Originating in the mid 19th century in England, the Flat-Coated Retriever gained popularity as a gamekeeper’s dog. Part of its ancestry is thought to have come from stock imported from North America from the now extinct St. John's Water Dog, however this is unverifiable. It is thought that Canadian seafarers brought Newfoundlands to British ports and that they factored into the ancestory of the Flat-coat. It is thought that Collie-type dogs were added to increase the breed's trainibility along with the Newfoundland for strength and Setter]] blood for enhanced scenting ability. The first examples of the breed were introduced around 1860, but the final type was only established twenty years later. After its introduction into the U.S., the Flat-coat began to quickly gain in popularity as a gundog, and from 1873 when the breed became a "stable type" according to the American Kennel Club until 1915 when it was officially recognized as a breed, the number of Flat-coats grew rapidly. However, soon after, the popularity of the Flat-coat began to decrease, eclipsed by the Golden Retriever, which was actually bred in part from the Flat-coat, along with other breeds. By the end of World War II, there were so few Flat-coats that the breed's survival was uncertain. However, beginning in the 1960s, careful breeding brought the population back and the breed gained in popularity again, for both the sport of conformation showing, and as a companion pet. Today, the Flat-coat enjoys a modest popularity and is moving ahead as a breed through attentive breeding for the conformation, health, multi-purpose talent and exceptional temperament that are its hallmarks. It has yet to return in substantial numbers to field competition. Flat-coat owners were delighted to see Almanza Far and Flyg (a.k.a. Simon), from Oslo, Norway, win the Gundog Group at Crufts in 2007. Before that in 2003 a Swedish Flat-coat "Inkwells Named Shadow" had also won the Gundog Group. The last UK Flatcoat to win the Gundog Group at Crufts was "Sh Ch Gayplume Dream-maker" in 2002. The only Flatcoat to win Best in Show at Crufts was Shargleam Blackcap in 1980. These wins have contributed to the breed's popularity in Europe and the United Kingdom.

History

The flat coated retriever originated in England in the 19th century by crossing various breeds such as the Irish Setter, Labrador Retriever and Newfoundland. The breed was popular as a companion, swimmer and bird dog until World War I when the Labrador and Golden Retrievers became more commonly used. Now an uncommon breed, it has been slowly increasing in popularity in the United States. In 1915, the flat coated retriever was recognized by the American Kennel Club as a member of the sporting group.

Appearance and Size

The Flat-Coated Retriever breed standard calls for males to be 23–24.5 inches (58–62 cm) tall at the withers and for females to be 22–23.5 inches (56–60 cm), with a recommended weight of 55–75 lb (24–34 kg). Flat-Coated Retrievers have strong muscular jaws and a relatively long muzzle to allow for the carrying of birds and upland game. Their head is unique to the breed and is described as being "of one piece" with a minimal stop and a backskull of approximately the same length as the muzzle. They have almond shaped dark brown eyes that have an intelligent, friendly expression. The ears are pendant, relatively small and lie close to the head. The occiput (the bone at the back of the skull) is not to be accentuated (as it is in setters, for example) with the head flowing smoothly into a well-arched neck. The topline is strong and straight with a well feathered tail of moderate length held straight off the back. Flat-coats should be well angulated front and rear, allowing for open, effortless movement. They are lighter, racier and more elegant in appearance than the other retriever breeds.

Personality

The flat coated retriever is a playful, affectionate companion with an amiable personality. They are very cheerful and some can be overly exuberant, acting like a puppy even in their senior years. Very active dogs indoors, they tend to be relatively calm indoors.

Wikipedia and GNU

The content of this entry is from the Wikipedia article "Flat-Coated Retriever" licensed under the GNU Free Documentation License.