000, and added in prescription medication coverage. So far my puppy is the embodiment of perfect health, but I've read in MANY places that giant breeds can develop very expensive ailments. Also, injuries to giant breeds tend to be joint trauma, which can also be very expensive to treat. That's one reason we already have a ramp for our mini-SUV. I don't want Ozzy trying to jump up and down from the back. 

Ozzy turned 11 weeks old today, and weighs in at 32 lbs. It really is a trip watching him grow. The only complaint (if you can call it that) that I have so far is that Ozzy can make the most aggravating sound I've ever heard out of a dog. When he wants out of his play area, he emits something like the canine version of a cat's howl/screech when they're in heat. It's like nothing I've ever heard. He spends most of his time out running around, but when no one's home, he stays in his play area. Ozzy and my other dogs get along very well, but he's so young (despite his size) that I don't want to take chances with an accident. Ozzy learns very fast, and his first leash training session yesterday went very well. He gets his "safe to take most anywhere" shot this weekend, so until then leash training is in my back yard. I'll be VERY grateful when he gets the shot, though. Taking him to Petsmart requires me to carry him the whole time, which now gets pretty harsh. Also, taking Ozzy into Petsmart is like arriving with a rock star. We practically get mobbed! So far Ozzy loves everyone, and is happy to meet people and dogs of all kinds. I've allowed him to come out and do a full meet with my neighbor's GSD, because my neighbors are very serious and responsible pet owners and their dogs are all fully set up on shots. That went really well. I try to keep him as safe from any contagion as is possible, while still providing him with socialization.


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## NewfoundlandOwner (Dec 22, 2011)

bowie said:


> Thanks for sharing this. Newfs are one of my favorite breeds but I don't think I could ever own one - all the drool seriously grosses me out, haha.


So far there hasn't been any 'drool' as I'd typically define it. When Ozzy drinks, he puts his entire snout in the water bowl, and comes away raining from chin to chest. When I think drool, I'm thinking saliva and slobber. He might get the deep jowls when he's fully grown and then drool a bit, but if so I'll just carry a towel.


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