Newfoundland usage and training

Every action lesson begins when the dog unwinds at a game, preparing for work. The actual exercising itself is done simultaneously on the ground and in water. A usual general training course is to precede it: "Heel! ", "Place! ", "Come! " and other commands are practised with the puppy when it is several months old. Then commands become more complicated (the animal is controlled by voice, gestures from a distance), and the lessons begin to be held in places of slippery or slanted surfaces that resemble real conditions the dog works in. Besides, a puppy should be familiar with the outside world: crowds, the noise of motors, elevators. 

 Where the Newfoundland is used:
Without instructor: Situations allowing the dog to act independently: helping unconscious or exhausted people, towing boats or objects, pulling cables during floods and disasters.
Collaboration of an instructor and an animal: When working together, the dog acts is assisting. When a person being rescued resists, the conductorpacifies the drowning person, while the dog towns him or her. When there is a need to collect the ship with the victims from the danger zone towards the open sea, the dog also assists as a tow. Newfy is again a tug to assist the drifting (due to capsizing or breaking) vessels. During search operations: Newfoundland dog tows a rescue boat, following air bubbles left by scuba divers.
Areas of use. One can use Newfoundland dog wherever there is water. In the sea: on-call or direct observationof an accident from a rescue post; the job is to provide security in the hard-to-reach places. Restrictions: a strong surf with high waves. On the river: on-call use to assist rescuers on the land; the task is immediate timely arrival at the place by road transportation. Restrictions: upstream near the floodgate sluice. In the lakes and other bodies of water: usage at the signal of a witness of an incident or at the momentof directobservation of an accident; the task is constant watch and surveillance in the tourist areas. Restrictions: upstream near the dam. During floods: use on request to support transport teams. The main tasks are the rescue of property; delivery of floating facilities intended for evacuation of injured persons or transportation of food; installation of auxiliary cables. During disasters: assisting victims, charged with the very same tasks as during a flood. When conducting sporting events on the water: regattas, triathlon competitions and aquatics, which require short-term observation and immediate intervention in case of an accident.

 - a dog works independently learning to bring objects, towing first his guide, then strangers, then finally towing windsurfing boards or boats;
- joint work of the guide and the animal, acting together as a unity, trusting each other and understanding each other. One can switch to training sessions, related directly to the rescue works soon as Newfoundlandreaches 15 months age: exercises become more difficult, access to water is achieved by overcoming obstacles, towing is practiced on increasingly heavier boats (sometimes 'the tug' is covered by oncoming waves). The frequency of training varies depending on needs and physical condition of the animal. However, there is a need in daily repeating basics of general course of training. Establishing a clear rapport between the dog's guide and the Newfoundland is vital and required. But such mutual understanding is possible only under the condition that the guide listens to his dog and is able to “read” it as an open book, that is, to foresee its reactions. If the conductor wants the dog to perform a certain command or terminate an action, his tone should be different: prohibiting commands should be given in a jerky and dry tone, and resolving commands should be vigorous and cheerful. Still, above all, one principle of Newfoundland training must be learned: if a dog performs an exercise successfully, it is only because of itself; if unsuccessfully, this is the fault of his instructor.