All About
Flat-Coated Retriever

The Flat-Coated Retriever is an eternal puppy, brimming with happiness and energy. They adore people and will greet everyone they meet as if that person were their best friend (which makes them lousy guard dogs). Flat-Coated Retrievers are excellent sporting dogs, and hunters can use them to hunt on land or in the water. After a day of hunting or playing with the kids in the back year, the Flat-Coated Retriever will turn into a lapdog – don't be surprised if you find him sleeping in bed under the covers. Though this breed is friendly and social and gets along well with other household pets, their extended puppyhood and constant energy can make them a challenge for first time dog owners.

The Flat-Coat should be fed a high-quality dog food appropriate to the dog’s age (puppy, adult, or senior) and activity level. Learn about which human foods are safe for dogs, and which are not. Check with your vet or the dog’s breeder if you have any questions or concerns about your dog’s weight or diet. Clean, fresh water should always be available.

The Flat-Coat’s moderate-length coat requires a weekly grooming with a brush and a metal dog comb to remove dirt and loose hair and keep the dog looking his best. The ears should be regularly inspected and cleaned if needed. The nails should be trimmed often, as overly long nails can cause the dog discomfort and problems walking and running.

The Flat-Coated Retriever is the perfect suburban or country dog. He has a moderately high energy level and is best suited to a home where he has many opportunities to run and swim. Expect to exercise him about 90 minutes a day, or two 45-minute walks, runs, or other vigorous activity such as playing fetch or training for agility or flyball.Flat-Coated Retrievers make wonderful jogging companions when they are trained properly and have reached maturity. Remember that jogging on cement or other hard surfaces can damage your dog's joints; it's best to run on grass or other soft surfaces.Go easy on puppies. They need approximately 5 minutes of exercise for every month of age per day. So if your Flat-Coat puppy is 4 months old, he needs about 20 minutes of exercise per day. Too much exercise can stress his still-growing joints.Your Flat-Coat shouldn't be difficult to housetrain. Crate training is recommended, both as an aid to housetraining and to prevent your Flat-Coat from getting into things he shouldn't when you're not around to supervise.Your Flat-Coat is likely to have one habit you'll find disgusting: eating poop, known as coprophagy. The only foolproof way to avoid this is to pick up his stool and dispose of it immediately.Start training your Flat-Coat as soon as you bring him home. He's a quick learner and wants to please you. He's sensitive, though, and harsh verbal or physical corrections will cause him to shut down and stop working for you. Be kind and consistent, and use positive reinforcement techniques such as praise, play, and food rewards.

Major concerns: none
Minor concerns: CHD
Occasionally seen: PRA, epilepsy, diabetes
Suggested tests: (hip), (knee), (eye)
Life span: 10-14 years

Given the Flat-Coat's bouncy nature, it's appropriate that one of his forebears was named Old Bounce. Old Bounce, and her daughter, Young Bounce--natch!--were important to the development of the breed. They were members of a working strain of retrievers owned by gamekeeper J. Hull in 1864.But the man most credited with the breed's development was S.E. Shirley, who helped mold them into a stable type. Also contributing to their advancement was H. R. Cooke, whose Riverside Kennel produced many fine field and show Flat-Coats.The Flat-Coat was a popular hunting dog through the end of World War I, but then Labrador and Golden Retrievers began to steal his thunder. His numbers became dangerously low, and he flirted with extinction a time or two. Fortunately, his fans were able to bring him back from the brink by the mid-1960s. The Flat-Coat never regained his early popularity, but breeders count that as a plus. It has helped them to preserve his natural working ability, intelligence, and sweetly goofy nature.He is still a rare breed, ranking 100th among the 155 breeds and varieties registered by the American Kennel Club. If you want a Flat-Coat, expect to spend a year or more on a waiting list, not to mention undergoing the third-degree from a protective breeder who wants to make sure you will provide just the right home for one of his or her puppies.