Newfoundland
The Newfoundland worked alongside fishermen off the Canadian coast, hauling nets, carrying lines between boats and rescuing people from the water, and it has webbed feet and a…
About the Newfoundland
The Newfoundland worked alongside fishermen off the Canadian coast, hauling nets, carrying lines between boats and rescuing people from the water, and it has webbed feet and a water-resistant double coat to prove it. The breed standard makes gentleness of temperament a defining feature rather than a nicety.
Dogs stand about 71 cm and weigh around 64 to 69 kg, in black, brown, grey or the black and white Landseer pattern. Newfoundlands drool, shed heavily and take up a great deal of room, and they are still one of the calmest large breeds to live with. A stud should have the breed's characteristic soft expression and unshakeable temperament, and be fit rather than merely massive.
Ask a Newfoundland stud owner for hip and elbow scores, for a cardiac examination, since subaortic stenosis is a known concern in the breed, and for a current eye certificate. The DNA test for cystinuria is well established in Newfoundlands and a stud owner should have used it. Bloat is a risk in a deep-chested giant, and heat tolerance is worth a question, since this is a dog built for the North Atlantic.
Health & breeding
We check every hip, elbow, eye and DNA result you give us against the Royal Kennel Club’s public records by hand, and we record who checked it and when. The Royal Kennel Club’s public records may not include all the screening a dog has had, so a dog with no Royal Kennel Club record showing is not necessarily untested.
Breed Right’s summary — under The Royal Kennel Club Health Standard
Health tests for the Newfoundland
This panel is Breed Right’s summary of the testing that matters for the breed under The Royal Kennel Club Health Standard. The Health Standard is the Royal Kennel Club’s guidance for breeders, not a registration rule. It describes tests to ask about — it is not a report on any individual dog. The Royal Kennel Club’s public records may not include all the screening a dog has had, so a dog with no Royal Kennel Club record showing is not necessarily untested.
Good Practice — the Royal Kennel Club’s minimum before breeding
The tests the Royal Kennel Club says breeders should, at a minimum, complete before breeding.
| Test | Type | Scheme | What’s involved |
|---|---|---|---|
| DNA test — CU (Cystinuria) | DNA test | Laboratory | The result printed on the laboratory certificate. |
| Hip score (BVA/KC) | Screening scheme | BVA/KC | Total of both hips, 0–106. Lower is better. |
| Elbow grading (BVA/KC) | Screening scheme | BVA/KC | Grade 0–3. The dog is graded on the worse of the two elbows. |
Best Practice — further tests it recommends
Completing these as well as the Good Practice tests is what the Royal Kennel Club calls Best Practice.
| Test | Type | Scheme | What’s involved |
|---|---|---|---|
| Eye testing (BVA/KC/ISDS) | Screening scheme | BVA/KC/ISDS | Result printed on the eye certificate. |
Breed club schemes listed in the Health Standard
Run by the breed club, not the Royal Kennel Club, which does not record their results. The Standard lists them as schemes to be aware of.
| Test | Type | Scheme | What’s involved |
|---|---|---|---|
| Heart testing (breed club scheme) | Other | Breed club | The club scheme’s own result, e.g. murmur grade. |
Breed hip median
Breed median 10 (BVA Hip Dysplasia Scheme breed statistics 2025 — 5 years, 229 dogs scored). Lower is better. Source · How hip scores work
At stud now
Newfoundland stud dogs
No Newfoundland studs are listed right now
When a Newfoundland on the Royal Kennel Club Breed Register is listed at stud, it will appear here.
Also available
Newfoundland litters
No Newfoundland litters are listed right now
Litters appear here as breeders list them. Check back soon, or browse other breeds.
