Newfoundlands are high maintenance when it comes to keeping their thick double coats in good condition. Their coats are naturally oily which means they are extremely water resistant as such they dry very quickly when a Newfie gets wet or has been swimming, which these large dogs love to do. Their coats need to be brushed every day to prevent any tangles or matts forming, paying particular attention to the feathers on a dog's legs.
It is also a good idea to have a Newfie professionally groomed twice a year which means they get a good bath in the process. Being such large dogs, it can be a real challenge to bath them at home. It's also important to check a dog's ears and to clean them when necessary. If too much wax is allowed to build up in a dog's ears, it can lead to a painful infection which can be hard to clear up. In short, prevention is often easier than cure when it comes to ear infections.
Newfoundlands need to be given a minimum of 60 minutes exercise a day and they need lots of space to move around. Ideally, a Newfie should be allowed to roam around a back garden as often as possible so they can really let off steam in a safe environment. With this said, the fencing in a garden has to be very secure to keep such a large dog in.
Because of their thick, oily double coats the Newfoundland suffers when the weather is warmer and therefore care has to be taken when they are exercised. It's best to walk a dog earlier in the morning and then later in the afternoon when the sun is lower in the sky and the temperature is cooler. Care also has to be taken when walking a Newfie anywhere near water because they love swimming and might just jump in no matter what the weather is doing or how safe it is for them to swim.
Young Newfie puppies should not be given too much exercise because their joints and bones are still growing and too much pressure on them could result in causing a dog a few problems later on in their lives. They should not be allowed to jump up or down from the furniture or run up and down stairs because it puts too much pressure and strain on their growing joints and bones.
If you get a Newfoundland puppy from a breeder, they would give you a feeding schedule and it's important to stick to the same routine, feeding the same puppy food to avoid any tummy upsets. You can change a puppy's diet, but this needs to be done very gradually always making sure they don't develop any digestive upsets and if they do, it's best to put them back on their original diet and to discuss things with the vet before attempting to change it again remembering that puppies need to be given a very nutritious diet for their bones and joints to develop as they should.
Older dogs are not known to be fussy or finicky eaters, but this does not mean you can feed them a lower quality diet. It's best to feed a mature dog twice a day, once in the morning and then again in the evening, making sure it's good quality food that meets all their nutritional requirements. It's also important that dogs be given the right amount of exercise so they burn off any excess calories or they might gain too much weight which can lead to all sorts of health issues. Obesity can shorten a dog's life by several years so it's important to keep an eye on their waistline from the word go.
