Golden Newfie

75-138 lbs
24-27"
United States
Golden Retriever
Newfoundland

The Golden Newfie is a large or giant dog, depending on the genes she inherits from the parent dogs. Calm, patient and a very sweet temperament the Golden Newfie is a great family dog who will guard the family and bask in their affections. These outgoing and sociable dogs are generally good with other pets and cats, if they are socialised together. They do drool and they also love to swim to keep cool. Training is best conducted in a calm consistent manner. These dogs are sensitive to the tone of your voice so remember this during training as they will pick up on your frustration. Playful, devoted and trustworthy, the Golden Newfie is a confident dog and one who will fit right in with the family.

purpose Purpose
Companion dog, retrieving, rescuing people from the water
history Date of Origin
Unknown
ancestry Ancestry
Golden Retriever and Newfoundland Dog

Golden Newfie Health

Average Size
Male Golden Newfie size stats
Height: 26-29 inches Weight: 85-150 lbs
Female Golden Newfie size stats
Height: 24-27 inches Weight: 75-138 lbs
Major Concerns
  • Hip Dysplasia
  • Subaortic Stenosis
Minor Concerns
  • Entropion
  • vonWillebrand’s Disease
Occasional Diagnoses
  • Skin Allergies
Occasional Tests
  • X-Rays
  • Electrocardiogram
  • Urinalysis
  • Blood Work
  • Full Physical Examination
  • Biochemistry Profile
  • Complete Ophthalmologic Examination

Golden Newfie Breed History

The history of the Golden Newfie requires us to look at the parent dogs for valuable characteristics. The Newfoundland's history is not clear, it is said to be a descendant of the Viking ‘bear dogs’ or may have been the Indian's nomadic dog. Others debate that it is a close relative of the Labrador. Still, other parties believe it originated from crosses between the Tibetan Mastiffs brought to Canada by British or European fisherman and the local dogs early in the 1700s. With such a vibrant history, this massive dog is much known for its skills in hauling in nets, carrying boat lines to shore, and retrieving objects and people that were washed overboard or from shipwrecks. Such is its courage and ability as a rescue dog that in 1919 a gold medal was awarded to a Newfoundland dog that pulled a lifeboat containing twenty ship wrecked people to safety. During World War II these brave dogs hauled supplies and ammunition for the armed forces, often in blizzard conditions. Their courage and bravery is well documented, but it is their devoted companionship that makes them a popular breed. The Golden Retriever originated in the 1800s in the Scottish Highlands. A gentleman known as Lord Tweedmouth has been credited for their creation when he concentrated on crossing the original yellow Flat-Coated Retriever with the Tweed Water Spaniel (now an extinct breed). During the process he used the Bloodhound, Irish Setter and more of the Tweed Water Spaniel dogs to produce the Golden Retriever. They were ideal dogs for retrieving water fowl during hunting parties. They also filled a key role as companions and trusted friends. Today the Golden Retriever is still used as a bird dog, but is also found in narcotics detection, service dog for the disabled, or a therapy dog. They make ideal guide dogs for the blind. The American Kennel Club recognised the dog in 1925.

Golden Newfie Breed Appearance

The Golden Newfie can weigh in at 100 to 150 pounds when fully grown, which makes for an impressive looking animal. They have a large broad head, black nose and their eyes are brown; expressive and slightly droopy eyes give them a sad appearance. The ears of the Golden Newfie are floppy and often covered in a light feathering. The neck is very thick and strong, and the chest is deep, matching the stocky muscular body. With strong forequarters and large webbed feet with hairy toe tufts, the Golden Newfie seems to have a proud prancing gait. The tail is better than a feather duster, it will wipe everything off the coffee table – something to be aware of when you have one of these gentle giants inside. Combine all the above in a very thick almost fluffy coat and you have one adorable large cuddly friend for life.

Eye Color Possibilities
brown Golden Newfie eyes
Brown
Nose Color Possibilities
black Golden Newfie nose
Black
Coat Color Possibilities
black Golden Newfie coat
Black
brown Golden Newfie coat
Brown
red Golden Newfie coat
Red
gray Golden Newfie coat
Gray
Coat Length
coat
Short Medium Long
Coat Density
coat density
pin
Sparse Normal Dense
Coat Texture
coat texture
Golden Newfie wavy coat texture
Straight Wiry Wavy Curly Corded

Golden Newfie Breed Maintenance

The Golden Newfie takes a bit of maintenance, that thick attractive coat is prone to matting so it needs constant brushing. The areas on the hindlegs are often the worse areas for matting and should be brushed every day during times of shedding. Bathing is quite an occasion for the Golden Newfie, but luckily, they don’t need it often. During summer, they will happily romp into the pool or sea or river and clean themselves. But they will need their ears checked and cleaned often to prevent infections, and their teeth need brushing at least twice a week to prevent problems. Some Golden Newfies can drool a lot, which can be a problem but most owners say it’s worth it because they are otherwise a very easy dog to care for and love.

Brushes for Golden Newfie
Dematter
Dematter
Comb
Comb
Deshedder
Deshedder
Nail Clipper
Nail Clipper
Brushing Frequency
fur daily fur weekly fur monthly
Golden Newfie requires daily brushing
Daily Weekly Monthly

Golden Newfie Temperament

As mentioned earlier, the Golden Newfie is a dog with a heart of gold and a sweet disposition. They are a people pleaser and are protective of their property and people, emitting a low growl when strangers approach. This sound coming from a bear of a dog is enough to deter anyone who is sneaking around. They are not an aggressive dog but often use their size and weight to pin an offender down and bark to get the owners attention. They love long walks, swimming or clowning around in the pool – although at first, they may keep trying to ‘save’ your children until they get used to the noise and the splashing. The Golden Newfie is average to train, it may require patience and tolerance to teach it new things, but it will respond to a kindly owner who is consistent with orders and training processes. Loving, affectionate, calm and trustworthy can be used to describe this gentle bear of a dog.

Golden Newfie Activity Requirements

Just because they are big doesn’t mean they want to lie around all day – there is no getting over the fact that the Golden Newfie needs a good workout each day. They can jog alongside your bike, follow you up a trial and swim with you as well so you can pick the activity that is easiest for you. They are ideal companions to walk along the beachfront or around the neighbourhood with. These dogs often draw admiring and respectful glances although all they are interested in is pleasing you. Without exercise, they can suffer health problems and put on weight.

Activity Level
low activity medium activity high activity
Low Medium High
Rec. Walk Mileage Per Week
9 miles
walk mileage
Minutes of Activity Per Day
60 minutes
activity minutes

Golden Newfie Food Consumption

Cups Per Day
4 cups
cup per day cost cup per day cost cup per day cost cup per day cost
Daily Cost
$2.75 - $3.00
food bowls daily cost
Monthly Cost
$80.00 - $90.00
food bag monthly cost

Golden Newfie Owner Experiences

Henri
1 Year
3 People
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Henri is the most loveable buddy you can have! Extremely smart and playful! Henri loves for you to chase after him to re claim your shoe. BFF....
2 years, 10 months ago
Henri
7 Months
3 People
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He's almost perfect! Loving, playful and smart. But he has a habit of taking a bite out of the walls, or decks??? Anyone have any advice?
3 years, 3 months ago
maggie
6 Weeks
5 People
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Friendliness
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It is new to me.But looking forward to time spent with her.
6 years, 9 months ago
Shooter
6 Years
3 People
House & Yard
Health
Grooming
Friendliness
Energy
Trainability
Pastimes
Catch balls
Swim
Tug-of-war
keep away
A very smart dog. Sometimes to smart. He likes to steal things not to chew or rip but to get attention and play keep away. He does enjoy ripping paper. When playing keep away with one of his toys he likes to walk around and get close to me and growl lightly likely because of us growing at him when we'd play with him as a puppy. When outside he is protective of his house with barks but his personality does little to people coming in to give him love. He is ok with other dogs. He had one friend he would play with and you'd think that they were killing each other but once they got tired they slept on each other. With other high energy dogs like pups he can get abit frustrated and try to get away but calm dogs there is no problem. Due to training as a pup not being allowed on the couch he seems to not like or is afraid of punishment for being close to people resting on the floor or the love seat he is just now allowed on.
6 years, 5 months ago
Chorney
9 Years
4 People
House & Yard
Health
Grooming
Friendliness
Energy
Trainability
Pastimes
Staring out the window at the valley
barking car cars drive past the gate
We got him as a 6week old ball of black fluff, his mother was a pure Golden, while his father was a pure Newfie. We decided to name him Chorney after his colour (black in Russian)He loved the country and being able to small all the farming smells. In NZ was had this toy a squeaky croc, and he adored them in his 9 and 12 years he went through 5 of them as well as many tins of tennis balls and plenty of treats, he would lounge around in side wile mum worked, he would keep us company when we were sick, he would just fall asleep in out rooms in late 2013 he sadly got liver cancer and he was put down in early 2014 at the ago of 9 1/2, witch for his size was a very good age.
5 years, 5 months ago
Zeus
13 Years
2 People
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Health
Grooming
Friendliness
Energy
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Zeus was a very intelligent and affectionate dog who loved the farm life that we gave him. We got him from a shelter when he was about 1 year old. We have other animals on the farm, and are concerned about dogs as they will kill chickens and ducks, but Zeus would never hurt any of them. He was great at keeping coyotes and deer away from the farmyard and our gardens and would chase unfriendly feral cats away but otherwise he was a gentle soul. You could take bones and food away from him and he would not mind. He was great with children and very friendly toward visitors. He had great strength and he could pull hard when he was walked on a leash. His personality was very human like and he could be mischievous as well as very tender and sweet. Everybody who came into contact with him fell in love. Zeus developed Splenic Hemangiosarcoma, which is cancer of the spleen. It is common in large mixed breed dogs and is usually detected long after it has spread. Zeus passed on last week after almost 12 years of constant companionship. Until the last weeks of his life, we had no idea of what type of dog he actually was, other than he was probably part Newfoundland. We found pictures of Golden Newfies online and it was almost like Zeus had been modeling on the side! The description on this site pretty much describes much of Zeus' personalty.
5 years, 5 months ago
Lucy
4 Months
7 People
House
Health
Grooming
Friendliness
Energy
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Pastimes
Lucy is only 4 months old, but from when we got her at 8 weeks, she has been sweet, kind, and very easy to train. We’ve been a home and family to many, many rescue dogs and puppies and I’ve never seen one so adored by everyone that meets her as Lucy. Can’t wait to continue this adventure called Life with Lucy at our sides!
5 years, 1 month ago
Buddy
15 Years
5 People
House & Yard
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Grooming
Friendliness
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We got him from a farm in buffalo Minnesota He was easily trained but we got a border collie he doesn’t like her though
5 years ago
Sasha
1 Year
4 People
House & Yard
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Pastimes
Throwing a ball/stick around or throwing a frisbee
Running
swimming
It has been all I’m all, a great experience. I got my Golden Newfie for my birthday, as I did not have a dog and she’s been wonderful. Easy to train, a few things she learned to do herself by watching her (dog) older sister.
4 years, 5 months ago
Malla
3 Years
4 People
House & Yard
Health
Grooming
Friendliness
Energy
Trainability
Pastimes
Playing in the River
snuggling
Walks
My Golden newfie is the absolute best dog I have ever had. She is the kindest, most loving, and such a good dog. She is the brightest moment of my day. If you are considering getting one I highly recommend.
4 years, 2 months ago
Book me a walkiee?
Pweeeze!
Sketch of smiling australian shepherd