THE dog of which we have now to treat is one of the oldest favourites with the British public. He was chosen as a companion and guard from among the classes of dogs we may describe as representing the major canines, when the Mastiff's popularity was for years in abeyance, and the noble Bloodhound's grand qualities as a detective police above the reach of bribery were for a time eclipsed by the novel glare of Peel's blue-liveried peace preserver. His hunting qualities were ignored by all but a few favoured sportsmen who, knowing his worth, used him, and thereby preserved him; and long before the St. Bernard, with all his excellences, was known in England except to the learned and the travelled, the Newfoundland, with his grand appearance, noble mien, and majestic bearing, had taken possession of popular fancy. As a proof that he still holds it, we are quite certain that there are more Newfoundlands, or dogs so called, kept as guards and big pet dogs in this country by the general public, outside of those who are au fait in canine matters, than of any other breed of corresponding size.
If we are right in this, it may be asked why then are Newfoundland classes so sparsely filled in comparison with the classes set apart for those other breeds to which we have alluded? To this we can only reply that in dogs, as in other things, dame Fashion exercises the same extensive sway. We have no doubt, as the proverb assures us, that "every dog has his day." The Newfoundland's day, as the great feature of our leading shows, is yet to come, and we must recognise the fact that the at-present dethroned monarch has a powerful rival in the picturesquely-marked St. Bernard, who has for the present displaced him. It has also to be remembered that, Newfoundland owners being comparatively unskilled in caniological points, it has generally happened that there have been one or more super-excellent dogs going the rounds of the shows, against whom mediocre ones stand no chance of getting a prize, and they have consequently been frightened away.
As a companion dog the Newfoundland answers every purpose. As a rule he is docile, and always sagacious and faithful to his master, but a terror to tramps and evil-doers, and therefore one of the best watch-dogs that can be kept about a country house. His colossal size strikes awe to the hearts of the vagabond and prowler, and his fine discriminating intelligence soon distinguishes the friendly visitor, and bids him welcome. As a retriever he is unexcelled, although too heavy for field work; but he has done great service in producing for us our modern unequalled and justly-admired breed of flat and wavy-coated field Retrievers.
It is, however, in the water that this semi-aquatic dog is to be seen in all his glory. No sea is too rough for him to venture in. It is a fine sight to witness one of these intrepid swimmers buffeting the waves, carrying life and safety to the perishing, a work to which the Newfoundland seems to take instinctively, and in the performance of which he at once shows his high courage and benevolence of disposition, appearing to take pride in the display. We consider the qualities of the Newfoundland as a means of saving life have not been sufficiently utilised around our coasts; nothing is easier than to train him by means of an effigy to bring drowning people out of the water, and one or two would prove of great value at our bathing stations and in connection with our lifeboats. Water trials for these dogs have been tried at Maidstone and Portsmouth, but from various causes they proved unsuccessful. Such trials, however, if judiciously carried out, would, we are sure, prove both interesting and useful. The idea of instituting such contests originated with Mr. Hugh Dalziel, and it is to be regretted it has not met with the support it deserves. There is no dog that earlier displays intelligence, and his education may be commenced almost as soon as he leaves his dam. A Newfoundland's instinct for fetching and carrying is soon exhibited in his manner of playing with bones, pieces of wood, a ball, or anything he can pick up. He is continually running about with one or other of these things in his mouth, indulging in all sorts of antics, throwing his plaything up and catching it, hiding it when tired, to be brought out again when the spirit of play returns to him.
To take advantage of these natural propensities, and develop them, is the easy task of the judicious teacher. In doing so it is well to keep to one article a piece of wood, round which some cloth is tied to make it soft to the mouth, and prevent it hurting the teeth, at the same time that it assists in bringing him up tender-mouthed, a most important point to be gained, and one which the use of a hard material in early lessons makes almost impossible of subsequent attainment. The lessons are easily imparted with a little patience and perseverance. This is the modus operandi: — Take the object in your hand, and having called the pup to you, show it him, gently shaking it before him, when he will at once want to take it in his mouth. Instead of letting him take it from your hand, throw it, when his attention is on it, a few yards away; he will be sure to scamper after it, when your next part is to coax him back to you, as his natural inclination will be to stop and play with it. If he does not come to you, go to him, and, taking hold of the ball with one hand, with the other very gently lead him back to where you threw it from, and then, with as little force as possible, take it away, place it on the ground, do not allow him to touch it, but pat him and praise him; in a few minutes repeat the operation, and continue until he gets tired of it, at the first signs of which stop the lesson. If this is repeated twice a day the puppy will soon be perfect, and will like the lessons all the better if at the end of each you reward him with some tit-bit. You must then gradually extend the lesson out of doors, throwing the ball into grass, or elsewhere, that he may have to seek for it; and go on until he will "seek" at the commanding use of that word, with a wave of the hand to guide him in the direction in which you have previously hidden the ball. These should be strictly private lessons, as the presence of any other man or dog will distract the pupil's attention, and spoil all. Lessons in the water are taught on the same plan; and diving by using a bone, or other white substance that will sink, beginning by at first dropping it into very shallow clear water. We have seen a dog trained in the manner we have briefly described (he was a fine pup, son of imported parents), so that at six months old he would go back two miles and fetch an article which he had not seen hidden; and he was so tender-mouthed that we have seen him carry a winged crow a mile without hurting him no easy task when the temper of the crow and the strength of his bill are considered.
Of the dogs imported of late years we cannot speak very highly, none of them being equal to our home-bred specimens; and we look for improvement by careful breeding with these, rather than from the introduction of blood from abroad. An exception may he found in Moldau, a dog imported by Mr. Richard Lord from Hanover. In frame this dog is a grand specimen, but he is blemished by showing white on his feet and chest. We may, however, with marked advantage exchange blood with our American friends, if, as we are informed, fine specimens exist in the United States, where dog shows are now popular, and this breed is being carefully cultivated.
Mr. William Coats, of North Shields, one of the most successful breeders of this variety, and certainly an ardent admirer of the Newfoundland, has kindly supplied us with the following notes on breeding this class of dog: —

"In breeding I must have a powerfully well-built bitch, with plenty of bone and a good coat. Her ears must sit close to her head, which was the characteristic of Leo's mother. His father I did not like so well: he was a great lanky dog, but had a very grand head. Whilst on the subject of colour, I can truly say that I have never seen a pure-bred Newfoundland with a jet-black coat. I have made the acquaintance of some pretty dogs which have been jet-black; but the veriest mongrel has generally the blackest coat. Under any circumstances the coat must be flat and straight. As to size if you ask any practical breeder of Newfoundlands what he thinks of your puppy, he will almost invariably say in his criticism, 'he doubts whether he is going to be big enough.' Some writers endeavour to write down all large Newfoundlands, simply because they are ignorant of what the breed should be, or are interested in the success of mongrels who are not big.
"With respect to breeding, I do not hold with some authorities in their respect for in-breeding. When I have not a dog of my own sufficiently far removed in blood, I always seek the most powerfully-built dog of the breed I can find elsewhere. The strains I like best are those of Robinson's Carlo, and Windle's Don; and these have provided most of the blood on the dog's side which I now possess. I always try to produce them as big as I can in stature and bone, with a head and tail resembling those painted by Landseer.
"As regards my experience of the habits and temperament of the breed, I can safely say that I have never had a bad or cross-tempered one; all have been of the most docile character. All Newfoundlands love water, and take to it naturally. Living, as I do, near the sea, my dogs have every opportunity of obeying their natural instinct. When they were missing we generally found them at the sea or river side, or else they came home dripping wet, their jackets telling where they had been."

To Mr. T. Loader Browne, of Chard, we are indebted for the following valuable notes, which his position as an authority renders highly interesting: —

"No doubt there is a great difficulty in breeding dogs up to anything like a perfect standard; and I think this is particularly the case with Newfoundlands, where size is a leading feature. It is comparatively easy to breed tolerably perfect small dogs; but he is fortunate who obtains one first-class large one out of thirty. My idea of a Newfoundland is that he cannot be too large in size, if he be symmetrical; but I would not sacrifice any recognised point to size, much less favour a long-backed, weak-loined animal that cannot turn quickly in the water. My reason for advocating large size is that, viewing him as a water dog, capable of saving life, his extra size and proportionate strength give him greater facility in buoying up and landing a drowning person. Any one, in such a case, would rather see a very large dog, say 33 inches at the shoulder, coming to his rescue, than a smaller one of 27 inches. Also, he makes a nobler companion, and a more powerful and efficient guard, whilst as a show dog he is certainly grander and more imposing on the bench. I know some judges do not insist on extraordinary size, and support their opinion by stating that he is not found so in his native country; but this appears of little weight, as it merely arises from careless breeding; and granting he is more useful for being large, there is no reason why he should not be increased in size, just as other prize stock has been improved within the last half-century. As to colour, the rusty-dun shade is very objectionable, and detracts much from the beauty of the dog; and without going so far as some in saying it arises from a cross with the St. Bernard, I cannot agree with those who maintain it is a sign of pure breeding. No doubt there are many dogs of this colour in Newfoundland, but there are also others of a glossy black. I have reason to believe there is no great care shown in breeding them, but that they vary a great deal in size, colour, and coat; so that every imported dog must not be considered to represent the true breed, which could only be the case if the islanders made a spécialité of their dogs, as the Jersey men do of their cows, not allowing any other breed to be imported into the island — not of course that this would be worth the trouble of doing. I think the coat should be of a glossy jet-black colour, and composed of rather coarse, not silky hair, long, straight, shaggy, and dense, but without much under-coat. It is astonishing how quickly this description of coat will dry, as compared with one that is curly; on account of the oily, glossy nature of the hair, very little water can remain in the coat, and that on the surface drips off and nearly disappears with the usual shake.
"The following are some of the defects frequently met with in breeding, but which certainly may be lessened and nearly eradicated by careful mating of the parents, of course never selecting both where the same defect exists, or it will undoubtedly appear in an exaggerated form in their progeny. Where there is a weak point in one of the parents, choose the other where this point is exceptionally strong: —
"Weakness of loin and shortness of the back ribs, both highly objectionable, and generally acknowledged to be a failing of this breed.
"The muzzle being too short, giving the dog a pug-faced appearance; in other cases too long and snipy. It should be a happy medium, with the mouth large and capacious, and teeth level, giving him facility to lay hold of and retain anything floating.
"Neck too short. It should be a fair length, with immense development of muscle; this is required to enable him to keep the object he is bringing to shore well out of the water.
"The ears too large. They should be rather small and lie close to the head, acting as valves to keep the water out of the orifices.
"The eye showing the haw, or under eyelid, leading in some cases to a suspicion of a St. Bernard cross. The eye should be deeply set, and not too large. I prefer colour to be dark hazel, but many good dogs have them rather a lighter shade.
"The tail with a twist or curl occurring in the last joints of the vertebrae, also carried generally too high; it should be gently curved and carried low.
"White colour in patches. A very small spot may be passed over on the chest, and some celebrated dogs have had more than a splash on the foot; but it should not be, and the less there is the better.
"Crooked legs and out at elbows I have found, even when breeding from parents perfect in these points; caused, I believe, by mating a very young bitch with an old dog. If possible, never breed from a bitch under two years, or, better, two and a half years old, the dog to be not more than five, or six at most. If the bitch be five, let the dog be two or three years old.
"The head has generally from twenty to twenty-five points out of the hundred assigned to it, and rightly so, as it is one of the chief characteristics of the breed. It should be essentially an open countenance, full of true dignity and benevolence.
"The Newfoundland has an immense development of brain, and a first-class education is not thrown away on him; he is an apt scholar, but, like some clever boys, at times rather stubborn; still, firmness and kindness will always carry the point. It is surprising to notice the change in his expression after becoming the frequent companion of his master; always intelligent, he now looks half humanised, and, other things being equal, this is a great advantage to him on the show-bench, and is pretty sure to turn the scale in his favour.
"It is much to be regretted that the attempts made in 1876, at Maidstone and Portsmouth, to carry out 'water trials' or 'life-saving contests' have not been repeated, as with good management they would have become most interesting and useful, and no doubt have been the means of many dogs being more carefully trained for this service, and winning the medals of the Royal Humane Society. I trust the day will soon come when a thoroughly well-trained Newfoundland will be attached to all the chief 'preventive stations' round the coast. He not only would be ready to rescue life from drowning, but his great intelligence and observation could be enlisted in many ways to further the objects for which the service is instituted. His scent and sight are wonderfully keen, and his curiosity unbounded; and, after due training, I would back him to drop to brandy and tobacco as truly as any Setter would to grouse or partridge."

It will here be seen that though Mr. Browne and Mr. Coats are at one on the question of size, they differ concerning colour. For our own part we are of opinion that a rusty tinge is far from objectionable; in fact, we rather like it.
In describing the points of these dogs we will take first, as we place first, that feature which generally first strikes the eye and impresses the mind.
The Head. — This should be large, broad, and rather flat on the skull, with the occipital bone well pronounced. The forehead is bold, but there is no decided stop; the jaws of medium length, and cut off abruptly. Without being tight-skinned, there should be no decided wrinkles or loose-folding skin such as we have in the Bulldog, Bloodhound, and the Thibet Mastiff, and no deep flews. The nostrils are large and wide, and the whole face is clean — that is, covered with short hair only.
The Eye is rather small and deep-set, varying in colour, but generally a shade of brown; it should never be bloodshot — that is, showing the haw or conjunctiva, as seen in the Bloodhound and some St. Bernards.
The Ear should be small. Nathaniel Hawthorne, the American writer, describes it as "a small and mouse-like ear." It should lie close, and be covered with a short velvety coat, with longer hair at the edges.
The Neck is generally rather short, and the great abundance of thick hair standing out from it adds to that an appearance of its being more so than it really is. It is an object with breeders to improve the dog by increasing the length; it should be thick and muscular, swelling gradually towards the attachment to the shoulders.
The Chest and Body. The chest should be both deep and wide, and the ribs round, with the back broad and muscular, with strong loins. This formation is of great importance to a dog whose work is for the most part in the water, enabling him to float with ease.
The Legs should be large of bone, well clothed with muscle, and the fore ones quite straight, the elbows well let down; the hind ones short from the hock, the height being got by the length from there to hip, which is more than in most other breeds. Both legs are feathered to the foot, although the hair is not long.
The Feet are of great importance, as they are his paddles, and consequently must be broad and flat. The vulgar opinion that this dog is web-footed, it may be as well to observe here, has no other foundation in fact than that the toes of all dogs are connected by a skinny membrane, but it does not extend to the point of the toes, as in web-footed birds. The broad, flat, and rather thin foot is of the greatest use in swimming, worked as they are by powerful legs, but for travel on hard roads they are decidedly against him, and he is apt to get footsore, although he is, from his immense bulk, but a slow traveller.
Coat and Colour. The coat is long, shaggy, and very thick and flat, naturally coarse looking, harsh, and dry, an appearance partly due to his frequent sea-baths; but those that are carefully tended and constantly groomed are glossy and softer. The coat is very wet-resisting, which enables him to remain long in water without harm.
The colour, as we have already observed, is often of a rusty hue, which, although not so fashionable as the jet-black, is the natural colour of the pure race, and therefore should be no whit against the dog in competition, but on the contrary, in his favour.
The Tail should be of good length and very powerful, as he uses it as a rudder; it should be carried with a sweep downwards, ending in an upward curl similar to that of the Sheepdog, but much more thickly covered with hair, which is quite bushy.
Symmetry and General Appearance. The general appearance of a good specimen impresses the observer with the dog's size, strength, and activity; a weak loin, cow-hocks, or elbows out of the straight line with the body, give an awkward appearance, a shuffling gait, and destroy all symmetry.

Leo, whom we have chosen for our illustration, is without exception the most superb specimen of the breed we have seen. It is objected to him that his coat is of a brownish tinge, which it unquestionably is, and no doubt a jet glossy black is more pleasing to the eye, but this rustiness of coat is a characteristic frequently seen in dogs native to the island. In this opinion we are supported by the valuable and weighty evidence of no less an authority than Mr. William Lort, the experienced and justly-esteemed judge, who lived some years in Newfoundland, and assures us that a rusty coat is quite a common feature of these dogs, especially those of the purest race. Leo was bred by Mr. William Coats in 1872, and is by Windle's Don out of Meg of Maldon, by Bruno out of Robinson's Meg by Carlo, by Nero out of Bella, by Nero out of Gipsy. The following are his chief performances: — First, Darlington; first, Nottingham; first, Hull — 1875. Darlington, champion prize; Birmingham, first prize — 1876. Edinburgh, first prize; Wolverhamp ton, first prize; Bath, first prize and cup; Agricultural Hall, first prize; Manchester, first prize; Birmingham, first prize; Alexandra Palace, first prize — 1877. First, Alexandra Palace; first, Birmingham; first, Bristol; first, Crystal Palace; first, Oxford; first, Wolverhampton — 1878. He weighs 149 lbs., and his measurements are — From nose to stop, 5 inches; from stop to occipital bone, 7 ¾ inches; length of back, 34 inches; girth of muzzle in front of eyes, 14½ inches; girth of skull, 26½ inches; girth of neck, 30 inches; girth of brisket in front of forelegs, 45 inches; girth of chest behind fore-legs, 42 inches; girth round loins, 38 inches; girth rdund hind-leg at stifle, 22 inches; girth of arm three inches below elbow, 11 inches; girth of fore-arm, 9 inches; girth of pasterns, 8 inches; height at shoulders, 32 inches; height at elbow, 17½ inches; height at loins, 32½ inches; height at hocks, 8½ inches; length of tail, 24 inches. Mr. Coats sold Leo to Mr. Mapplebeck, of Birmingham, who, after winning many prizes with him, eventually disposed of him to Mr. S. W. Wildman, of Bingley, Yorkshire, who owns him at the present time.

Among Leo's more prominent rivals we may mention Mrs. Cunliffe Lee's Jet, Dr. Gordon Stables' Theodore Nero, whose praises have been said or sung too often to need repetition, and Mr. George Raper's Brewer. Mr. Lord's Cabot is also a good specimen, although rather small. Mr. Howard Mapplebeck had several fine bitches, so that from his late collection and those of a few other breeders we may look for an increase in the number of exhibits of dogs really up to show form. Amongst other excellent specimens are Mr. T. Loader Browne's Nora Creina, and Monarch; the latter a winner both on the bench and at water-trials.

SCALE OF POINTS FOR NEWFOUNDLANDS.

	Value
Head	. . . . . . . . . . . . 10
Neck, chest, back, loin	. . . . . . . . . . . . 15
Legs and feet	. . . . . . . . . . . . 10
Coat and colour	. . . . . . . . . . . . 5
Tail	. . . . . . . . . . . . 5
Symmetry and general appearance	. . . . . . . . . . . . 5
Total . . . . . . . . . . . . 50

Another class of dog which its admirers stoutly pronounce to be a pure-bred Newfoundland is the large black-and-white dog so often seen in this country. Opinions differ very considerably, however, regarding the merits of this dog's claim to be Newfoundland, and the best-informed authorities with whom we have an opportunity of discussing the subject are unanimous in pronouncing the species to have been originally a splendid mongrel, possessing in its structure many prominent Newfoundland points, but deficient in some important characteristics of the pure breed.

The painting by the late Sir Edwin Landseer of "A Distinguished Member of the Humane Society," though magnificent as a work of art, has undoubtedly done much to — if we may use the term — corrupt the public mind upon the subject of the Newfoundland. A vast number of people, without troubling themselves to inquire into the matter, have associated the black-and- white dog with the correct type of the Newfoundland, utterly regardless of the fact that Sir Edwin may have selected this colour as brighter and more suitable for the object he had in view.

How this large black-and-white dog, or Landseer Newfoundland as it is now termed, ever came into existence is hard to explain, but it is impossible to doubt for an instant that it partakes largely of the character of the pure-bred Newfoundland. It is certainly true that in the island of Newfoundland itself many black-and-white dogs are to be found, but they apparently have no stronger claims to be considered pure Newfoundlands than any large-sized mongrel in this country has to be styled a Mastiff. Admirers of the black-and-white dog endeavour to believe that the colour of a Newfoundland is immaterial, and hence that their favourites are of the same variety as the black, but in doing so they neglect to notice several other points of distinction between the two breeds. In the first place the head of the Newfoundland generally is larger and more solid than that of his parti-coloured relation, whilst the latter is slacker in his loins, and the tendency to curl in his coat is more frequent. Of course, in some instances magnificent specimens of the black-and-white dog — such as Mr. Evans's Dick — have been shown, and these can compare in almost every respect most favourably with the black variety. In many cases however they would, possibly on account of the prejudice which exists against their colour, stand but little chance of success in open competition, so the committees of some leading shows have instituted a class for Newfoundlands other than black, which we venture to predict will soon be largely patronised.

As a companion this dog is highly appreciated, and his markings certainly render him handsomer than the black dog; whilst for utility, devotion to his master, and gentleness of disposition, he is not inferior to the variety from whence he undoubtedly sprung.

By far the best specimen of the Landseer Newfoundland we are acquainted with is Mr. Evans's Dick above mentioned, who has won prizes at every show where there has been a class for dogs of this breed. He is by Vass's Neptune by Evans's Nell, and was bred by his owner in 1871. In 1876 he won first at the Crystal Palace under the name of Castro, and first and cup at Maidstone under the name of Dick. In 1877 he won first at the Alexandra Palace and Agricultural Hall, and in 1878 again first at the Alexandra Palace. His weight is 139 pounds, and his measurements are as follows: — Length of nose to stop, 5 inches; length, stop to occiput, 7 inches; length of back, 30½ inches; round muzzle in front of eyes, 14½ inches; round skull, 24½ inches; round neck, 24 inches; round brisket in front of forearms, 41 inches; round chest behind forearms, 41 inches; girth of loins, 31½ inches; girth of hind leg at stifle, 20½ inches; girth of arm 3 inches below elbow, 10½ inches; girth of forearm, 8¼ inches; girth of pastern, 5½ inches; height at shoulders, 30½ inches; height at elbows, 15¼ inches; height at loins, 28½ inches; height at hock, 7¼ inches; length of tail, 22 inches.

The standard and scale of points for judging this variety are the same as in the Newfoundland, due attention, of course, being made for the beauty and regularity of the markings. (64 - 72)

The other case was that of a Newfoundland bitch of our own. In the morning she had been greatly startled by a black cat having been suddenly thrown on her while she was not looking. The fright was severe; all day she evinced extreme uneasiness and restlessness, looked strange about the eyes, which were congested, and the flow of saliva was increased; drank much, but would not eat. Took her to our bed-room for safety sake, as she cares only for us. At first slept a little, but evidently had bad dreams; awoke, and till far into the morning saw things about the room, and kept constantly snapping at imaginary flies, &c., &c. She was quite well again in a day or two. (657)