All About the Brown Newfoundland Dog

Most recently, I have been showing Freyja, a brown Newfoundland dog, in the conformation ring. At some of the all-breed shows we have been to, some people have been quite surprised to learn that Freyja is a Newfoundland, citing they had no idea Newfies came in the color brown. 

I wrote a post a while back on the color genetics of Newfoundlands that gives you an in-depth look at the genetic factors that play a role in coat color. Genetically Newfoundlands come in two colors, black and brown. Any other color you see is a modified version of that base color. 

But let’s look at some of the traits of brown Newfoundlands starting with what they are not. 

A Brown Newfoundland is Not..

Brown Newfoundlands are not chocolate, bronze, mahogany, or red, they are simply brown.

Yes, the shade of brown can vary dramatically from a deep, dark chocolate color to a lighter, warmer brown. They even may have blonde or golden highlights from sun fading depending on how much time they spend outside. 

Do Brown Newfoundlands Cost More?

Nope, they shouldn’t cost more. 

Some less-than-desirable or under-educated breeders may try to market their puppies as chocolate, bronze, red, etc. believing they are rare. 

Brown Newfoundlands are not rare and are produced when the recessive color gene is expressed. Much like when humans have blonde hair. Blonde is recessive to brunette, but certainly not rare. 

Coat Texture and Composition of a Brown Newfoundland

I heard somewhere that brown Newfoundlands have a finer coat than black Newfoundlands. 

While this is true that some may have a finer coat, this does not appear to be a true statement across the board. Much like some people have thick hair and others have thin, fine hair, the same can be said for dogs. Some have thicker, plusher coats while some lean on the finer side.  

Brown Newfies still have the same double coat, they still shed (a lot), and they still need brushing. 

Are Brown Newfoundlands Different than Black Newfoundlands 

A Newfoundland is a Newfoundland. The only difference there should be in a brown Newfie versus a black Newfie is their coat color. 

The temperament and health of a brown Newfie should not vary by the color of its coat. There are no health conditions in the Newfoundland breed associated with any particular color of fur. 

Brown Newfoundland Eye Color

Brown Newfoundlands will typically have a lighter brown eye than a black Newfoundland. 

The ideal eye color for a brown Newfoundland will be as dark as possible, but this isn’t the norm. Anywhere between a darker brown eye to short of the evil yellow eye, is considered normal.

Brown Newfoundlands in Other Countries

Some countries do not accept brown Newfoundlands. 

Canada, for example, is one of those countries. 

If you are looking for a brown Newfoundland in Canada you would be better off looking in the States as reputable Canadian breeders typically don’t breed for browns. 

Finding a Brown Newfoundland Breeder 

Finding a decent brown in terms of looks and health is hard sometimes since they still are looked down upon by the biased individuals in the breed believing black Newfoundlands are the only acceptable Newfoundland. 

A perfect example of the bias happened recently at one of the shows Freyja and I attended. Freyja got fourth out of four and wasn’t even looked at because she was brown and all the others were black. We later found out that the judge is notorious for ignoring the browns and only going for black. 

Just because the biased individuals like black, doesn’t mean that quality brown Newfoundland breeders don’t exist. They are out there and they certainly aren’t as rare as they once were.

There are resources such as the Newfoundland Club of America’s Breeders of Distinction List. You might be able to find a breeder with brown dogs. However, most of the breeders on the list have very few litters a year. The list also does not not the colors a breeder breeds, so you would have to call them all until you find one. 

Another option would be using Google to search for brown breeders and see who you find. Just because a breeder is not a Breeder of Distinction or a member of the NCA doesn’t mean they are automatically an undesirable breeder. I will be adding a post in the future on how to evaluate a breeder’s website, so don’t worry, I’m not leaving you hanging. 

Overall, brown Newfoundlands are really no different than black, Landseer, or any other color Newfoundland. They are still Newfies, they just have a different color coat.