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Two Purebred Newfoundlands Bred By 2 Different Types Of Breeders

I’m a lucky girl.

Not only am I blessed to currently have 2 handsome Newfoundlands, but I’m also blessed to be loved by them. 

I also have the best of both worlds because 1 was adopted and 1 was purchased from an ethical breeder.

This puts me in a unique position and as a writer and proud member of the Newfie community, I feel it’s only right that I share the obvious.

Now, if you took the time to click to read this post, first of all, thank you.

Second, this isn’t going to be anything new to you because I feel that we’re at the same level of education in regards to purebred dogs, specifically the purebred Newfoundland, but I want to share in hopes of reaching someone considering the breed or new to the breed.

lou and odin

The Comparison

As Lou continues to grow and I see him and Odin side by side, it’s a constant reminder that both are purebred Newfoundlands but bred by two totally different breeders. 

You may or may not have seen it in the past but physically Odin and Lou are different. 

Odin is not as structurally sound as a Newfie is supposed to be.

He’s smaller, has lighter bone, high in the rear and his eye color is lighter than it should be. 

While beautiful, he has obvious undesired traits. 

Odin is not well-bred and I was made fully aware of this when I adopted him. 

Lou is still growing into his body, but he’s headed in the right direction. 

The Not So Obvious 

Odin is adopted. 

In Odin’s case, this means that he was rescued from less than stellar conditions. 

He was not wanted. 

His previous owner didn’t want him and his breeder didn’t want him back. 

So he was surrendered. 

Any breeder that cared about him would have been the first to take him back or found him a suitable home. 

Purebred vs Well Bred

adopted newfoundland vs well bred newfoundland

I’ve seen this comparison floating around social media for a few months now and while it’s easy for us to tell the difference between the two, we are not in the majority.

I think it’s easier to try and simplify the comparison. 

Any dog can be purebred but the breeder determines how well-bred it is.

BYB Breeder vs Ethical Breeder

There are a lot of terms that a dog breeder can be called, responsible, heritage, ethical, hobby, preservation, ethical, backyard, puppy mill….etc, but I’m just going to use BYB and ethical right now. 

A backyard breeder breeds for money, does not breed to better the health of the breed, doesn’t follow guidelines, doesn’t health test and doesn’t care about the well-being of their dogs or puppies.  

They don’t interview potential owners, they don’t take their dogs back. 

An ethical breeder breeds well-bred dogs that not only meet the breed standards but also care about meeting them. 

They do health testing, they screen owners, they carefully plan litters and THEY TAKE THEIR DOGS BACK. 

Their dogs do not end up in shelters or rescues. 

An ethical breeder sets their dogs up for success from the beginning. 

An ethical breeder breeds well-bred dogs so they have the best shot of being what they are supposed to be. 

ALL DOGS DESERVE TO BE WELL-BRED. 

I posted the above in a recent TikTok. 

Obviously, it was edited down to fit in a 60-second video but the main points were addressed, or so I thought. 

@odinthenewf

Both handsome AF and both loved dearly but both were not created equal. #newfoundlanddog #landseer #newfies #brownnewfie

♬ Love You Still (abcdefu romantic version) (v1) – Tyler Shaw

It was well-received to an extent. 

The people that get it, get it and the people that don’t REALLY don’t. 

So I’m going to address some of the more common confusions next. 

brown newfoundland puppy and landseer newfoundland

But What About Type?

Odin and Lou obviously look different and there were comments that people preferred Odin’s “type”.

Odin is gorgeous, don’t get me wrong, but if you prefer Odin’s type, you can find his “type” in almost every Newfoundland Rescue in the country right now. 

“Pretty” doesn’t mean correct.

newfoundland dog wearing walking harness

 

What Is Breed Standard

There was a lot of confusion about the term breed standard. 

A breed standard is like a set of blueprints that a breeder should follow. 

Breed standards involve more than the looks of a dog. 

Standards describe desired type, structure, gait, and temperament of the breed all of which are characteristics that allow the breed to perform the function for which it was bred.

No breed of dog is going to meet those qualities 100% but an ethical breeder strives to get as close. 

Breed standards are created by the breed club, and the AKC approves them. 

Breed standards can have as many words as possible to make it necessary to describe. 

Some breeds have 300 words, and others have thousands. 

The Newfoundland Breed Standard currently has 1,100 + words and was last updated in 1990. 

landseer newfoundland

But The Landseer Is a Different Breed

There was definitely some confusion on this and with good reason because it can get confusing. 

Recognized colors in the Newfie in the United States are black, brown, grey and white and black. 

Most Americans refer to a white and black Newfoundland as a Landseer. 

The confusion comes from the ECT Landseer, which is not a recognized breed here in America, yet. 

An ECT is a Landseer European Continental Type and it is not a Newfoundland.

It’s taller, longer has a lighter coat, more energy, and has a different temperament. 

The last time I checked there were only 1 or 2 breeders here in the United States and all of their dogs were imported from Germany. 

That was years ago so it might have changed. 

Health Testing

This was definitely a hot topic too. 

Ethical breeders will have their dogs and puppies health tested. 

That means that a breeder should have clearances done on all breeding dogs. 

For Newfies, according to the NCA, this includes hips (x-ray), elbows (x-ray), heart (cardiologist) and cystinuria (DNA or parentage). The NCA also strongly recommends testing, where indicated, thyroid, eyes and patellas. 

I’m sure Odin did not have any of those tests done. 

Yes, he’s healthy so far and I can only continue to hope that he stays that way. 

lou and odin

No Dog Is Perfect

There were definitely people that did not like the way Lou looks and that’s fine. 

I personally prefer Lou’s type and that’s why I searched for a breeder that produces his type. 

But Lou is not perfect. 

No dog is. 

All Dogs Deserve To Be Loved

We all know that every single dog deserves to be loved but they also deserve to be well-bred and that is a concept that is overlooked.  

They deserve someone who wants them to succeed from the beginning. 

Where do we go from here?

It’s hard. 

Just when I think we’re making strides it becomes clear we have a long way to go. 

Little by little, we chip away. 

The goal is not to reach every person in the world, if you reach just one it’s worth it. 

And to end, if you bought a dog from a BYB breeder, don’t hang your head low. 

I did too many years ago. 

Another website has been scraping my articles so if you see this on another site, it was published first on mybrownnewfies.com

 

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David Patton

Wednesday 23rd of March 2022

Hey folks My name is Dave. I was absolutely blessed to have Dewey in my life for 13 years!! I knew I wanted to adopt a Newf- with Dewey I got up in the excitement and found him locally. We were fortunate to avoid health troubles. I’m in York country Pa and to our east is Lancaster County - a home to many people known as Pennsylvania Dutch and their religion. I have ZERO ‘issues’ with their religious beliefs, Except…. Many perceive animals as NOTHING BUT A TOOL. They make loads of money, although they prefer to trade- be careful folks- the Amish, a good percentage breed whatever is popular. Newfs are gaining in popularity. It’s so hard for me to wiggle through to find a breeder that at the very least, know mom and dads medical histories. Including eyes, hips etc. I am finally at ease to adopt again.

I found this breeder through the association. I’m preparing to apply, my goodness I’m 53! I just want them so see ‘me’, I’m not good with words. But I make up for that with my capacity to love this breed, and all canines to be honest.

I hope an opportunity presents itself. Thanks so much Dave

(South central PA) (717) 309-4924

Rachael

Thursday 17th of March 2022

While I agree with 90% of this article, I do have to interject that as a rescue I've had MANY dogs here that came from who are considered to be ethical breeders by the NCA, several that are show quality. Even in heritage breeders there are some that use it as bragging rights, not necessarily "walking the walk" I long for a day where rescue is not needed, and treasure adopters like you that work so hard to give their less than perfect dog, a wonderful home, for life.. Unfortunately people are people and not even ones that seem to be breeding properly.. TRULY are..

Ant

Wednesday 16th of March 2022

How beautiful, and how can no one want them, shame shame. I have 2 newfies that my daughter and I rescued from a hoarder house(200) animals inside. Well these 2 beautiful babies were filthy when we got them BATH TIME SCRUBBING! and they are the most loving BIG BABIES EVER!!! LOVING LAZY FLUFFS! THERE NOW 3 my landseer( male) cooper is my veggies dog, myBLACK female Indie, is my picky picky.I COOK FOR THEM, and every time the vacuum comes out i get tossed so THEY CAN GET VACUMED!!!4 times a week arm pits up for a vacume. However, they dont like the car!!! Car sick, iam trying to find pet insurance that is affordable since iam on limited income. Thank goodness, my 2 babies are not big dribblers, they like there face wiped or they wipe it on you( haha). My cooper Loves any veggie thats crunchy, and i have to make them little cookies? Big 140 lbs dogs only want little cookies? Oh well. Iam a schnauzer lover but these big fluff balls are a big loving joy. And cooper became my helper. I fall alot and he is there immediately to help me, i never trained him for that. They are very smart dogs. Anyone who tosses animal out should be ashamed of themself. They are BIG LOVING BABIES!!! AND YOUR BABIES ARE BEAUTIFUL!!!!

Heidi

Wednesday 16th of March 2022

Jen, I have followed your blog for years. I have a black newfoundland male Henri Bear who will be 6 in July. We have had so much heart ache with him. Firstly we thought, kennel club uk registered parents. Both parents lived in same house. Met them, they were lovely and had 11 puppies in the one litter. We chose Henri and fell instantly in love. We drove 3 hours home and started our lives together. We thought it was great that we had met owners. Then the owners did none of the things that our friends breeders did. They did not keep in touch, we have no idea about who or where his brothers and sisters are. He started with a bad case of worms. He was so poorly. Tried to contact breeder. No longer available. Vets were great. But although he was happy, he doesn't like to be held, won't sit on your lap, scared of most things and hates kids. He was not at all food oriented. Still isn't. He is calm and well mannered. He has never been upstairs, he asks to climb on sofa and still each time he climbs up it's as if he has never done it before. He struggles to put on weight. We got to a point where his pops were so many and so bad that the vet told us if this dog loses any more weight we have to intervene. I don't care what he eats he just has to eat. So now we manage him. He limps often and if he won't eat that day then no walk. He chewed at his legs all the time due to stomach pains. He had some horrid bacteria or such living in his gut from birth. So often he chews at his paws and then it gets infected and then he loses his fur. So many things I cannot tell you all of them. One thing I did find out by accident was his mother died age 4 ..we love him so much but as our first dog and waiting for 2 years to find one he was ours instantly. There was no question even if we could have found the breeder would we ever have given him back. And we would never abando him either. He makes life so worth living. I am disabled and early leave the house, he follows me round all day until evening when he has decided his shift as my shadow is done for the day. I often wonder what he thinks we do when we go up the stairs at night. He has no curiosity at all in life. He wants the same day in day out. Even in the house as soon as we finish something he is trying to herd us back to the den. I would never swap him or wish to be without him. But I thought kennel club and tree of family proved they were proper breeders. They were. Or. Do not be fooled. Henri should never be here and the guilt I feel for perpetuating the breeders ability to continue. They were hustlers. Nasty. Learn from my tail and avoid...do much more homework than you could ever need. We must stop this ba breeders from continually making more and more money. Sorry to have written so much but I could write a book on it all. I do wonder what has happened to his siblings and hope they found good people like Henri luckily did. Heidi walton uk

Nora

Wednesday 16th of March 2022

I have an almost two year old male grey and the things you brought up we never thought about thankfully he’s grown well. We now have an 8 month old brown female we are hoping to ethically breed them. She def looks different and I’m watching everything as she grows. I agree.. I plan on interviewing all clients I can't simply handover a puppy to someone who had no idea how to take care of this breed.

Nora

Tuesday 29th of March 2022

@Rachael, I apologize for not being specific or writing a book when responding. YES I plan on having my dogs tested, NO I won’t breed them if there are issues. YES I plan on putting in the contract WE WILL take them back. This is the third time I’ve mentioned I may breed online and all three times I’ve been met with nothing but negative responses. I’ve heard never breed unless your dog has been a show dog, won some award, never breed of they’ve been vaccinated, just never never unless YOU and the dog are perfect.

Rachael

Thursday 17th of March 2022

@Nora, What you are describing is NOT ethically breeding nor heritage breeding, ask yourself "are my dogs a truly fine example of the breed?". When you show them, are they a good, sound comformation? Are they at least upholding breed standard? Did you purchase them from quality breeders with great linages? and are you prepared to take back 30-50 puppies you produce, at ANY time if they suddenly become homeless? If the answer to any one of these questions is no.. Then please, dont..

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