Hi my name is Amanda and I live in Devon,
After much consideration I and my husband have decided that we would like a newfoundland to be our new addition to our family, I am looking to buy as local as I can but it needs to be a good breeder.
I wonder if anyone would be able to help, and I would appreciate any advice on anything to do with this breed and advice on how to prepare!!!

Thanks everyone for reading!
Amanda.

Hi

Sorry I can't really give any advice on breeders local to you as I'm not in your area but you should check with the breed club (www.thenewfoundlandclub.co.uk) who may be able to point you in the right direction. You may have to be prepared for a wait as, in my experiece, they're aren't many Newfies around. Also, although you have said you want to find a local breeder, finding a good breeder is most important so you may have to be prepared to travel. We thought we had struck lucky when we heard about a breeder about 15 miles from our home. He turned out to be a puppy farmer so, needless to say, we stayed well clear. We finally hit the jackpot about 2 months ago and found a wonderful breeder with a small litter and we brought our little girl home 5 weeks ago. She's called Lola and she's chocolate brown. Newfies are susceptible to hip dysplasia so it's important that parents are hip scored, and heart tested as they are also prone to heart conditions. This is why a good breeder is of the utmost importance and you should be able to meet the parents (or at least the mother) too to assess temperament.

With regards to preparation for getting a Newfie...the same preparations as you would make for any pup really but as they grow quickly (our girl is 13.5kg at 13 weeks old!!) you need to make sure everything you buy will suit her as she grows (beds, toys etc). Lola's first car seat harness is large as she'd have outgrown the medium in about a fortnight. And it goes without saying that big dogs have big appetites generally and careful consideration must be given to nutrition while they're developing. So, as well as the hefty initial cost of the dog, there's a lot of other financial consideratons.

They are fantastic dogs and I wish you the best of luck with your search. Why don't you join (it's really simple...if I can do it anyone can!). I'm a relatively new member myself I've already learned far more than if I'd read a hundred books...and its free!! And you can swap soppy Newfie stories with the likes of me when you finally get your baby!