Hi everyone
Just wanted to say hello really.
Its been a while,....six years in fact. I used to visit frequently before I lost my boy. After he passed I couldn't manage it anymore. One thing I never forgot was how friendly and supportive people were. I always wanted to pop back when I felt able. Hope I haven't left it too long!
I have finally felt ready to offer my love again and I am over the moon as I am now very very happily owned by a Newfoundland! :-)
I have adored this breed for many many years and am so pleased he is finally here.
I found a great breeder who has carried out all relevant health testing etc so have the best start.
Really looking forward to getting involved on the boards again if I may and sharing many smiles and funny stories!!!
One thing I would be interested in is from any Newfie (or large breed owners) what cars/vans you drive. I am currently thinking/needing to change and want something which will accommodate himself :-)
Thanks for reading
Lou x

Hi Lou and welcome back.  I am sure we do have some Newfie nuts on here.  :-)  You may find some old faces too.  This site is the best place on the net for help.  Enjoy.

Welcome back, I am pleased you have found another dog to love.
I have just changed my car a few months ago to a Fiat Doblo it has a huge boot, I can fit a giant cage in the back but tend not to use it  as I can fit more dogs in that way ( I have 6 ). I don't enjoy driving it as much as my last car, it is like a tractor really but it does what I need so I am happy :)   

Hi Lou, I am owned by 2 Newfi's - both are re-homes although I have had previous ones from puppies. We are always very careful to have cars that are as easy as possible for the dogs to get into as most of the ramps you buy are not wide enough and the dogs hate them, and also the get a sturdy car! My first Newf was - shall we say - a little lively by the time she was 12 months old, and the car's springs were just not up to the challenge.
I hope you have many years of joy from your new family member, your home will never be the same again with all the hair, slobber and general chaos, but I couldn't imagine a home without at least one! I don't claim to be an expert on the breed, but if I can help at all or even just exchange thoughts then please just give me a shout.

Hello and welcome back. What a lovely breed I have a SBT and have recently changed my car to a Skoda Yeti and have seen a man with a yeti who has two StBernards the back seats come out. 

Hey everyone lovely to hear from you all
Thanks for the warm welcome it's really kind. Good to see that some things never change! If I had a tail I would be wagging it:-D
Interesting points about cars. A couple of bits I hadn't considered Definate food for though. Thank you!
SAMSMUM thank you for the offer of advice I am going to have to take you up on that straight away. Mainly how long do you walk your guys?? I am conscious of restricting exercise while they are still growing and really do not want to overdo it obviously. My fella is nine months...
Thanks again
Lou

These days not a lot of exercise - Sam my old boy (8 years old now) is stiff and showing signs of dementia so a brief walk unless he wants more - he calls the shots in all aspects of life these days. Anya my little girl is about 5 or 6 and has hated walks ever since she came here back in the summer, she will walk ok but as soon as I let her off she turns and heads for home! When Sam was younger he would walk forever, but I used to try to keep it to around a mile at a time and take him a couple of times a day, or we would go onto the beach and he could just do his own thing, but now he thinks that outside is just for toileting and then back onto the sofa! I have had rescues or re-homes for a lot of years now so most come with problems, usually health problems, so of course each one has different needs, but I have always restricted exercise to the mile(ish) rule to try not to put too much stress on the hips. I also never allow them to go up stairs and also try to avoid steps up to anywhere if possible. Anya is getting better at going out and will run loose in the field for 10 minutes or so before she heads homeward, but I think some of that is a security thing and she just feels safer in her own surroundings - but she has only been here for 8 months so hopefully she will become bolder. In general I think your boy will let you know if he has walked enough and will slow down and just plod when he is getting tired, one of mine years ago used to just lay down when she no longer wanted to walk and that was it - she wouldn't get up until she was ready! You will know already that getting a Newf to do what it doesn't want to is not easy. By the way, we have a Honda CRV at the moment that is suiting the dogs fine.

An important point on exercise, whether it be a Chihuahua or a Rottie.  The rule is the same for all breeds.  It is 5 minutes walk per month of age.  So for your dog it is 45 minutes a day.  Just over 20 minutes there and back.

Of course, playing at home is still exercise and this would be in addition to the daily walk.  I agree that no stairs is the rule.

Hello :-)

I don't have a newfie but what I do have is 9 medium-large dogs, so I can recommend a car for carrying lots of dog body :-P  I drive a berlingo, mine's an old model but it does the trick very well - on a daily basis I have 4 at a time in the back so about equivalent to a newfie!  Plenty of space, decent to drive.

Flexible on seating too, if you get an MPV version like mine - 3 seats in the back, which gives you about 2.5ft of boot space when they're up so good for a pup, then you can fold them down and get about 4.5ft so good for an adult.  Plenty of space for cages/guards etc.

Thanks samsmum
Bless your guys sound so sweet and I have already had lots of "I am a newfi and I am stubborn" moments so totally get the lying down when had enough :-) Luckily my boy seems to really dislike steps or stairs of any variety so haven't got to worry about that fortunately

Jean That's so handy to know regarding their exercise. I really didn't know it applied to smaller dogs too so I have learnt something there! Gives me a good base to go on as he gets older. Thank you

Nikita- Berlingo sounds good too, amazing room!! Busy car viewing weekend I think :-)

Lou

Also got a Berlingo, great car I,ve 'only got 1' GSD but his crate is in the boot area with useful space at the side and still got all the seats if needed.There is more than average head room and for such a physically small car its a bit like a tardis for the inside space!!!
Mine is the turbo diesel which has better mpg, acceleration and top speed than the smaller engine petrol version :-)

VW Caddy is a useful little Van, it's the ones that Bristish Gas now use, ahs the duble doors in back and a sliding side door, with the 1.9 diesel Polo engine. 

Our old Polo hatch gets 50mpg easy, so the new ones are likely to do even better.

There is a MPV version (with windows in rear, and rear seats).