The Versatile Retriever of Land and Water, The Flat Coated Retriever

There's no question in the popularity of the Golden Retriever and the Labrador but sadly, there is a less popular breed out there that's more excellent as a retriever in both land and water. This outstanding breed is called the Flat Coated Retriever and it hails from the United Kingdom. This breed was thought to have first existed during the middle of 19th century, was introduced in 1860 in the United States but only received stability as a breed 20 years later.

This breed was intentionally developed to possess versatility in both land and water retrieval and other strengths found in an excellent multi-purpose dog. Since the conception of the breed, it has been a superb companion in hunting and an even better companion inside the household. Outdoors, this dog is perfectly outstanding in sniffing shot games but inside the house, it is an affectionate, loyal and devoted family pet.

Compared to the Golden Retriever and Labrador, the Flat Coated Retriever is more useful but it has a disadvantage when it comes to training as it is slightly more difficult to teach. Moreover, it is the type of breed that gets bored quickly especially at lessons that gets repetitive and slow. To keep its interest, each training session should be interesting, fun, short and varied.

Impatient owners will never do well with this breed because it doesn't accept negative reinforcements and totally abhors harsh corrections and handling. Moreover, this breed is very friendly towards other people and animals that it is likely to interact harmoniously with them. Creatures that are hated by other breeds such as cats, squirrels and other breed of dogs are being treated fairly and peacefully by the Flat Coated Retriever.

The Flat Coated Retriever is a sure positive force to have because it always wears a sunny disposition untiringly. It is one of the best companion dogs because it is active, extremely sociable, kind-hearted, playful and devoted. It also loves being playmates with children but remember to only allow older children as little ones are easily knocked over by this dog's exuberantly happy behavior.

From puppyhood to adulthood, the Flat Coated Retriever's energy and playfulness is just tireless and because of this, it is dubbed as the "Peter Pan of dogs". Moreover, this breed loves to display its affection towards humans and animals by means of kissing them. Towards humans, it frequently kisses their faces just to show affection and towards other dogs, it has what people call the "float-coat kiss" because they unusually lick each others' mouths as a form of greeting.

For a dog as active as the Flat Coated Retriever, a constant stream of activities and exercise are needed in order to maintain and stimulate its mental and physical health. Inside the house, it might be dormant or less active but once outside the house, it displays its natural restless and playful self. Even though this breed is an excellent gundog, it nearly entered extinction during World War I due to its fading popularity in comparison to the Labrador and Golden Retriever but luckily, some fervent believers revived this breed and until now, careful breeding is still being done in order to keep its existence afloat.

There are several breeds that are said to have contributed to the stability of the Flat Coated's breed and they are the: Collie-types for increased trainability, Newfoundland for strength, and Setter for stronger sniffing ability. This breed is called Flat Coated because its single coated fur is indeed flat, medium-length, lustrous and dense. The main and standard colors of this breed are solid black and solid liver, however, there are some that appear cream and yellow and these are considered as disqualifications by the breed standard.

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