Until now, we have had dog breeds named separately after Newfoundland and Labrador, a Canadian province. Now, there is a designer dog breed that is actually named after the whole province, namely the Newfoundland Labrador Mix. So, what is exactly this Newfoundland Labrador Mix?
A Newfoundland Labrador Mix is a hybrid crossbred between the Newfoundland dog and the world’s most famous dog breed, the Labrador Retriever. This mix often goes by Newfador, New Labralound, or Newfie Labs. Despite their large physique, you will find Newfoundland Labrador Mixes non-aggressive and with a sweet and loving personalities.
As the Newfoundland Labrador Mix is still relatively new in the pet market, so many of you may be unaware of the breed facts. In this article, I’ll share all about this comparatively new dog breed covering their diet, grooming requirements, exercise needs, lifespan, health concerns, cost, temperaments, and recommended products. But before all that, let’s find out what a mix between heavy-coat canines and ideal lab pooches looks like!
How Big Will A Newfoundland Lab Mix Get?
You can expect a Newfoundland Lab Mix to grow between 22 to 28 inches, landing somewhere between the medium to large dog category. The same is with its weight, falling somewhere between 70 to 150 lbs.
As above, you will notice that the size of the Newfoundland Lab Mix has a wide range and is a little unpredictable due to varying height differences between the two parent breeds.
The Labrador parents are ideal-sized pooches and generally range between 22 to 25 inches in height. On the other hand, Newfoundlands are popular for having huge sizes with heights ranging between 26 to 28 inches.
Physical Appearance
Newfoundlands are huge-sized pooches with strong working bodies, whereas Labradors have vigorous bodies but are of standard size. Combining the traits from both of the parents, the offspring of the Newfoundland Lab Mix tends to inherit stocky bodies with highly energetic souls.
Newfie Labs generally come in black colors and are extremely furry from top to bottom. The eyes of these canines are generally brown. Their black-colored nose, however, is a bit huge, just like the way their body is. Ears are floppy and their tail resembles what Labrador parents tend to have a thick and tapered tail.
Coat Colors And Patterns
Labrador Retrievers generally come in black, yellow, or chocolate colors. Newfoundlands, however, are seen in brown and black colors only.
Being common in both parents, the color black is what the coats of many Newfoundland Lab Mixes will end up in most of the time. Other possible colors include cream, fawn, and brindle.
The coats of Newfoundland Lab Mixes are extremely furry with hairs either wavy or straight. The pants and chest hairs, however, are extremely denser. You’ll be having an extra-long coat pooch, so make sure you can handle dander and hairs all around your house.
How Long Does A Newfoundland Lab Mix Live?
By analyzing lifespan histories of both Labrador and Newfoundland, the lifespan of a Newfoundland Lab Mix is said to be between 8 to 12 years.
Here are a few health concerns this mix is commonly prone to.
Subvalvular Aortic Stenosis
Your Newfie Lab is prone to this disease as it is more commonly seen in its Newfoundland parents. Well, aortic stenosis is a blood-flow blockage inside the heart on the way from the left ventricle to the aorta blood vessel.
The term “subvalvular” here refers to the blockage specifically under the aortic valve, the opening to the aorta blood vessel. This kind of blockage leads to mild chest pain or severe pain sometimes, depending on how hard the heart needs to pump the blood.
Epilepsy
Common among the Newfoundland Labrador mixes, epilepsy is a brain disorder, where the abnormality of neurons and electric signals affects the brain from working properly, consequently stopping brain-related body functions.
The brain of the pooch, in this condition, faces frequent epileptic seizures, which usually lead to unconsciousness. On-time surgeries, however, help to recover the specific damaged parts of your Newfie buddy’s brain.
Gastric Torsion
During gastric torsion, the stomach of Newfoundland Lab Mix gets filled with excessive gas, consequently making it twisted or stretched. An uncomfortable posture is the most visible symptom.
The severe version of this disease, namely gastric dilatation volvulus, may also occur. In that case, the condition becomes riskier than before. Proper treatments and surgeries, however, help to tackle this all. The disease is known for being common in both the Newfie Lab parents, so make sure you always get your pooch regular checkups.
How To Take Care Of Newfoundland Labrador Mixes?
You need to build proper exercise routines since Newfoundland Labrador Mixes are extremely active pooches. Other than this, Newfie Labs are prone to obesity, so make sure you limit their meals properly while keeping the diet of these canines healthy.
Exercise Routine
Both Newfoundland and Labrador parent breeds are highly active pooches, so you can expect the same from the Newfoundland Lab Mixes. These mixes are extremely active canines and need a sufficient amount of exercise every day to keep fit and stay healthy.
A Newfoundland Lab Mix should ideally burn energy for at least 60 to 90 minutes every day. This can include a 30-minute walk, off-leash hangouts, and games like fetch.
Have your pooch go on park trips once every week. You can also schedule a few more sessions of agility, hikes, sports activities, teamwork, or swimming once or twice within a week.
Oral Care
Invest in dental water additives or chews at early ages to get yourself saved from spending tons of money on decayed teeth of your Newfoundland Lab Mix later on. This way, you won’t either need to avoid your Newfie Lab because of its smelly breath anymore!
High-Quality Diet
The diet of Newfoundland Labrador Mixes is primarily composed of protein (fish or meat) and carbs (beans, peas, or whole grains). Other ingredients of their kibble meal include chicken, sweet potato, fruits, and vegetables. Newfie Labs’ food intake requirements vary from 2½ to 5 cups of kibbles every day, depending on their age and health.
Make sure you get a high quality and grain-free diet with an addition of multivitamin supplements for your pooch. Get a perfect meal plan from your vet according to the age and health condition of your Newfie Lab buddy.
You can also give a try to this online Pet Plate to get your pooch a meal plan and a diet made with human-grade ingredients.
Are Newfoundland Labrador Mixes Aggressive? Temperaments Of Newfoundland Labrador Mixes
Newfoundland Labrador Mixes are certainly not aggressive canines, nor are their parents. Your Newfie Lab will be the sweetest pet ever.
Loving
Newfoundland Lab Mixes generally tend to look like huge and aggressive pooches, but they are one of the most loving and loyal canines. They are super gentle and kind and make great family pets. In fact, both Newfie Lab parents are known to be children-loving and great family pooches.
Newfie Labs don’t bark a lot without reason so you’ll be having a peaceful pet at your home. Barking due to genuine reasons, however, can be noticed occasionally which can be overwhelming sometimes due to their loud voice.
Intelligent
Newfoundland Lab Mixes are super intelligent since they inherited intelligence traits from both of their parents. This makes these pooches able to learn whatever you train them in a very short time.
Make sure you provide proper training and socialization sessions to Newfie Labs at early ages as their grown-up huge size can be harmful later during their senior years.
Active And Energetic
Since both Labrador and Newfoundland parents are energetic, the resulting Newfie Lab pooches come up with a highly active and hardworking nature. Because of their energetic nature, they often served as rescue dogs, service dogs, and guide dogs.
They can also help you while doing chores and other home tasks as they are activities-lovers too. Newfoundland Lab Mixes, however, should not be left at home alone for more than 8 hours as they will end up being destructive.
Does A Newfoundland Lab Mix Shed A Lot? Grooming Tips For Newfoundland Labrador Mixes
Newfoundland Lab Mixes undergo heavy shedding and produce a high amount of dander as they have denser and longer coats. Due to this, they don’t either get listed under the list of hypoallergenic dog breeds.
Hair Trimming
Newfoundland Lab Mix owners will need to vacuum their house regularly as the pooches leave hairs almost everywhere. Using deshedding tools, especially during coat-switching seasons, can help more than a lot.
Here I’ll recommend the FURminator Undercoat Tool. Running this undercoat rake on your pooch helps to remove all the loose hairs that are about to fall and are ready to make your house furry again.
Other than this, frequent hair trimming is a must for Newfoundland Lab Mixes. A professional groomer trip for your Newfie Lab should be scheduled once every 2 months.
Bath
Wash your Newfoundland Lab Mix once every 1 to 2 months. You can certainly bathe them before the given time period if they tend to get too smelly.
For frequent baths, use Mighty Petz 2-In-1 Oatmeal Dog Shampoo And Conditioner as it prevents the skin oil from drying. Brush their coats well before and after every bath. Besides, make sure you clean your Newfie Lab’s floppy ears once every week.
Brushing
You all know Newfoundland Lab Mixes own longer and denser hairy coats. The hairs can be either wavy or straight, but they easily get matted because of being extra-long in size.
Make sure you brush your Newfie Lab’s coat at least every week. This can be scheduled even more frequently if the pooch inherits curly coat hairs from her Newfoundland parents.
Related Questions
How Much Is A Newfoundland Lab Mix? A Newfoundland Lab Mix bought from renowned breeders typically costs you around $500 to $1,000. This cost can vary greatly depending on where you get it from. However, a Newfie Lab adopted from rescue shelters costs you comparatively lower than breeders, which can be around $100 to $350.
Is Newfoundland And Labrador Named After Dogs? No, “Newfoundland and Labrador” is not named after dogs. In fact, dogs are named after this Canadian province. Labrador Pooches are named after the Labrador territory, a part of “Newfoundland and Labrador”. They were later imported to England where they properly got the name “Labrador Retriever”. Newfoundland dogs, on the other hand, are named after Newfoundland Island, found inside the very same “Newfoundland and Labrador” province.
Are Newfoundlands Good With Labs? Newfoundlands are indeed good with Labradors. These Newfoundland canines are known for getting along with every other person and pets, such as dogs and cats, due to their amicable and sweet nature. They can be seen hanging out and playing with a lot of dog breeds. Labrador Retrievers, on the other hand, also enjoy having fun with other dogs, so both Newfoundlands and Labradors are likely to build a good relationship with each other.
