Newfs at Work
Every breed was bred to perform a function. Today, most breeds are no longer used for the work they were bred for. To preserve the heritage of our wonderful working breed the Newfoundland Club of America has created working events to show off the tremendous versatility of the Newfoundland Dog! In order to achieve a working title, both handler and Newf must work as a team. It takes many months of training, and practice, and this is where the Newfoundland’s amazing temperament and work ethic shines!
Water Rescue Work
Flint to the rescue!
The Newfoundland was a breed made for hard work. Their waterproof coats and webbed toes make them strong and efficient swimmers. Many Newfoundlands have been documented throughout history for their heroic feats of water rescue!
The Newfoundland Club of America (NCA) has three water rescue titling levels; the junior level called Water Dog (WD), the senior level called Water Rescue Dog (WRD), and the highest and most complex level called the Water Rescue Dog Exhalent (WRDX).
Please visit Newfs Pages to see photos and videos of these levels in action!! Flint and Lex hold both the junior and senior titles and Lex has earned and requalifyed in all three water titles!
Visit the NCA website to see the rules for each of these levels.
Draft Work
Lex & Flint getting their Team Draft Dog titles!
Newfoundlands were built for steady, hauling work such as pulling a cart or wagon. They can work as a single dog or in a team. The NCA has two titling levels for which the rules are the same; the single dog level called Draft Dog (DD), and the Team Draft Dog level (TDD).
Lex and Flint hold both the single and team draft dog titles!
Despite their large size, Newfoundlands can make very good obedience dogs too! Lex has been award four first place ribbons at All-breed obedience trials, and a High In Trial at the NorCal Newf Regional Specialty, and he was the #10 obedience dog in the NCA top 20 list in 2008! Lex holds the CD and the CDX titles.
Obedience
heeling in the Novice class
Visit the AKC to see all the levels of obedience offered.
The NCA has set up two special titles to honor the achievements of our Newfoundlands. The Versatile Newfoundland (VN) title is awarded to dogs that have completed their AKC Championship, AKC CD, NCA’s WRD and DD titles.
Working Achievement & Versatile Newfoundland Awards
The Working Achievement title was created to celebrate those Newfoundlands who excel in the areas of working and obedience! The core requirements are: AKC CDX title, WRD, and DD. The dogs must then excel in three other areas of work or obedience such as earning the WRDX, TDD, requalifying in working tests or earning other AKC obedience, tracking or rally titles.
Lex earned the Working Achievement title as of May 22nd 2011!!
What Is A Title, Really?
Not just a brag, not just a stepping stone to a higher title, not just an adjunct to competitive scores; a title is a tribute to the dog that bears it, a way to honor the dog, an ultimate memorial.It will remain in the record and in the memory for about as long as anything in this world can remain. Few humans will do as well or better.
And though the dog himself doesn’t know or care that his achievements have been noted, a title says many things in the world of humans, where such things count. A title says your dog was intelligent, adaptable and good natured. It says that your dog loved you enough to do the things that please you, however crazy they may have sometimes seemed.
And, a title says that you loved your dog, that you loved to spend time with him because he was a good dog, that you believed in him enough to give him yet another chance when he failed and that, in the end, your faith was justified. A title proves that your dog inspired you to that special relationship enjoyed by so few; that in a world of disposable creatures, this dog with a title was greatly loved, and loved greatly in return.
And when that dear short life is over, the title remains as a memorial of the finest kind, the best you can give to a deserving friend, volumes of praise in one small set of initials after the name. A title is nothing less than love and respect, given and received and recorded permanently.
-Front and Finish Magazine
