The nutrition page is currently in revision. Please check back soon. Health Because our puppies mean the world to us, it is imperative that they are raised properly. These requirements have been put in place over our thirty years of owning these beautiful dogs. We want your puppies to grow up to be healthy, happy members of your family, and with these few preventative measures, they will be! It is absolutely imperative that Newfoundland puppies be able to play, off-leash, in a fully fenced yard. There is no substitution for free play for growing Newfoundlands. Puppies can rest when they tire, run when they wish, and do all movements that are absolutely necessary for proper joint, muscle and ligament growth. Puppies should not be on slippery floors. It is absolutely necessary that you invest in rug remnants, something inexpensive, until the pup is one year old. Every time your puppy slips and falls, you run the risk of permanently injuring your puppy for life- every time. We cannot stress enough how very important it is to have firm footing underneath your growing Newfoundland puppy’s feet- he must not slip and fall. Slipping and falling cause Hip Dysplasia, Elbow Dysplasia, Luxated Patellas, Cruciate Ligament tears, OCD in shoulders, FCP in elbows, spinal injuries, and a myriad of tears, sprains and other maladies to a giant breed puppy’s frame. Surgeries for the above-mentioned maladies can cost upwards of $15,000. These facts behoove you, as the new puppy owner, to purchase remnant rugs to prevent the aforementioned preventable conditions. Up until the day you pick up your puppy, s/he has not been on slippery floors, but has been raised on carpeted floors only. For your puppy’s health and wellbeing, please invest in inexpensive floor covering, because euthanasia, due to careless management of our puppies, is not an option for them. We have hopefully screened our new puppy’s homes responsibly enough to put their every care in the best of hands. Our puppies mean the world to us, and because we know precisely what causes problems, we offer you this knowledge and information to prevent needless suffering on the behalf of your beautiful new puppy. DO NOT jog with your puppy until he is 2 years old, and his hips and elbows have grown completely. Besides slippery floors, this and prolonged walking are the number one causes of joint disorders in growing Newfoundland puppies. DO NOT take your puppy for walks longer than one minute for every week your puppy is old. For example, a ten-week-old puppy can walk for ten minutes (not in one direction), absolutely no more. A 52-week old puppy (or one-year-old), can walk for 52 minutes, and should have been conditioned to walk that far with every week of his life, adding minutes to his regimen. DO NOT let your puppy play unattended with an older, larger dog- this too can cause a myriad of life-long joint problems in your growing Newfoundland puppy. Body-slamming, pinning on the floor, running over and running into things are again another way to cause life long problems in your puppy. If you have another dog, they can play for part of the day, but you must be there to make certain that the larger dog does not injure your puppy. DO NOT let your puppy jump off of any high surfaces, including the couch, the car, the porch, or anything higher than six inches, because it will cause lifelong joint problems in your puppy. DO NOT let your puppy get fat his first year of life. It is extremely important to keep your puppy thin throughout the first year of his life. Studies have been done proving that overweight puppies are more prone to joint maladies. You should be able to feel your puppy's ribs easily without having to press through a layer of fat for the first year of his life. If you have to press through a layer of fat, cut back on food until you reach the desired weight. Puppies that are kept lean throughout their first year of life do not stress their joints during that critical period of growth from birth to one year. Puppies that are made to inappropriately carry excess weight on their growing frames are far more likely to develop any of the various joint problems specific to this breed and suffer for life. DO NOT let your puppy go up and down stairs until four months of age. We strongly suggest that you carry your puppy up and down stairs until he is four months old. This should be relatively easy because until they are four months old, they are still able to be carried. Once they reach four months, you can teach them to navigate stairs on their own by guiding them while holding onto their collar until they have mastered them. Raising a Newfoundland puppy is much like raising a baby for the first two years of their life. Extreme attention to detail is everything. You wouldn't leave a baby unattended with an older child to play, nor should you with a Newfoundland puppy. Our motto is: If you wouldn't do it with a baby, don't do it with a Newf pup! Recommended Literature How to Have a Healthier Dog by Dr. Wendell O. Belfield, D.V.M. and Martin Zucker, with a foreward by Dr. Linus Pauling Holistic Guide for a Healthy Dog by Wendy Volhard and Kerry Brown, D.V.M. Dr. Pitcairn's Complete Guide to Natural Health for Dogs and Cats by Dr. Richard H. Pitcairn, D.V.M., Ph.D. and Susan Hubble Pitcairn Natural Nutrion for Dogs and Cats: The Ultimate Diet by Kymythy R. Schultze, C.C.N., A.H.I. Natural Dog Care: A Complete Guide to Holistic Health Care for Dogs by Celeste Yarnall, Ph.D. Give Your Dog A Bone by Dr. Ian Billinghurst, B.V.Sc.[Hons], B.Sc.Agr., Dip.Ed. Grow Your Pups With Bones by Dr. Ian Billinghurst, B.V.Sc.[Hons], B.Sc.Agr., Dip.Ed. The BARF Diet (Bones And Raw Food Diet) by Dr. Ian Billinghurst, B.V.Sc.[Hons], B.Sc.Agr., Dip.Ed. The Natural Dog: A Complete Guide for Caring Owners by Mary L. Brennan, D.V.M. Natural Health Care for Your Dog by Petra Stein Food Pets Die For: Shocking Facts about Pet Food by Ann N. Martin Return to Main All design, coding, graphics and upkeep by Baywolf Studio