Flat-Coated Retriever

The Flat-Coated Retriever is the retriever that never became fashionable — a black or liver gun dog that keeps a puppyish exuberance well into old age.

History

It was developed in Britain in the mid-nineteenth century from Newfoundland and setter stock, and was the dominant retriever until the Labrador and the Golden displaced it in the early twentieth century. It came close to disappearing after the Second World War. That commercial neglect had one benefit: it was never mass-bred, and its working and show types never split.

Temperament

The breed is known for being outgoing, optimistic and enthusiastically friendly with everyone, slower to mature than most breeds and often described as never entirely growing up.

Care and training

It needs a great deal of exercise and company; it does badly alone. Training works through enthusiasm rather than pressure. The flat, feathered coat needs regular brushing.

Health

The breed carries a well-documented and unusually high cancer rate, particularly histiocytic sarcoma, which is the central health concern and a matter for a breeder and a vet. Hip dysplasia and glaucoma are also known. These are patterns for the breed rather than a forecast for one dog; the measured facts are in the panel.