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Traditional activities to do with your Newf
Water Rescue
Draft (Carting)
Draft (Carting)
Canadian Titles:
WRDN (Water Rescue Dog Novice), WRD (Water Rescue Dog) & WRDX (Water Rescue Dog Excellent)
The Newfoundland is the ultimate water dog. They have a water resistant double coat that allows them to swim in cold water. Their deep chest and large lung capacity allows them to swim for long distances. The dog's well muscled tail acts as a rudder and their swimming style resembles the breast stroke more than the dog paddle.
In Europe, the lifesaving abilities of the Newfoundland is widely recognized and they are used to patrol the beaches with the lifeguards. The French Coast Guard has determined that a well conditioned Newf can tow an inflatable life raft full of people two miles to shore without being unduly stressed.
The lifesaving instincts of the Newf can often be seen when his family is in the water. The Newf, fearing for the safety of the children, will be seen swimming circles around his charges, trying to "herd" them to shore.
Not all Newfoundlands take to the water the first time they are introduced to it, but with care and understanding, a Newf can begin water rescue instruction at four months of age. Teamwork is the basis for this and all other training you will do with your dog. The Newf can be taught to retrieve objects from the water, tow a boat to shore, rescue a drowning victim and at the senior level, jump off a boat to save someone.
In the late 1800's the first formal testing of their water rescue capabilities was done in England. In Canada, the official testing has been done since the early 1980's.
Whether you decide to train your Newfoundland for water rescue work or just want to have fun with him at the lake, never leave young children and your dog unattended in or near the water.
New Stuff for your Kit:
- Keep Your Feet Warm - neoprene socks
- High Value Reward - fill some treat tubes
- Rinse Your Pooch After - short hose + spray nozzle
- Bee Cool - cordless construction fans
Draft (Carting)
Draft (Carting)
Draft (Carting)
Canadian Titles:
NDD (Novice Draft Dog), DD (Draft Dog) & DDX (Draft Dog Excellent)
Carting is something that can be done and enjoyed by anyone willing to take the time to learn. A properly trained dog who happily does his work, is a joy to behold. If you decide you would like to learn how to cart your dog you should speak with your breeder as they may be able to advise you or put you in touch with someone that could help.
You cannot do any serious carting with your dog till he is at least 1 year of age. In the mean time plan on attending carting workshops that are being held in your area and talk to other people that are involved in carting regarding the types of harnesses available, as many are adjustable depending on the size of your dog.
You will find that once you and your dog have learned to cart safely it will be an activity that you will both have fun participating in. You can earn a draft dog title, march in parades, get involved in charity events for children giving them cart rides, the smiles it will bring will make it well worth the effort. It is not unheard of, for a Newfoundland to begin training as late as six years of age or older.
Your best friends at the draft test:
- The Laundry Basket - a lightweight place to store your freight
- A Tarp or Net - drape over your stuff to stabilize
- Bungee Cords - secure that tarp or net
- Eye Hooks - add these to your cart if it needs an attachment point for bungees
Obedience
Draft (Carting)
Obedience
Canadian Titles:
CD (Companion Dog), CDX (Companion Dog Excellent) & UD (Utility Dog)
Being extremely intelligent and always willing to please, the Newfoundland makes a great partner in Obedience Work. There are several titles which you and your dog can work towards earning, by entering Trials sanctioned by the Canadian Kennel Club.
Newfoundland puppies can begin obedience classes at four months of age. Teaching your dog is very rewarding as he learns to do the things you ask of him, but it takes at least 1/2 an hour of training a day. Contact an All Breed Club or Obedience School in your area for the availability of classes. Always remember, an obedient dog is welcome anywhere.
Rally
Obedience
Canadian Titles:
RN (Rally Novice), RA (Rally Advanced), RE (Rally Excellent) & RAE (Rally Advanced Excellent)
Rally Obedience is a fun dog obedience sport, open to ALL dogs, purebred or mixed
breed, pets or titled champions as well as physically challenged dogs and/or handlers.
Rally Obedience goes beyond basic heeling by interspersing over forty obedience
movements with the sits, turns and paces of traditional heeling. It also requires a brisk
pace, positive attitude and happy demeanor.
Backpacking
The Newfoundland is well suited for backpacking. Their heavy double coat serves as protection against the straps and bulk of a load. This enables the Newfoundland to carry a load in most types of weather. Some basic training is essential, and the usual position for a packing dog is behind it's owner. Most people take their dogs backpacking because they enjoy their companionship. You can buy ready-made backpacks or make your own. Be sure it fits properly, does not restrict movement, will remain in place, is durable and comes on and off easily. Get your dog used to outings as early as three to six months of age, and begin training to wear an empty backpack by eight or nine months. Wait until your dog is mature before using full loads and remember it is important to load the pack evenly for equal distribution of weight. You can expect to put in many hours of pre-trail training, which involves getting your dog used to carrying, learning to stay behind you, and getting used to hiking and swimming. Initial training periods should be kept under thirty minutes.
As with all dogs who enter the wilderness, your Newfoundland should be taught not to chase after wildlife.
Tracking
Canadian Titles:
TD (Tracking Dog) & TDX (Tracking Dog Excellent)
Newfoundlands make particularly good tracking dogs, as they have what is commonly referred to as "a wet mouth". This enables them to take and hold a scent well. Once your dog learns how to track, be prepared to hang on for dear life as he/she will lean hard into the harness with great strength, being totally focused and anxious to work. During training, don't be surprised if your dog is so eager to track, that you are pulled along faster than you may be prepared for. Newfoundlands are keen, and almost nothing will entice them off a track once they begin.
In competition, a dog must be at least six months of age and registered with the CKC. In a tracking test, the dog is kept on a three to fifteen metre leash, and must find a leather article no larger than a pocket book or a glove, which has been dropped by a tracklayer on a designated track. A tracklayer is someone who is a stranger to the dog and who has held the article long enough to allow his/her scent to permeate it. An area of about one square meter is trampled and stood upon by the tracklayer for one minute, and then he/she proceeds along a designated track and drops the assigned article directly onto the track. No track will cross a body of water, and there is no time limit, provided the dog is working.
Non-working Titles for Newfs
Canine Good Neighbour
Canadian Titles:
CGN (Caning Good Neighbour)
The Canadian Kennel Club Canine Good Neighbour (CGN) program identifies and rewards responsible and caring owners and their canine partners. The purpose of the CGN test is to ensure that one of our most favoured companions, the dog, is accepted as a valued member of the community.
Canine Good Neighbours can be counted on to present good manners at home, in public places, and in the presence of other dogs. CGN training is fun, rewarding, useful, and can enable owners to achieve a better relationship with their dogs.
The objectives of the CKC Canine Good Neighbour program are three-fold:
- To increase awareness and appreciation of dogs as valued, contributing members of society.
- To assist in teaching and promoting responsible dog ownership.
- To certify that dogs conduct themselves in a manner which is reliable and trustworthy in situations encountered in everyday living, be it around people, at home, in public, or in the presence of other dogs.
The program embraces both purebred and mixed-breed dogs and has been created to assist canine owners in combatting anti-dog sentiment which often targets dogs as a whole. Additionally, the program enhances community awareness of responsible pet ownership and the benefits associated with dog ownership.
The test is not a competition calling for precision performance by the handler and dog. Rather, it assesses the handler and dog’s relationship together with the handler’s ability to control the dog. Dogs are evaluated on their ability to perform basic exercises as well as their ability to demonstrate good manners in everyday situations.
The Canadian Kennel Club encourages all dog owners to participate in this program, thereby ensuring that our beloved canines are welcomed and respected members of our communities.
Therapy Dog
Canadian Titles:
THDN (Therapy Dog Novice), THD (Therapy Dog), THDA (Therapy Dog Advanced), THDX (Therapy Dog Excellent) & THDD (Therapy Dog Distinguished)
What is a Therapy Dog?
It is a dog and their owner/handler who are evaluated and tested via the Therapy Dog Organization and if successful, volunteer their time and visit people in hospital and community facilities. These dog teams promote emotional support for both short and long-term patients as well as the elderly, disabled, children in a variety of hospitals, homes and schools.
Conformation
Conformation
Canadian Titles:
CH (Champion) & GCH (Grand Champion)
Showing your dog in the Conformation Ring can be rewarding, but it requires a great deal of training for you and your dog, as the dog must be groomed to perfection. Daily brushing of the entire dog must be done to keep the coat in 'show condition'.
Your dog has to be trained to stand still while the judge examines him and taught to allow the judge or handler to open the mouth and show the bite. The judge will want you to gait your dog at a controlled trot, therefore regular training for this is required until your dog knows the procedure. If you decide to show your Newfoundland at Championship Shows it is advisable to contact your breeder for advice. He will be able to tell you about training classes in your area and of any dog shows you can attend to watch and learn what is required of you and your dog in the show ring.
Alternatively, you can hire a professional handler to show your dog. If you decide on this, be sure you understand all the fees and expenses involved. Do not be discouraged if your dog does not always get a first place ribbon. While judging is in accordance with the official standard, much depends on that judge's interpretation. When your dog has accumulated the required number of points for the title of 'Champion', the Canadian Kennel Club will issue you a certificate showing your dog's registered name reflecting his new title.
Low impact activities to do with your Newf
Dock Jumping
Dock diving, or dock jumping as it is also known, is a fun sport in which dogs compete in
jumping for distance or height from a dock into a pool or body of water.
Big Air® is a “long jump for dogs”. The dog, which may be placed anywhere on the 40′
dock, runs and jumps into the water after a throw toy (provided by the handler) is
tossed. The distance is judged from the end of the dock to where the tail set of the dog
breaks the water’s surface.
Speed Retrieve® is a “timed event”. At the far end of the pool a bumper toy is
suspended 2” above the water with a starting indicator light above it. The dog is then
placed at the 20’ white starting mark on the dock, when the light turns green the handler
releases the dog, the time clock stops when the dog has pulled the toy from the Speed
RetrieveTM bracket.
Extreme Vertical® is a “high jump” for dogs. The dog starts off at the 20’ mark on the
dock & jumps up to grab a bumper toy extended out 8’ from the end of the dock over the water. The starting height for Extreme Vertical® is 4’6” & goes up in 2” increments as
competition progresses.
Tricks
Canadian Titles:
NTD (Novice Trick Dog), ITD (Intermediate Trick Dog), ATD (Advanced Trick Dog), ETD (Expert Trick Dog), TDCH (Trick Dog Chamption) & More!
Did you know Newfoundlands are great at Tricks? There are several titles which you and your dog can work towards earning, by submitting videos to Do More With Your Dog (DMWYD). DMWYD titles can be submitted to the CKC too!
Newfoundland puppies can begin learning tricks at any age. Teaching your dog tricks is so much fun and a great way to bond with them. Many All Breed Clubs or Obedience Schools offer trick classes.
Freestyle
CanineFreestyle DogWork® is a performance activity for dog and human teams. Teams train movement behaviors technically, creatively and artistically. The objective is to illustrate the delight of working as a team and to participate with others in a friendly environment learning to craft DogWork Presentations. Each unique Presentation offers a perception of the team's training journey artistically and creatively. The fun is in learning to be free; to choose which doors to open and discover the joyful dynamics of learning to move as one expressing movement as a language. Each team's
Presentation is an expression of their work; crafted by their creative choices to visually
illustrate what the dog does best.
CanineFreestyle DogWork is designed to develop teams to reach their highest potential
technically, creatively and artistically. Teams train as one to move forward, sideward,
backward and around, to work on the right and/or left sides relative to three reference
positions. Movements may be expressed in stillness; appearing as if the movement has
been caught between coming and going. Movements may also move, in and through
the Presentation Space, rhythmically focused on the dog or the team. Training,
artistically and creatively, develops teams as finely tuned instruments, capable of
expressing any safe trainable movement effortlessly with a smooth and easy flow. Each
Presentation is unique; designs express each team differently in:
1. Focusing movement rhythmically with a BPM (beats per minute) relationship to
the musical choice
2. crafting performance vehicles choreographically with imagination
3. choices to express movement as a medium creatively and artistically
4. artistry and creativity to fulfill the definition and objectives of the competitive
discipline
Scent Detection
Canadian Titles:
SDN (Scent Detection Novice), SDO (Scent Detection Open), SDE (Scent Detection Excellent), SDM (Scent Detection Master), SDC (Scent Detection Container), SDI (Scent Detection Interior), SDX (Scent Detection Exterior) & SDSM (Scent Detection Grand Master)
A fun event open to all dogs to enjoy the challenge of locating a scent and communicating with their handler that the scent has been located. The trial is done in a variety of environments allowing a dog to use their strongest natural sense.
There are five classes, starting with the entry-level “instinct” class, and in ascending order the novice, open, excellent, and master classes. Each class tests the dog’s ability at a new, more challenging level, encouraging greater perseverance and focus on fine-tuning of olfactory senses. The scent source may be within a container - the only option for the instinct level - interior of a building, or exterior - the great outdoors!
Hoopers
Treibball
Hoopers is an agility style sport that is low impact to the dog with minimal risk for injury and yet very challenging for the handler. The goal is to build distance handling using hoops as a ground-level obstacle. The CHC courses are comprised of hoops, barrels, tunnels and gates.
Hoopers Canada strives to protect the long-term well being of the dog by maintaining flowing courses with no tight turns, wraps, stops or pull throughs on hoops. Barrels and gates assist turns without excessive stress. Tunnel entries and exits must be straight.
Hoopers Canada aims to be an inclusive dog sport, accessible to all dogs and handlers.
Treibball
Treibball
TREIBBALL (try-ball) is about learning and bonding with our dogs in a fun recreational way. This exciting new ball herding (urban herding) sport originated in Germany and was first created by Finish national Jan Nijboer. It is played with exercise balls and develops keen obedience skills, partnership, communication and cooperation between handler and dog. At the handler’s direction, dogs learn to gather and push balls towards a goal net. A timed event, the basic game consists of 8 balls, much like a game of billiards. This entails directional skills and control. More advanced games consists of ball discrimination, obstacles and speed games! This sport is a great outlet for both herding and non-herding breeds and it all starts with one dog, one handler and quality training fun with your dog!
All breeds and ages can enjoy this fun activity!
Barn Hunt (Rat Sports)
The purpose of Barn Hunt is to sharpen and develop a dog's natural hunting ability
through nosework in finding and marking rats in a setting similar to what you would find
in a barn.
NOTE: There is no risk to the rats used in this sport. They are safely contained and are
well socialized with dogs.
Paddleboarding
Paddleboarding is a fun and challenging sport to do with your Newf.
It can take a bit of time to get your Newf used to staying on the board but once you both have mastered this the opportunities are endless.
Sprinter
Sprinter
Sprinter is a fun event open to all dogs to enjoy the challenge of running a 100-meter dash. All dogs entered will receive a handicap score based on their height, and their time to finish will be converted to kilometres per hour. Titles are awarded upon the dog accumulating a given number of points.
Higher impact activities to do with your Newf
Agility
Canadian Titles:
AG.N (Agility Novice), AG.I (Agility Intermediate), AG.X (Agility Excellent), AG.M.X (Agility Master Excellent) & more
Agility is fast moving, challenging and energetic activity enjoyed immensely by dogs and handlers alike. It’s also a great spectator sport. Dogs work off lead and are guided by the signals and voice commands of their handlers. They speed around an intricate course over or through a variety of obstacles, including jumps, tunnels, weave poles, even a teeter totter and must complete the course cleanly, within the time allowed. Agility is open to all breeds, and since dogs are grouped according to size, with
appropriate jump height and speed requirements for each size range, every dog has the same chance to excel, whether he’s short and stocky or tall and lean.
Search and Rescue (SAR)
The Newfoundland is an intelligent, multi-purpose dog with natural life-saving abilities. Because they are generally calm, have an extremely sensitive sense of smell, and love people, it is only natural that this breed is useful in search and rescue situations. They have been known to locate victims lost in avalanches, in dense bush and have even found bodies under water. In the past there have been organizations which have taught owners and their dogs to hang from a helicopter, rappel down a cliff, travel on a ski-lift, canoe down a river and search all day through heavy underbrush in any kind of weather. The best way to locate an organization involved in Search and Rescue is to contact police and/or rescue groups in your home area, who specialize in this field.
Chase Ability
Skijorging/Mountainboard-joring/Skatejoring/Bikejoring/Canicross
Skijorging/Mountainboard-joring/Skatejoring/Bikejoring/Canicross
Chase Ability, developed after the ever-popular Lure Coursing, allows dogs to uncover their natural prey drive through chasing a lure - all while having lots of fun. The Chase Ability Program also provides purebreds and mixed-breeds with the opportunity to compete and earn multiple titles and certificates in a field event that all dogs are capable of performing.
Skijorging/Mountainboard-joring/Skatejoring/Bikejoring/Canicross
Skijorging/Mountainboard-joring/Skatejoring/Bikejoring/Canicross
Skijorging/Mountainboard-joring/Skatejoring/Bikejoring/Canicross
Skijoring is a Scandinavian word meaning "ski-driving". It involves a skier being pulled by a dog in harness. This sport has expanded to include dogs pulling their humans on mountainboards (rugged off road skateboards), skateboards, bikes, rollerblades and while running (canicross).