THE NEWFOUNDLAND

The Newfoundland is one of the largest and most beautiful dogs we have, while, at the same time, the great amount of sagacity he possesses, and his extreme fidelity and affection, render him one of the best companions that a man could possibly possess.  It is very much to be regretted that this fine breed of dog should be so very rare.  There are, at the present day, hardly as many good specimens in England as there are letters in the alphabet, and those who have the luck to possess a valuable Newfoundland may indeed be proud of their property, for only to know the dog is to love him.  "These animals," says M’Gregor, in his Historical and Descriptive Sketches of British America, "are faithful, good-natured, and friendly.  They will suffer no one to injure either their master or his property, however extreme be the danger.  They only want the faculty of speech to make their good wishes understood." [ note ]  Many of my readers doubtless remember the numerous fond allusions made to the Newfoundland dog “Bronte,” in that inimitable and delicious production, The Noctes Ambrosianae. [ note ] "Bronte" was no imaginary dog, Professor Wilson having really possessed such an animal, and it is sad to know that the noble fellow met his death by poison.  The dog is alluded to in the following extract:—

In general appearance the true Newfoundland is a very large jet-black dog, with a long straight coat and bushy tail, and a face extremely expressive, and eyes that beam with intelligence.

The head of this breed of dog is very large and massive.  It is broad and flat on the top between the ears, and it rises high over the line of the muzzle, but looked at in profile it should not be a domed head, neither is it altogether plain on the brow, as there is a slight depression in the mesial line.  The brow is broad all over, and even between the eyes there is a good deal of breadth.  The muscles beneath the eyes are strongly developed.  This adds to the size and girth of the head, and gives the dog great power of jaw.  The nostrils are well developed and expanding, and the whole of the nasal apparatus shows much power of scent.

What is wanted in the head, then, is a good brain-box, sight, hearing, and scent, with a powerful jaw, good level teeth, and strength of muscular issue.

The muzzle is deep, broad, almost square at the end, and moderately long.  The lips are not tight, but there should be no depth of hanging flew, the upper lips hanging slightly over the under, and the whole hiding a mouth of teeth of extraordinary strength and powerful jaws.

The eyes are rather small, moderately well set in the head, and of a deep dark hazel colour, or golden-like yellow.

The ears should be small, placed high, and when the animal is at attention, carried well forward; the lower half is like the whole of the face, covered with short, soft hair, but the upper portion of the ear is well coated.  Many otherwise good dogs are spoiled in appearance by having enormously large ears.  Ears of this class could not well be managed by a dog while swimming in broken water in the sea, or even in a pond.    A large protuberant eye would also militate against the animal while in the water.

The body is the next part to engage our attention; it should be everywhere, from stem to stern, a combination of strength and agility.  The neck is of moderate length, a short one being a great fault; it broadens towards the body, on which it is very nicely poised.  The neck is also exceedingly thick, and should feel firm and hard under the grasp.  The backbone is long and strong.

The chest is ample, and both deep and wide.  I like to see well-rounded ribs in a Newfoundland, for if he be flat-sided it is very evident he will lack staying power.  The chest should also be well ribbed up, although the after ribs are generally short.

The loins should be particularly firm and strong.  A weak-loined Newfoundland is no use to battle with the waves.

The legs should be very straight, and the elbows on a line with the backbone.  The fore limbs should possess immense strength and muscularity, and the thighs should also be well clad in muscle, to give propelling power, while the stifles are slightly bent.

The feet should be as large as possible, without being splay, and having good, strong, well-padded soles under them.  White feet, however, would go against a Newfound­land in the show ring, and so would a white tip to the tail.  The black should be a rich, deep raven colour.  Many good dogs have, however, a brownish or bronze-like hue all over them.  I would not let this tell very much against a dog that I happened to be judging; at the same time I am bound to say I do not like it.

Coat and feather. As I have already stated, the face and a portion of the ears are covered with short, soft hair.  This short hair is also the proper covering for the front part of the legs, both fore and hind; but everywhere else on the dog’s body the coat is very massive indeed.  It lengthens out after you pass the occiput – it covers the neck all round – it is lumped upon the shoulders, forming an immense mane — it is hardly so long on the back and loins, but is very massive on the thighs, and the breech is extremely well feathered, and so, too, is the front of the chest.  The feathering goes down the after part of all the legs as far as the toes, and forms, a splendid fringe on the fore ones.  The tail is also flagged.  In texture the coat is very like that of the Scotch Collie, inclining to hard, but soft and warm next the skin.

The tail should be long and strong, and carried well down. It ought to have no kink of any kind at the end of it.

The colour is black all over, except a star of white on the chest, which you hardly ever see a dog of this breed without.

Size. From 27 inches at the shoulder and upwards.  I would not care for a dog less than this, and I like them very much larger, always provided that I can get symmetry along with size; but a lathy or leggy Newfoundland is an abomination.  I have bred Newfoundlands for a good many years, and owned the champion, “Theodore Nero,” who is dead and gone.  For ten years he hardly ever left my side, by night or by day, and a more true and faithful friend it is impossible ever again to have in this world.


THE  LANDSEER NEWFOUNDLAND

To distinguish the black and white from the true Newfoundland, and out of compliment to the great painter who was so fond of this breed, I, some years ago, gave it the name of Landseer, and by this title the dog is now generally known.

The Landseer differs from the black Newfoundland in several minor points, but chiefly in colour.  He is the same large, strong, compact, noble-headed, and grandly-feathered dog as the other, but his coat is white with black markings or patchings.  These should be prettily and artistically placed, the principal portion of the dog being white.  Ticked legs are not liked.  In size the Landseer should be, if anything, larger than the black.  He is apt to be leggy, however, if too big, or cow-hocked, which is a great fault.

The coat, like that of the true Newfoundland, ought to be perfectly straight or wavy, but not curly, a fault to be found with too many Landseers.  A soft silky coat shows a Setter cross.



THE  NEWFOUNDLAND [ 3 ]

“Of all our domestic pets the Newfoundland dog is, perhaps, the greatest favourite, and his well-known sagacity and grand appearance, combined with his extreme fidelity and gentleness, no doubt contribute much towards his popularity, and greatly add to the esteem with which every child is taught to regard him.  Introduced for the first time into this country during the last decade of the last century, the Newfoundlander (for so he was then called) has completely taken our affections by storm; and poets and painters, Byron and Landseer, vie with each other in singing his praises and in depicting his beauties.  But owing to the eagerness of the public to become possessed of specimens of so magnificent a, breed, suitable mates were frequently not procured, and, in the words of a well-known writer, ‘the usual fate of other fine dogs has attended this generous race amongst us; they are too often degraded and degenerated by inferior crosses, which, with so noble an animal, should be avoided by every possible means.’  We still possess some very fine specimens of the breed preserved to us for the most part by no accident, but by the care of our fanciers and the inducements of our dog shows.  It would seem that in the earlier years of this century the colour of the Newfoundlander was considered a matter of no importance, excepting by sportsmen, who preferred, for obvious reasons, those of a darker and less conspicuous colour.  Red, brown, bronze, brown and white, red and white, and black and white dogs were continually being landed on the long quays at Poole, then the chief seat of the Newfoundlander trade, and it was very rarely, until selection and careful breeding had become common in this country, that so regularly marked a dog was seen as that represented by Landseer as "A Member of the Royal Humane Society."  Black with white toes, collar, and tip to the tail, was a common marking; and, indeed, we have it on record that occasionally yellow specimens of the breed of undoubted purity were landed.  Too much stress, we think, cannot be laid on the diverse colours of the pure Newfoundlander, more especially when we remember that the efforts made a few years ago to exclude from the classes for Newfoundlands any but black dogs, nearly extinguished the pure breed, and would probably quite have done so had it not been for the laudable action of the Kennel Club in providing classes for Newfoundlands ‘other than black.’  Very recently, too, there has been an attempt made in certain quarters to call other than black Newfoundlands, Landseer Newfoundlands, [ 4 ] which, if successful, would have the effect of for ever excluding brown or bronze dogs from the prize list, and would thus probably do as much mischief in its day as was done by the equally injudicious efforts to exclude all but black dogs from the open classes at our shows.  Indeed, it would seem doubtful whether we are doing wisely in separating the black from the other than black classes at our shows at all; and truly, when we remember that encouragement was formerly given to black Newfoundlands mainly on account of their colour being more serviceable to sportsmen, by whom the breed was first introduced, our action in still giving encouragement to this particular colour must appear unintelligible, seeing that we have attained our earliest object, and are now possessed of an almost perfect race of wavy-coated Newfoundland Retrievers.

“In making a few remarks, then, on the chief points of the Newfoundlander, we may at once say he is to be met with in almost every shade of colour, and the fancier is never to be misled by it, since the characteristics of the breed are, apart from colour, as unmistakable as they are difficult of description.  In general appearance the pure Newfoundland is not properly massive and heavy, though such are occasionally to be seen; he is more usually of an active though strong build, and varies in height from 25 to 32 inches at the shoulder.  Some writers have averred that these dogs are generally misshapen and awkward in appearance, but we must strongly protest against any such doctrines, since, as in the case of all other breeds, symmetrical proportions, a good shoulder, and good legs and feet, are very much to be valued, and are certainly taken into consideration by the most popular judges of the present day.  As regards the head, it has been well said that the head of a Newfoundland dog should resemble as closely as possible that of the lion. The same feline and demure expression should be there, together with the same shortness of jaw and squareness of skull, whilst any appearance of sourness or ill-temper is especially to be guarded against.  The ear should be very small, covered with short hair, and the eye, of a brown colour, should be very full, presenting nothing that would be likely to retain the water.  But perhaps the most distinctive quality in dogs of this breed is the coat.  Hard and coarse in texture, it should never be susceptible of the polish sometimes to be seen on the coats of other show-dogs, nor should it be in the least degree wavy, curly, or even broken.  A hard straight coat is of much importance, since one shake will free it from the water, or at all events leave it tolerably dry.  The length of coat varies much on different parts of the body, and on drawing a hair from the neck of a well-known imported prize-winner we found it was from five to six inches long, whilst on the ear it was little more than half-an-inch in length.  Under the long outer coat, too, there is a short undergrowth, commonly of a bronze colour in the case of black dogs.  The tail is usually carried well up and is very often remarkably short, so much so that within the past two or three years a dog with part of his tail cut off was able to carry off many prizes before this curtailment, which caused his disqualification, was detected.