Flat Coated Retriever
Featured image by © bigstockphoto.com / Pfotenweltfoto
What is a Flat Coated Retriever?
The Flat Coated Retriever originated in the UK and can be described as a very cheerful dog. They were bred in the mid 1800’s from St John’s Newfoundland and then crossed with Setters, and used as a working retriever dog to fetch fowl and other game. They were a natural choice of gundog both in and out of the water. Even though the Flat Coated Retriever is not as popular than the Labrador and Golden Retriever, it deserves more attention as an excellent bird dog, swimmer, and overall an outstanding family dog. The Flat Coated Retriever is gifted with a fine intuition and an excellent sense of smell allowing him to retrieve on all terrains including open plains, thick brush, or marshy areas.
Pros and Cons
- Polite and cheerful demeanor
- Does great with other household pets and animals
- Flat Coated Retrievers are child-friendly and senior-friendly dogs
- Flat-Coated Retrievers make great alarm dogs, but way too friendly to be guard dogs
- Very smart and easy to train
- Can get pretty rowdy when not exercised enough. This is especially true for puppies.
- Flat Coated Retrievers don't do well with allergy sufferers
- Flat Coated Retrievers shed quite a bit.
- Like to chew on household objects
- Can be prone to some serious health issues.
Appearance and Size
Height: 22 – 23 inches
Weight: 60 – 70 pounds
Flat-Coated Retriever is a medium sized, active dog. Their coat is thick, sleek, medium-length, and feathers down his legs, tail and chest. Colors include solid black, or liver. The Flat Coated Retriever has moderately small ears that lay flat against its head. The nose is black for black coats and brown for liver coats. The Flat Coated Retriever has a deep, wide chest, short square back, strong feet, well feathered legs and tail. The eyes are dark brown or hazel. They are happy and cheerful dogs, so their tail wags constantly.
Temperament
The Flat Coated Retriever loves the whole family, especially children. Its can be described as cheerful, devoted, active and friendly, with a stable temperament. This sweet, gentle and playful tail-wagger is a high-spirited dog which loves nothing more than to play and retrieve all day long. They are devoted companions and have an energetic puppy-like attitude outdoors, but behave quite well indoors. They are very obedient, easily trainable, and thrive on lots of attention. They have been known to become quite unhappy very quickly if left out of family activities.
Grooming
The Flat Coated Retriever is an average shedder and needs only weekly brushing to remove any dead hair, and stimulate the natural oils to give his coat that lovely natural, healthy shine. The ears should be regularly inspected and cleaned as needed. Occasional trimming the feet between the pads, toes and ears is recommended to make your dog look tidy and to help keep out grass seeds. The nails should be trimmed often, to avoid discomfort and problems walking and running.
Health
Hip and Elbow Dysplasia in Flat Coats is not very common, but it still may happen. Additional issues include inherited epilepsy, heart and eye diseases. However, the biggest problem in Flat Coats is cancer.
Life Expectancy
The Flat Coated Retriever typically lives around 10 years.
5 Fun Facts about Flat Coated Retrievers
- Early in his history, the Flat-Coat was also known as the Wavy-Coated Retriever
- The Flat-Coat is one of the oldest of the retriever breeds and makes for a versatile hunting dog
- Requires vigorous exercise. Excels at mental, agility, obedience and tracking tasks.
- They are devoted to their human family, and need to interact and live with them to be their happiest.
- Flat Coated Retrievers are slow to mature, and maintain lighthearted and youthful attitude into old age.
Environment
The Flat Coated Retriever thrives in a home with at least an average-sized yard. It is generally not recommended for apartment living, as it is an active breed. This dog is very family oriented and really needs to be around his family and receive their love and affection and as such, don’t recommend outdoor kennel living. The Flat coat is happiest living inside and playing outside. They require vigorous exercise including daily walks or as an excellent jogging companion. This this dog will get bored in the yard and misbehave if it doesn’t get adequate exercise. If given the chance to hunt or swim, the Flat Coat will find itself in its element of utter contentment.
If you’re looking to add a Flat Coated Retriever to your family, consider adopting one instead. Rescuing an animal is a win-win for all. Its way cheaper and you save a life.
