[1][2] In the Victorian era black-and-white Newfoundland dogs were more popular than the solid black coloration, and they were the subject of a number of 19th-century artists including Sydenham Edwards, Philip Reinagle, Samuel Jones, and most famously Edwin Landseer, whose name was used to describe black-and-white Newfoundlands as early as 1896.

[1][2][3] In the 20th century the solid black coloration became more popular and supplanted the bi-colored animals, so much so that in the 1930s a concerted effort was made to recreate the dogs seen in the paintings of Landseer.

[1][2] In Great Britain and North America, Landseer colored dogs are considered a variety of the Newfoundland breed.

Although the American Kennel Club does not recognize the Landseer ECT as a separate breed, some people consider it to be distinct from the Newfoundland.

The affected dogs represent a closer animal model for human Ullrich congenital muscular dystrophy than that previously created in mice.