"Is that a black golden retriever?" is an all too common question for flat-coated retriever owners. In reality, the flat-coated retriever is a different breed of dog from the golden. It is known for its livelier, more setter-like temperament. It can be slightly harder to train than its blond or red-haired cousin, and it is known for its high energy level. Unlike many goldens, flat-coats maintain much of their working instincts and behaviors. They also have not split into "show" and "field" varieties, which has already happened in both the golden and Labrador. The flat-coat is typically a hard-driving retriever with a great need for exercise to satisfy its high energy and training to channel its quick mind. For those who like a retriever dog with lots of energy and great sense of fun, look no further than the flat-coat.
Origins
Flat-coats and goldens share a close common ancestry. Both are derived from the wavy-coated retriever, which was an early retriever breed that was rather popular among the British sportsmen. It resulted from crossing the ancestral Labrador, the St. John's Water Dog from Newfoundland, with setters of various types. The St. John's Water dog is often referred to as the Newfoundland in nineteenth century texts, and this nomenclature often appears in official breed histories. However, this breed is a bit different from the modern Newfoundland dog, which resembles a molosser. The St. John's Water dog is the progenitor of that breed, but its form was much more like a Labrador retriever. It should be referred to as the St. Johns Water Dog in modern texts to avoid confusion with the modern breed called the Newfoundland.
In the nineteenth century, there were more breeds of setter than there are today. Among these was the Welsh black setter, which resembled an English setter with a solid black coat. Gordon setters were also probably used. Gordon setters are typically black and tan dogs today, but in their development, they came in a wide variety colors, including solid red. When one reads of red setters during the nineteenth century, especially in Scotland, one should not assume that the writer means "Irish setter." It could mean that breed or the red Gordon. Water spaniels crossed in, as were working collies, ancestors of the modern border collie. Both of these breeds gave the wavy-coat its signature long, wavy coat, which was trimmed with moderate feathering, which is similar to the feathering on the modern flat-coat and golden retriever
breeds today.
At this time, each shooting estate had its own strains of retriever, spaniel, setter, and pointer. Some strains of wavy-coat were bred to have totally straight, flat coats, but these were in the minority. Another important strain in the cross was Baron Tweedmouth's strain of wavy-coats, which were selected to be yellow or reddish in color. These dogs are usually thought of as the main ancestors of the golden retriever, but they also played a role in the development of the modern flat-coat.
It is often said that the golden is bred from the flat-coat. This suggestion is incorrect. The golden and the flat-coat both descend from the wavy-coat. The golden was an important strain of wavy-coat, which was bred into other strains of wavy-coat, which were black or liver in color. At some point in the late nineteenth century or the early twentieth century, it was decided to breed the waviness out of the wavy-coat's fur. This move also affected the golden, but golden fanciers moved to separate their strain of wavy or flat-coat from the main breed. The two eventually wound up with separate stud books, but the split was not complete. An early, influential flat-coat stud, Don of Gerwn, was a black flat-coat that descended party from the Tweedmouth strain. His progeny, which were many of the early representatives of the flat -coated retriever, wound up carrying the gene from yellow or reddish coats. Today, it is not unusual for flat-coats to have yellow or reddish puppies. The golden retriever never fully developed the straight, flat-coat, although many representatives of that breed do have this type of coat. Goldens come in flat-coated and wavy-coated types. This close common ancestry is why so many people think flat-coats are "black" golden retrievers or Labrador/golden crosses.
Appearance
The flat-coat is designed primarily as a working retriever. As a result, it has far less bone than "show-type" goldens or Labs. "Working-type" retrievers in both of those breeds retain a much more lithe physique than their show-dog variants. The standard for flat-coats calls for bitches to be 22-23.5 inches at the shoulder and for dogs to be 23 to 24.5 inches at the shoulder. The flat-coat usually weighs 60 to 70 pounds, so this is a large dog.
The only acceptable colors for a flat-coat under the breed standard are black and liver, which is the same color as chocolate in Labradors. Yellows or golden reds are disqualified. The coat is a thick, double coat that lies flat against the body. Although generations of breeding have attempted to remove all waviness from the coat, it is still possible to find the slight wave on some dogs. The legs are feathered in much the same as golden retrievers and setters, although the feathering is much more moderate on the flat-coat. The closest approximation to this feathering could be found on some working-type golden retrievers, which also have more moderate feathering.
Choosing a Flat-coat
Flat-coats can be good family dogs, but they do require more exercise and mental stimulation than typical show-type goldens or Labradors. They also can be slightly more difficult to train, but this breed is generally a rather easy dog to work with. Like all dogs that have been bred for a purpose, their instinctual natures will appear. These dogs have a strong genetic tendency towards carrying things in their mouths, and fetching objects to the point of obsession. They also may not be friendly feathered pets, such as parrots and budgies. One would hate see the family dog carry around the family parrot in its mouth! They can, however, learn to leave these pets alone.
If one feels that a flat-coat is for you, one should find a flat-coat breeder or check out any retriever or flat-coat specific rescue organization. When selecting a breeder, choose from someone who trials and/or shows his or her stock. The presence of these activities shows that the breeder evaluates his or her stock in the show ring or in trials. The breeder should do screenings for the dog's hearts, eyes, elbows and hips to check for inherited conditions.
The activities that a breeder might use to evaluate his or her dogs include field trials, working certificate tests, hunting tests, tracking tests, obedience trials, and agility trials, as well as conformation shows. A breeder who does not do these things may not be breeding for a particular goal, which also means that the breeder may not have checked for genetic conditions like hip and elbow dysplasia.
Choosing a male or a female really is a matter of preference, because both sexes tend to be easily trained and active. Males can be a little more stubborn and defiant than females when they enter into "canine adolescence" from four months to two years of age. However, both sexes make equally rewarding companions. Unlike more aggressive breeds, there are no large differences in behavior between the sexes in retriever breeds, with the possible exceptions of the curl-coated retriever and the Chesapeake Bay retriever.
Care and Training
A few flat-coats can develop into dominance issues. This fact sounds unusual for retrievers, but all retrievers have the potential to be dominant if they are not properly trained from the beginning. A clever dog can very quickly figure out how to keep the whole family in line, and it can happen without the family noticing it. These dominance issues typically resemble pushiness and over-exuberance rather than true dominance-related aggression. Dominant retrievers tend to demand to have their toys thrown for them to fetch until they become a nuisance or demand affection until they become too annoying. To combat this potential problem, flat-coats and all retrievers should be trained from an early age.
Flat-coats need lots of exercise. They should be walked at least four times a day, several miles at a time. This exercise regime should include a daily opportunity for the dog to run off leash. The area chosen for off leash exercise should be secure and fenced. A dog park is a great place for a sociable and active dog like a Flat-coat to expend its excess energy. If one does not give this breed its exercise, it will become restless and rambunctious in the home and may cause mischief.
Many flat-coats love to swim, and finding an area for the dog to swim can be somewhat difficult. Most public park lakes do not allow dogs to swim in them, as do most recreation lakes. Private pools are generally good, but the dogs should not swim for hours in chlorine. It is bad for their eyes and mucous membranes. After a swim, a dog should be bathed to prevent the dog from stinking. Retrievers have rather oily coats, and getting them wet merely stimulates their oil glands. This oil causes the dogs to develop a foul odor, which is sometimes called "wet dog" smell. Retrievers tend to produce this odor much more strongly than other breeds. The oils prevent the dog from getting soaked to the skin in its initial moments in the water. This adaptation allowed the flat-coat's ancestors to swim in the frigid North Atlantic. Today, it makes the dog smell bad whenever it gets wet.
Flat-coats should have their ears cleaned once a week, using a canine ear cleaning solution and cotton batting. Use the directions on the solution bottle, which usually instruct that the liquid be poured into the dog's ear and then massaged deep into the ear canal. Then one should take cotton batting and clean out the ear canal, remembering that the ear drum on a dog is much deeper in the ear canal than it is on a human. The ears should also be cleaned after any swimming trip.
An Exuberant Companion
The flat-coated retriever is a good family pet for the active family. Its bouncy enthusiasm for life should make it a wonderful addition to the household. If one is up to the challenge of training such an active and intelligent breed, a flat-coat is certainly worth considering. Most flat-coats love their families. They are usually very gentle with children, although the more enthusiastic young flat coats can knock children when their enthusiastic natures get the better of them. This retriever is a breed that still retains much of its instincts and behavior that made it a good gun dog.
Other than some behavioral drawbacks, one other problem exists in this breed. Flat-coats tend to develop cancer early in their lives, a trait they also share with golden retrievers. Flat-coats are often considered more prone than goldens to bone cancer, and both breeds suffer from many other types of cancer.
Still, the flat-coat remains a hidden secret. Most people think of retrievers as goldens, Labs, and Chesapeakes. However, the flat-coat's loving and trainable nature should lead to some increased popularity among an already retriever-crazed public, which has already fallen in love with the Labrador and the golden. Its livelier nature may be a bit much for some to handle, but it is likely that those who like an old-fashioned, unspoiled retriever will love the flat-coat.