As you can see the breed has many uses and not many deficiencies. By selective breeding both in Australia and in their original country, the United Kingdom, the breed has been been kept relatively free of serious genetic problems that plague some other breeds of a similar size.
The Flatcoated Retriever is one of the oldest of the retriever breeds found in general use today, the second of the retrievers to be registered by the English Kennel Control shortly after its inception in 1873.
The Flatcoated Retriever is a slow maturing dog. He will take about three years, (some do take less) to reach his full maturity both physically and mentally. Up until this time (and sometimes many years on) the puppy will just keep coming out in him, not making him untrainable but keeping the mystery and interest in all of your lives as you grow together.
There is no doubt that a Flatcoated Retriever will change your lives. He will fit in anywhere, the single person household or a full family.
You will have to get used to having people around whenever you are both in the same area as they are truly a PEOPLES dog. They thrive on and need the companionship of a human being and are definitely not for the person who wants a dog to lock in a pen and let out once a week.
A Flatcoat will undoubtedly provide many years of amusement to a new home as he develops and adapts his new family into his way of thinking.
He has been described as a canine Peter-Pan, never fully growing up, always ready to play and act the clown, especially if he has worked out that being cute gets him out of trouble.
The Flatcoated Retriever is classified as a medium sized dog. Males grow to about 61 cm (24 ") tall (measured at the point of the shoulder, a little way behind where the neck meets the back) and weigh about 35k (751b). A bitch should be about 5 cm shorter and proportionately lighter.
Their coat is either Black or Liver (the latter not common in Australia) and of a medium length. Some specimens will be seen to carry a more profuse coat than others, however both are correct.
It is easy to care for coat that will remain in good condition with a once a week brushing, a little trimming a couple of times a year and a bath when your nose tells you it is due.
This is not the breed for a flat dweller or a person with a small yard and no time to take the dog for a walk.
The breed demands to be exercised and to be allowed to expend the energy that will undoubtedly build up if confined.
As a puppy this exercise is a must to allow the natural development of muscle bulk and tone to support a dog of this size when fully grown.
Normally a modest eater the Flatcoat will not require a large budget to keep him in good condition (depending of course on what you feed him). Vet care should also be found to be minimal as most Flatcoat owners report relatively few trips to the vet other than the normal immunisation visits and the occasional accident.
We as owners and breeders say that the Flatcoat is a great dog, not the only dog in the world but it is certainly the one for us. It may well be the one for you as well.
