The Curly Coated Retriever (often referred to as a Curly) is a breed of dog originally bred in England for upland bird and waterfowl hunting. It is the tallest of the retrievers and is easily distinguishable by the mass of tight curls covering its body. Curly Coated and Wavy Coated (now known as the Flat-Coated Retriever) were the first two recognized retriever breeds, established as early as 1860.

History

The Curly Coated Retriever was developed in the late 1700s in England and is considered one of the oldest of the retriever breeds. The ancestry of the Curly Coated Retriever is unknown but it is thought that various now extinct water dog breeds as well as the Irish Water Spaniel, Labrador and Poodle were used in the breed's development. The Curly Coated Retriever was developed as an excellent water retriever and is particularly good at retrieving duck and quail. Quite popular in Australia and New Zealand, the breed is not very well known in the United States even though the first exports were about 100 years ago. The popularity of the breed in England began to wane when the Labrador Retriever was developed. In 1924, the Curly Coated Retriever was recognized by the American Kennel Club as a member of the sporting group.

Appearance and Size

The Curly is an active, well-muscled dog bred for upland bird and waterfowl hunting. The Curly is somewhat different in structure than the more common retrievers. A well-bred Curly will appear slightly leggy but is actually slightly longer than tall. The breed sports a coat of tight, crisp curls. It is balanced and agile with a significant air of endurance, strength, and grace. The only acceptable colours for the Curly Coated Retriever are solid black and solid liver (brown). Occasional white hairs are permissible, but white patches are a serious fault. Eyes should be either black or brown in black dogs, and brown or amber in liver dogs. Yellow eyes are unusual. The nose should be fully pigmented, and the same colour as the coat as the dog. Show standards call for dogs: 25 - 27 in at the withers and females: 23 - 25 in however a wide range of sizes occurs, particularly in those dogs bred for the field, which generally run smaller.

Personality

The Curly Coated Retriever was originally developed as a gun dog and their temperament and conformation reflect this purpose. Curlies are still used in many countries as bird hunting companions, including in both upland and waterfowl hunting. Like most retrievers, they are valued as pets and are a lively and fun-loving breed. As long as the Curly has enough exercise, it can be calm and laid back in the home environment, which makes them both a great activity dog as well as a placid member of the family. The Curly can be sometimes aloof with strangers but are usually very loyal and affectionate with their owners and family. Curlies are extremely intelligent in general, but training can sometimes be difficult as they can easily get bored with repetitive training. They rank 41st in Stanley Coren's The Intelligence of Dogs, being of average working/obedience intelligence.

Wikipedia and GNU

The content of this entry is from the Wikipedia article "Curly-Coated Retriever" licensed under the GNU Free Documentation License.