Newfoundlands are huge working dogs that grow at a slow, steady rate. Because of how long it takes them to get to their full size, Newfoundland parents may be concerned about why their dogs take longer to grow.
This is only natural and should not be a source of worry for you. All you can do is find out how big your Newfoundland will get to make adequate preparations.
How big does a full-grown Newfoundland get? Male Newfoundlands can weigh anywhere between 130 – 150 pounds (59 – 68 kg) and stand at 27 – 28 inches (68.6 – 71.1 cm) tall. Females will weigh between 100 – 120 pounds (45.4 – 54.4 kg) and stand at 25 – 26 inches (63.5 – 66 cm) tall. These are the average size for Newfoundlands that has been raised in the best condition.
Being able to estimate the size of your Newfoundland is vital for every parent (potential or otherwise). You’re going to need your dog’s size to make the right purchases and provide the best care.
This article will give you all the details you need to know about the size of your Newfoundland as well as the size information of Newfoundland mixes.
How Big Do Newfoundlands Get When Fully Grown?
Newfoundlands are one of the large dog breeds weighing over a hundred pounds. However, your Newfoundland size will depend a great deal on your ability to provide the best care. If you play your part right, at the peak of physical maturity, your Newfoundland will stand at its majestic average size.
Fully grown male Newfoundlands will weigh around 130 – 150 pounds and can grow as tall as 27 – 28 inches. Females’ size will be between 100 – 120 pounds heavy and 25 – 26 inches tall. But there are occasions where Newfoundlands have grown over these ranges, so yours could too.
When it comes to your dog’s full-grown size, you must keep an open mind. This is because every dog is unique, including yours. Its environment, health, and diet will play a big part in deciding whether it will grow within the average size or over/under it.
What you can do is to keep track of your Newfoundland’s size as it grows and compare it to the size of other Newfoundlands.
Average Height and Weight by Age: What to Expect
One of the large dogs you can own as a pet is the Newfoundland. But you can’t expect them to grow huge right away. It will take some time for them to grow into their full size, and the process will be slow and steady.
It is hard to predict the specific way each Newfoundland will grow because they are all unique. But we can get the average size they will grow to be at each month until they reach full maturity. Generally, your Newfoundland will keep growing until its two-year-old birthday, and for some, it might take longer.
Below is a table showing the average size of male and female Newfoundland puppies from the puppy stage until they are fully grown.
The table below shows the average height of Newfoundlands from the second month until they’re fully grown:
The table below shows the average weight of Newfoundlands from the second month until they’re fully grown:
As you can observe from the tables above, the growth of the Newfoundland is gradual and steady. You do not need to worry if they do not become a giant at seven months because they are still developing.
By the time they are two years and above, they would have grown into their bodies and become the Newfoundlands you see around.
The growth of Newfies is quite steady from month to month. While they will reach a large percentage of their height in their fourth month, they will keep growing in weight up until they are fully grown.
Factors That Can Affect the Size of Newfoundlands
Although Newfoundlands are naturally large, a lot can influence their size. You will want to look out for these factors because the size of your Newfoundland will depend on them.
Genetics: The size of Newfoundland parents is the most significant factor that will contribute to its size. The average weight and height of your Newfoundland’s parents will roughly be the puppy’s size when it grows up.
Diet: Newfoundlands have a high potential to gain a lot of weight. Knowing this, you have to watch out for what and how you feed your dog. You have to mind the number of times you feed it, and you must go for high-quality food. You’ll also need to limit the number of treats you offer it daily.
Exercise: For a dog with a high potential to gain much weight, Newfoundlands need to be exercised adequately. You mustn’t let your dog lounge around all day, especially if its diet is full of calories. Diet and exercise must be balanced for your Newfoundland to gain healthy weight.
Gender: The sex of your Newfoundland will determine how big it will get. Since males are usually around 150 pounds and females being about 120 pounds, it goes to show that your male Newfoundland will be bigger than your female.
Health: Health plays a vital role in the size of your Newfoundland. As with humans, Newfoundlands will also experience the physical effects of health issues. If your Newfoundland gets sick, it will either lose a lot of weight or gain more. Depending on what the ailment is.
At What Age Do Newfoundlands Stop Growing?
Newfoundlands, like most giant dog breeds, do not reach full growth early. Smaller breeds like Chihuahuas, Tibetan Terriers, and Pugs will stop growing a lot earlier than a Newfie will. Newfoundlands are slow-growing, so it’ll take over two years for them to reach their full size.
A Newfie’s basic framework will be completely in place at around 18 to 20 months old. But he will not reach his full muscle mass and weight until he is two years old. For some Newfoundlands, it will take up to three years for their growth to reach full cycle.
Will My Newfoundland Stop Growing After Being Neutered/Spayed?
When you neuter/spay your Newfie at the right age, its growth will not be affected negatively. The right age in this context is the time after the growth plates of your dog have closed.
Growth plates are responsible for the growth of your Newfie puppy. They are cartilage located at the end of a dog’s long bone. They function until a puppy has fully grown out of puberty.
Neutering or spaying your Newfie before the growth plate closes may cause a slightly quicker growth, causing it to grow taller than average. This will cause a big problem for their joint later and should be avoided.
For a giant dog like the Newfoundland, the growth plates will usually close between the ages of 18 to 24 months. It is around this time you should get your dog neutered/spayed.
Simply put, your Newfoundland will not stop growing if it is neutered/spayed, but some problems may arise if it is not neutered/spayed between the ages of 18 and 24 months.
Why Is My Newfoundland Puppy Not Growing?
If you notice that your Newfie puppy is probably still below 50 pounds at seven months old, then obviously something is wrong. A lot of puppies experience stunted growth for one reason or the other.
Stunted growth in your Newfie puppy could be as a result of one of two things. The first is the presence of endoparasites in the intestines. These endoparasites are hookworms and tapeworms that puppies may get from their parents or their environment.
Worm infestation is the most common cause of stunted growth in puppies. Once you notice your Newfie is no longer growing, endoparasites are most likely the cause.
You do not need to be alarmed by this because it is treatable. Once the worms are gotten rid of, your Newfie will resume its growth.
Liver shunt could also cause your puppy to stop growing. A liver shunt is a severe health problem that can afflict your puppy. One of the visible symptoms of the liver shunt is stunted growth.
Is Your Newfoundland Overweight or Underweight?
There are a lot of reasons your Newfoundland may become overweight or underweight. Like we have initially discussed, several factors will determine your Newfie’s size. It is the same way certain factors will cause your Newfie to gain some unhealthy extra pounds or lose too much.
Some of the primary reasons your Newfoundland will either become overweight or underweight are its diet, level of physical activity, medication, and health issues. It’s up to you to find out the cause of your dog’s weight change and do all you can to fix it.
How to Tell If Your Newfoundland Is Overweight or Underweight?
You can find out if your Newfie is overweight or underweight by getting the percentage of its body fat. A vet or pet nutrients are in the best position to give you this information. But if you’d rather skip the visit to the vet, you can check your dog yourself at home.
You can check its waist, hips, ribs, and shoulders to determine how much fat covers those areas. Feeling your dog’s body and finding too much flesh so that you can barely feel its bones, then it’s overweight. If the reverse is the case, then it is underweight.
What to Do If Your Newfoundland Is Overweight or Underweight?
When you find that your dog has either lost too much or gained too much weight, you should take it to a vet. A vet can run a diagnosis to ensure no underlying health problems are causing the change in weight. If there are health problems, your vet can advise on what to do and possibly provide a solution.
But if the cause of your Newfoundland’s overweight or underweight is its diet, then you have to make some changes. Feeding your Newfie too much or too little calorie foods should depend on its activity level.
If your dog is a couch potato, feed it fewer calories because it doesn’t do much to burn the excess fat. If your dog is very active, consider feeding it more calories to make up for the ones it loses.
How to Measure Your Newfoundland’s Height?
Taking your dog’s weight measurement is easy. The only things you’d need are a scale, some treats, and of course, your dog. But taking the height will be a whole different matter.
Getting your Newfoundland’s height will be necessary at one point or the other. For instance, you’d need your Newfie’s height when you need to install a doggie door or if you want to enroll it in a sport.
As a human, taking your height is straightforward. You could just stand by a wall and mark the position at the top of your head. But it’s different taking a dog’s height. The items needed to get it done are a measuring tape, a carpenter’s level, a pencil, and a wall or door frame.
I’m going to teach you how to measure your Newfoundland’s height in 4 easy steps.
Step 1: Place Your Newfie Against a Wall or Door Frame
This is the first step and possibly the most tasking. You need to get your Newfie to stand straight against a wall. He mustn’t lean on the wall or slouch, and he should be facing up, not down. The floor should be flat and leveled as well.
You may not be able to keep your dog positioned and take the measurement at the same time. So, you may need extra help from your friends or family.
Step 2: Feel for the Withers
Dogs’ height is usually measured from the paws up to the withers, the pointy top of a dog’s shoulders. To get the measurement right, you will need to identify the position of your Newfie’s withers.
Since Newfoundlands are furry, you won’t be able to see the withers with your eyes. Hence, you will have to use your hands to feel for it.
The withers are the point where you will place the level, so it is important you find exactly where it is.
Step 3: Place the Level Across Your Newfie’s Withers
Once you have identified the withers, you’ll have to place the carpenter’s level across it. You must place it in such a way that the end of the level touches the wall or door frame and to get an accurate measurement, you have to make sure the level is straight.
Then, you can then use a pencil to mark the spot where the level touches the wall. Make sure the mark isn’t too thick so that it doesn’t alter the figures you’ll take.
Step 4: Take the Measurements
Once you’ve gotten your mark on the wall, you can send your dog away because you’ll no longer need it. Then measure the length of the wall from the ground to the mark you made. The number you see on the tape is your Newfie’s height.
Size Information for Common Newfoundland Mixed Breeds
When Newfoundlands are mixed with other breeds, the result can be smaller or bigger than the purebred Newfoundland. This will depend on the size of the other parent.
Newfoundlands can be mixed with a lot of other breeds to produce breeds with better temperament and health. As a result of this, it can be beneficial to know the size of these mixes.
Bernefie
The combination of the Bernese Mountain Dog and the Newfoundland produces the Bernefie. Due to the sheer size of both parents, Bernefies are also large dogs.
Males and females will tend to be about the same sizes as there will be little or no differences between them. Bernefies usually weigh between 90 – 150 pounds (40.8 – 68 kg) and will be 25 – 29 inches (63.5 – 73.7 cm) tall.
Golden Newfie
Mixing a Golden Retriever and Newfoundland gives a Golden Newfie. Combining these two dogs’ sweet personalities takes the Golden Newfie to a whole new level of affectionate. The size of the Golden Newfie has a wide range, so it could be moderately large or very large.
The males’ weight will be between 85 – 150 pounds (38.6 – 68 kg), and their height will be 26 – 29 inches (66 – 73.7 cm). Females will weigh 75 – 138 pounds (34 – 62.6 kg) and have 24 – 27 inches (61 – 68.6 cm) height.
New Rottland
The mix between these two also produces a giant breed called the New Rottland. This breed takes after both parents and grows bigger than Newfoundlands.
Males are usually around 130 – 150 pounds (59 – 68 kg) heavy and 27 – 30 inches (68.6 – 76.2 cm) tall. Female New Rottlands weigh between 120 – 140 pounds (54.4 – 63.5 kg) and will be 24 – 27 inches (61 – 68.6 cm) in height.
New Shep
The mix between the German Shepherd and Newfoundland produces a smaller breed called the New Shep. The New Shep balances the size between both parents causing it to be smaller than the Newfoundland.
On average, male New Sheps weigh 95 – 120 pounds (43.1 – 54.4 kg) and will be 25 – 28 inches (63.5 – 71.1 cm) tall. The size of females is 75 – 95 pounds (34 – 43.1 kg) in weight and 23 – 26 inches (58.4 – 66 cm) in height.
Saint Bernewfie
The combination of both makes the Saint Bernewfie, a designer dog with a very sweet personality. The Saint Bernewfie can be significantly huge or small, depending on the size of both parents.
Males will weigh between 100 – 180 pounds (45.4 – 81.6 kg) and be 27 – 33 inches (68.6 – 83.8 cm) tall. On the other hand, females will be 95 – 175 pounds (43.1 – 79.4 kg) in weight and 25 – 30 inches (63.5 – 76.2 cm) in height.
Newfypoo
The Newfypoo do not grow as big as the Newfoundland. Seeing as the Poodle is not a large dog, the Newfypoo are not giant dogs.
Male Newfypoos generally weigh between 95 – 110 pounds (43.1 – 49.9 kg) and will be as tall as 22 – 25 inches (55.9 – 63.5 cm). Females will be between 85 – 100 pounds (38.6 – 45.4 kg) and 21 – 24 (53.3 – 61 cm) inches.
Swiss Newfie
The mix between the Newfoundland and Greater Swiss Mountain produces the Swiss Newfie. With a look that is so imposing, the Swiss Newfie is one of the large breeds gotten from mixing Newfoundlands.
The average size of a male Swiss Newfie is 120 – 145 pounds (54.3 – 65.8 kg) in weight and 25 – 29 inches (63.5 – 73.7 cm) in height. Females weigh between 90 – 115 pounds ( – 40.8 – 52.2 kg) and will be 23 – 27 inches (58.4 – 68.6 cm) tall.
My Final Thoughts
If you’re a huge fan of giant breeds, Newfoundlands will make a great pet. Their large body only makes them even more cuddly, and they will make great companions for you and your kids.
If you’re already a Newfoundland parent, it is important to know how big your Newfie will get. Knowing its potential size will help you realize if and when something goes wrong with your dog. You’ll also need to know its size (or average future size) to know the type of items to buy.
Newfoundlands grow differently than most other dogs, which means they will reach full size when it’s time to. You do not have to worry if they do not grow as fast as other dogs because, in due time, they will become over 100 pounds large.
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