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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

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