Newfoundland Grooming, Drool & Heat

A substantial, ongoing amount. The Newfoundland has a thick, heavy, water-resistant double coat that needs regular brushing to prevent matting and manage significant shedding, realistically several times a week, and often daily during the twice-yearly coat blows when the undercoat sheds enormously. Brushing a coat this large takes real time and good tools: a sturdy slicker brush, an undercoat rake, and a metal comb, working down to the skin, especially behind the ears, the armpits, and the leg feathering. Many owners also use a professional groomer periodically for a thorough bath, blow-dry, and de-shed (bathing a giant coated dog at home is a major job). Add nail trims, ear cleaning, and dental care. And never shave a Newfoundland’s double coat, it insulates against both cold and heat and does not grow back properly.

Yes, heavily. The thick double coat sheds moderately to heavily year-round and then blows dramatically twice a year (typically spring and fall), producing tumbleweeds of black fur throughout the home. Managing it means regular brushing year-round and intensive daily brushing during coat-blow season, plus tolerance for fur on everything, this is a breed that leaves its mark on a household. A good undercoat rake and de-shedding tools are essential, and a periodic professional groom with a high-velocity blow-dry removes a remarkable amount of loose undercoat at once. Never shave to reduce shedding; the coat serves important functions. If you cannot tolerate significant dog hair, think carefully about the breed, and combined with the drool, know that a Newfie home is not a pristine one.

Mostly through acceptance, routine cleanup, and a good supply of cloths, because the drool itself cannot be eliminated, it comes from the breed’s loose jowls. Newfies drool most after drinking (water caught in the jowls gets slung around), after eating, when hot, and when excited, and a head shake can fling slobber several feet onto walls, furniture, and clothing. Practical management: keep drool rags handy throughout the house and in the car, wipe the jowls after the dog drinks, clean surfaces regularly, protect clothing when slobber is likely, and build the cleanup into your routine. There is real variation between dogs, so ask a rescue how much a particular Newfie drools. The honest point for a prospective owner is expectation-setting: if you cannot tolerate drool on your home, the breed is likely not for you; if you can shrug it off, it is a small price for a wonderful dog.

Yes, genuinely, and it is one of the most important care considerations in Toronto. The thick double coat that makes Newfies so comfortable in cold also makes them prone to overheating in hot, humid conditions, and heatstroke is a real risk. In Toronto’s hot, humid summers, keeping a Newfie safe means air conditioning or a consistently cool space (close to essential for a coated giant in summer), constant fresh water and shade, exercising only in the cool of early morning or evening (never in the heat of day and never strenuously in warm weather), and never leaving the dog in a hot car. Watch for signs of overheating, heavy frantic panting, a change in drooling, weakness, bright red gums, and collapse, an emergency needing immediate cooling and veterinary care. Newfies often love water, so safe, supervised swimming is a wonderful way to cool off and exercise. Never shave the coat to cool the dog, manage the environment instead.

It centres on the coat, the drool, and, seasonally, heat. Weekly (and more in coat-blow season): brush the thick coat thoroughly with a slicker and undercoat rake, and wipe drool and clean surfaces. Regularly: trim nails (important for a heavy dog), clean ears, brush teeth, and check the skin under the dense coat. Periodically: professional grooming for a bath, blow-dry, and de-shed. Exercise-wise, Newfies have moderate needs, regular walks and, ideally, swimming (easy on the joints), and they are not high-energy, so the effort is in grooming and heat management more than exercise. Seasonally in Toronto: winter is easy and joyful for this cold-loving breed (dry the coat after wet, snowy outings and wipe off road salt), while summer needs real heat vigilance. Add the giant-breed basics, keep the dog lean and know the signs of bloat.