The Curly-Coated Retriever is believed to be one of the oldest of all
breeds that are now classified as retrievers. Although the exact ancestry
of this breed is unknown, it is believed that in the early 1800s small Newfoundlands
called St John's Newfoundlands were crossed with Irish or English Water
Spaniels to create a serious land and water retriever. It is possible that
the Poodle was later introduced into the mix that creates this breed. The
Curly-Coat was introduced into the United States in 1907 and registered
with the American Kennel Club in 1924. The breed is particularly popular
in England, New Zealand and Australia where he is used to hunt quail and
other wild fowl. He is not as popular as other hunting breeds are in the
United States.
The Curly-Coated Retriever is an enthusiastic and hard working gundog. Although
sober, independent and wary of strangers, he is a pleasant companion for
his owner and easy to care for since his coat does not require excessive
grooming. Due to his enthusiasm and energy, he needs vigorous outdoor exercise
with time in the water, if possible.
The Curly-Coat's head is long, as is the muzzle. The drop between skull
and muzzle (the stop) is almost imperceptible. The eyes are large and either
dark brown or black in color. The ears are small, triangular and set at
eye level. They hang close to the side of the head. The muzzle is strong
with a level bite. He is a squarely built dog. He has a deep chest, muscular
shoulders, straight topline and well-muscled hindquarters. The tail, though
not docked, is relatively short for a retriever and held out level with
the back. The coat is made up of crisp, small, weatherproof curls which
cover all of the body except the muzzle and foreface which are covered with
shorter, smoother hair. Coat colors include solid black or solid liver.
Average height is between 25 and 27 inches. Average weight is between 70
and 80 pounds.
dakota@discover-net.net of Wisconsin writes:
Only for the intelligent and patient.
After 25 years owning this breed, I will tell you the most important
thing: the human must be more intelligent than the Curly.
Forget all the crap about this being a "new" breed: Curlies have
been a part of the U.S. experience since AT LEAST 1850.
These are very bold, very confident, very intelligent dogs. Yep, they can
smooch your kids, love you up, but they need things to do. Curlies have
historically been bred to be the dog who finds and retrieves birds without
direction or comment. I have hunted with them for 25 years: we soon learned
that you follow the Curly, rather than direct the Curly, if you want to
find and flush birds.
Curlies are designated as retrievers by the AKC but historical anecdotes
and bird dog book accounts portray them as upland hunting dogs supreme.
In 25 years of upland hunting, including 20 years in South Dakota, I agree
with that summary.
Curlies want and demand to be part of your family. A Curly left to days
in a kennel will prove to be too stubborn to train. If you are a person
who believes you could be more intelligent than a dog, and who would throw
a ball for a while each day, and allow the dog to travel in your pickup
or van to the grocery store each day, and really believes in a dog as a
member of the family, the Curly is for you.
I know this: several hunting guides in South Dakota have proclaimed various
Curlies I have owned or bred as the best pheasant dogs, no matter what
breed or age, they have ever seen. A Curly bred by a hunting breeder may
be the best hunting dog you ever had, as long as you understand the unique
personality and temperament of the breed.
ccrsurgedis@msn.com of Memphis, TN writes on 8/24/01:
Wonderful hunting companions, but with issues.
The Curly-Coated Retriever is the oldest of the retriever breeds. The Curly-Coated
Retriever is not a Poodle and is not a Labador, but a breed of its own.
These dogs are wonderful hunting companions but they do have an attitude.
Unlike the Labador, Goldens, Chessies, and others the Curly is is not a
dog one can take to the field once aweek do repitious training and then
be ready to hunt. You must do short training sessions not on how to do the
task but more of why. here is an example the young 8 month old Curly surge
was hunting with me. I shot a duck and he gladly went to get it and brought
it back. The next duck I shot surge looked at me as to say, "I got
the last you go get this one." The Curly also is not a dog you can
send out to be trained by a professional, these dogs are more of a one handler
dog. The Curly is a brave dog not willingly to back down from fur or feather.
They do make a pretty good alarm but is not a guard dog. Should an intruder
arrive the Curly will bark loudly as to say ,"Hey human, there is something
out there." This next point is a very important point and should not
be taken lightly by a potential Curly owner. the Curly is not a kennel dog.
Curlies like to be part of the family, if you are inside they want to be
inside, if you are outside they want to be outside. Some facts about Curlies:
yes they do shed, yes they do need to be groomed, no NEVER blow dry a curly,
yes they are good with children(but as with any breed never leave children
unattended with a dog), no you don't have to Curly their hair, yes they
need a significant amount of excercise, yes they love to swim, and most
of all they love to be loved (they try to be a lap dog whenever possible.
Like so many of the larger breeds some of the problems they have are hip
dysplasia elbow dysplasia cancer in some lines and eye problems. there is
an additional problem that should be mentioned, in some lines there is pattern
baldness(bald spots on the dog. It is a genetic problem that one should
discuss with the breeder of the pups being considered. Any questions you
may have please feel free to contact me and I'll share all my limited knowledge
of the Curly-Coated Retriever and will share some of the things they do
to keep their humans laughing. WONDERFUL dogs BUT not for everyone.