Heavens, hollow fur! I knew Newfies had webbed feet, but hollow fur! Wow!

My own dog is a borderline collie (a touch of lab in there) and bossy but loving. Collies only get nervy if they don't have work to do. They love to work.

One request - please don't buy pedigree dogs. Several nasty pup farms have been busted in recent months in Ireland. As long as people buy pedigree dogs, this horrible trade will go on.

(If you must buy a pedigree dog, make sure that you meet the pup with its mother, and that they are clearly in a good relationship with each other. But I just wouldn't have a pedigree pup because of the farms, and because they're too overbred nowadays - it's cruel.)

If you want a good book for training your pup, go for Don't Shoot the Dog by Karen Pryor. Very funny book, and a great training method, for animals or people.