Hi and welcome to BPO! My Sierra starts to look interested as soon as she hears a car in the driveway. She doesn't get excited but she wants to know who's there. As soon as she hears the doorbell or someone touchingthe door she goes into her I'm-a-big-meancing-dog-with-a-really-loud-bark mode, until the door opens and then she automatically switches to the very excited Oh-it's-a-person-that-has-come-to-pet-me mode. Once you say hi and pet her a little she' starts to leave you alone. There are only a few people, all men, that she will avoid and bark at. It's not an aggression bark, it's a fear bark. I am hoping it's only a phase she is going through because she is still young (13 months). And it's only at our house. She can meet the same people outside of our property and love them to death. As for strangers, she treats EVERYONE she meets like they are her best friend in the world. She is very good with children. The first time she met my 2.5 year old nephew he immediately began literally crawling all over her and playing with her feet, tail and ears and she just sighed and laid her head down and waited for it to be over. Newfs are known for their wonderful temperments and friendliness.
The breed standard states: Sweetness of temperament is the hallmark of the Newfoundland; this is the most important single characteristic of the breed.
They will however be protective of their loved ones if they perceive someone or something to be a threat. They are not aggressive, just very alert and will often stand in between their loved ones and the perceived threat. Sierra has started doing this lately. I was very suprised as she is usually a big chicken. She also protects my youngest step-daughter, even from us. I had her on the floor tickling her and Sierra came bounding over and firmly took my forearm in her mouth and pulled it off of Kelsey. She didn't hurt me, just held my arm for a minute and looked at me as if to say, "Mom, you know I love you, but you better not be hurting Kelsey".
