Flat-Coated Retriever

AKC Group: Sporting

Club: Flat-Coated Retriever Society of America, Inc.

Corresponding Secretary : Joan Dever
Address: 13208 Mandarin Rd, Jacksonville, FL , 32223-1746
Website: www.fcrsainc.org
Email: devrfcr@aol.com
Club Type: Specialty

General Apperance:

The Flat-Coated Retriever is a versatile family companion hunting retriever with a happy and active demeanor, intelligent expression, and clean lines. The Flat-Coat has been traditionally described as showing "power without lumber and raciness without weediness."

The distinctive and most important features of the Flat-Coat are the silhouette (both moving and standing), smooth effortless movement, head type, coat and character. In silhouette the Flat-Coat has a long, strong, clean, "one piece" head, which is unique to the breed. Free from exaggeration of stop or cheek, the head is set well into a moderately long neck which flows smoothly into well laid back shoulders. A level topline combined with a deep, long rib cage tapering to a moderate tuck-up create the impression of a blunted triangle. The brisket is well developed and the forechest forms a prominent prow. This utilitarian retriever is well balanced, strong, but elegant; never cobby, short legged or rangy. The coat is thick and flat lying, and the legs and tail are well feathered. A proud carriage, responsive attitude, waving tail and overall look of functional strength, quality, style and symmetry complete the picture of the typical Flat-Coat.

Size:

Size --Individuals varying more than an inch either way from the preferred height should be considered not practical for the types of work for which the Flat-Coat was developed. Preferred height is 23 to 24½; inches at the withers for dogs, 22 to 23½ inches for bitches. Since the Flat-Coat is a working hunting retriever he should be shown in lean, hard condition, free of excess weight.

Coat:

Coat is of moderate length density and fullness, with a high lustre. The ideal coat is straight and flat lying. A slight waviness is permissible but the coat is not curly, wooly, short, silky or fluffy. The Flat-Coat is a working retriever and the coat must provide protection from all types of weather, water and ground cover. This requires a coat of sufficient texture, length and fullness to allow for adequate insulation. When the dog is in full coat the ears, front, chest, back of forelegs, thighs and underside of tail are thickly feathered without being bushy, stringy or silky. Mane of longer heavier coat on the neck extending over the withers and shoulders is considered typical, especially in the male dog, and can cause the neck to appear thicker and the withers higher, sometimes causing the appearance of a dip behind the withers. Since the Flat-Coat is a hunting retriever, the feathering is not excessively long.

Temperament:

Character is a primary and outstanding asset of the Flat-Coat. He is a responsive, loving member of the family, a versatile working dog, multi-talented, sensible, bright and tractable. In competition the Flat-Coat demonstrates stability and a desire to please with a confident, happy and outgoing attitude characterized by a wagging tail.

History:

The Flat-Coat arrived out of the desire to create a selectively-bred bird dog. The breed cites in its ancestry the Retriever Proper, a cross-breed emerging from the Large Newfoundland, setter, sheepdog, and spaniel-like water dogs, in addition to various other breeds that have contributed the Flat-Coat's unique stature and appearance. Retrievers were invaluable to fishermen and were the subjects of trade between Britain and North America, particularly with the cod fishery off Newfoundland during the 19th century, when the term "Labrador" dog came into use and was indiscriminately applied to a number of small dogs in the area. Eventually, a breed known as the Wavy-Coated (subsequently Flat-Coated) Retriever - not to be confused with today's Labrador Retriever - came onto the scene in America.

The first British dog show was held in 1859, but classification for Retrievers, comprising both Curly-and Wavy- or Smooth-Coated, was not available until the following year. Accurate records do not appear until 1874, but it is known that from 1864 on, two bitches of a working strain of retrievers belonging to J. Hull, a gamekeeper, figured in the awards of the British shows of that time. It was this stock that produced an important nucleus to the development of the breed, though the greatest credit for integration of these retrievers into a stable type goes to S.E. Shirley, founder of the Kennel Club in 1873.

Subsequently, the breed gained enormously in popularity and numerous important breeders made their contribution to the quality and elegance of the Flat-Coated Retriever as ell as to his excellent working abilities. The breed's most famous patron was H.R. Cooke, who for over 70 years kept the breed in his unparalleled "Riverside" kennel. Though considerably popular when admitted to the AKC in 1915, the Flat-Coat began to steadily drop in popularity until its levels reached a new low following the World Wars. Thankfully, Stanley O'Neill, one of the greatest authorities on the breed, took it upon himself to revive the breed. Finally, the mid-1960's showed a new interest in the Flat-Coat and a flourishing on both sides of the Atlantic.