So you want a Newfoundland Puppy?

SELECTING YOUR NEWFOUNDLAND - Click here for more information....

Taken from the Newfoundland Club of America Website...

Finding the right breeder can be the most important step you take in selecting your Newfoundland puppy. For this reason, the NCA offers the following suggestions.

• Talk and visit with many breeders
• Be prepared to wait for a puppy
• Expect a written contract and a health guarantee
• Request references
• Request examples of the documents that should come with your puppy

Talk to and visit with as many breeders as possible, even if it means a long drive. This will enable you to meet the breeder and see the conditions in his kennel. Although elaborate equipment is not a necessity, the facilities can and should be clean. To be healthy, the puppies should be kept clean at all times with a warm dry pen, clean papers on the floor, and a clean bedding area. Ask to see the mother and the father of the puppies. Keep in mind that many times the father will not be on the premises, but the breeder should offer information about him. Also, the mother might not look her very best - taking care of pups is hard work.

It is not unusual to have to wait six months for your Newf puppy from a breeder. Quality is worth waiting for. A Newfoundland puppy should never go to a new home before the age of 8 weeks. Usually, by 8-12 weeks, a puppy has been checked for possible hereditary defects, received initial vaccinations and wormings, and is ready for his new family.

Reputable breeders have written sales contracts and health guarantees. As with any contract or agreement, these should be read carefully and discussed in detail with the breeder before signing. Most breeders will offer a contract or agreement concerning puppies crippled with hip dysplasia or found to have a heart defect. Such contracts or agreements may also cover neutering, or the care required to be provided by the buyer. Newfoundlands are subject to heart defects, hereditary in nature, and should be examined by a veterinarian for such before being placed in a new home. No bloodline is absolutely free of all hereditary problems, but a breeder should be ready to openly discuss any dogs in his kennel and their pedigrees as they are affected, for example by hip dysplasia and heart defects.

A good breeder will be happy to supply you with references of satisfied customers. In return, the breeder may ask you for references such as your veterinarian. He will also question you about your lifestyle, why you want a Newf, and your own facilities for a Newfoundland. He would be rightfully concerned if you do not have a securely fenced yard or kennel run with appropriate shelter.

A Newf puppy should come with the following information: An AKC Registration application, properly completed and signed; a pedigree of 3 or more generations; written instructions on the feeding and care of the puppy; an immunization record and schedule including date and type of serum, and dates future inoculations are due; a worming record and schedule; a written sales contract and guarantee stipulating all terms and conditions of the sale including when and what health defects the puppy has been examined and is guaranteed for.

Finding the right puppy and breeder for you, is often time consuming and difficult. Once found, you will have friends for life ! Take your time; a few months spent in your search will be well worth it.