10/23/2026
Denise Castonguay — CastaNewf Newfoundlands (Maple Ridge, British
Columbia, Canada)
Denise Castonguay fell in love with Newfoundlands as a young child. With her husband, Marc, she bred the first CastaNewf litter in 1989, and the kennel has since become one of the most respected Newfoundland programs in North America.
CastaNewf dogs have earned more than 100 championships in several countries and more than 300 working titles. The kennel has produced:
• Best in Show, Best in Specialty Show, and Group winners
• Several NCA Register of Merit Newfoundlands
• The NCA Top Producing Dam in 2005 and 2021
• 25 NCA Versatile Newfoundlands
CastaNewf is an AKC Breeder of Merit at the Gold level and a CKC Master Breeder, a member of the NCA and a life member of the Canadian Kennel Club.
From the start, Denise's goal was a Newfoundland that could do it all. For Denise, the dog who best embodies that goal is "Mister":
NCA VN, BIS, BISS, Am Ch, UN, MBIS, MBISS, Can Ch, World, Mexican, FCI, Champion of the Americas CastaNewf's Mister November, Am/Can CD, NCA TDD, NCA WRD, Can DD, Can WRDX, NCA ROM
Mister won at the highest levels of conformation. He also earned obedience, draft, and water rescue titles, and he made his mark as a sire.
Denise is an AKC judge of Newfoundlands and has judged national and regional specialties in the United States and assignments in Europe. In 2025, she judged the Newfoundland Dog Club of Canada National Specialty, and the French National Specialty in 2026. She is also a mentor-level Water Rescue and Draft judge in both
countries.
She doesn't see judging as a departure from breeding, but an enhancement. Decades on the other end of the leash made her a more well-rounded judge, she says, and she evaluates the dogs in her ring the same way she evaluated her own breeding stock. "The breed standard is the blueprint, and the purpose of a Newfoundland is a
water rescue dog. How he or she is built to work is what I look for in my ring."
Her years in water and draft work shape what she looks for in the show ring. "Every judge should walk into a conformation ring and ask, 'What is this breed bred for?'" She describes the structure she wants to see: a balanced dog with correct layback of shoulder and upper arm, a solid topline, a long ribcage, a short loin, and a powerful rear. That build is what lets a Newfoundland swim long distances without tiring.
As chair of the NCA Judges Education Committee, Denise urges judges new to the breed not to overlook a dog of average height. "Large size is desirable, but never at the expense of type, structure, soundness, and correct movement," she says. She also reminds them that substance comes from heavy bone, spring of rib, and firm
muscle, not from bulk. One thing new judges often find surprising, she notes, is how effortlessly a dog with great substance can move, with good reach and drive.
We are thrilled that Denise will be joining us to judge all our class animals on Thursday and Friday of the 2027 NCA National Specialty.
