Flat Coated Retriever Dog Breed Profile

12. Jun, 2010 1 Comment

Quick Stats for the Flat Coated Retriever Dog Breed

Height (at the shoulders): 22 – 23 inches (56 – 58 cm)
Weight: 60 – 70 pounds (27 – 32 kg)
Life Expectancy: 12 – 14 years
AKC Group: Sporting Group – AKC recognized in 1915
Shedding: constant shedder; light shedder; heavy shedder twice per year
Living Conditions: not recommended for apartments; relatively inactive indoors; best with average sized yard (minimum)

Personality of the Flat Coated Retriever Dog Breed

There is nothing better than a dog that loves to hunt all day yet end the adventure with boundless affection for its family. The Flat Coated Retriever is such dog. With a sweet and exuberant personality, this breed is one of the most loving members of the sporting group.

Devoted, loyal and playful, the Flat Coated Retriever is the perfect family pet for those that enjoy spending lots of time outdoors, yet loves nothing more than quiet evenings in the house.

Regular, daily exercise is a requirement to keeping this breed happy. The Flat Coated Retriever also has a sensitive mindset which makes it very easy to train.

History of the Flat Coated Retriever

To get a grasp on the history of the Flat Coated Retriever we need to start at Newfoundland, during the 19th century, when retrieving was hugely popular with fisherman who needed trustworthy canines to help bring back fish and other objects from the water.

Cod fisheries used Labradors as the most common dog (not the same Labrador Retriever as we know of today). They also used various sized Newfoundland dogs. In time, technology advanced with its creation of firearms and hunters had the new ability to shoot from short distances and needed a dog that could retrieve the fallen foul.

The fisher dogs preferred were natural swimmers and retrievers so they were used to cross with British setters and pointers to further enhance the dog’s bird senses. The result is the Wavy Coated Retriever, which quickly grew in popularity in England and the United States.

Sometime toward the end of the 1800s, breeders crossed the Wavy Coated Retriever with breeds that had straighter hair on the coat because it was thought that the wavy coat was not as water repellent as straighter hair.

The breed was officially registered by the American Kennel Club in 1915 as a member of the Sporting Group.

The Flat Coated Retriever Care and Grooming

Sporting dogs need a ton of daily exercise and this requirement is no different with the Flat Coated Retriever. Always seeking the chance to hunt and jump into water, this breed is best suited for a family that enjoys plenty of outdoor action.

The coat of these dogs needs only a weekly brushing, and only minor trimming. This breed is an average shedder.