Other names/Nicknames:
- None
Country/Date of origin:
- England
- Mid 19th century
Height:
- Females: 22 to 23-1/2 inches
- Males: 23 to 24-1/2 inches
Weight:
- 60 to 70 pounds
Personality:
- Attentive and friendly.
- This breed loves everybody.
- Very intelligent and wants to please.
- Not possessive enough to be a good watchdog.
- A serious worker on land and water.
History:
Created in England from two American breeds, the Newfoundland and the Labrador. It was the gamekeeper’s dog of choice in the late 1800′s in the United KIngdom because of its splendid temperament and working abilities on both land and water. It dropped from favor, however, with the rise of the Golden Retriever and the Labrador and has never regained the wide acceptance it once had. It was one of the foundation breeds in the American Kennel Club (AKC) stud books.
Body Type:
- A medium-sized hunting dog of the retriever type.
- Short, well-feathered tail is not altered.
- Small ears that hang close to the head are not altered.
Coat:
- Dense coat of medium length lies as close to the body as possible, as the breed’s name would suggest.
- Allowable colors are solid black or liver. Black is the more common color.
- Medium grooming.
Health and Wellness:
- Free from most health problems that affect more popular breeds.
- Patella luxation.
- Idiopathic epilepsy.
What you should know:
- A great tail wagger. If you own one, you will have to remove breakable objects from low tables.
- This breed was the most popular retriever in England in the 1880′s but it was never popular in the United States.
- A puppy may be difficult to locate.
- Unspoiled and overlooked, the Flat-Coated Retriever is a great family dog that can be shown, worked in obedience, and hunted over.
