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Flat-coated retriever

The flat-coat was the dominant retriever in Britain before the golden and the labrador overtook it, developed in the mid-1800s from Newfoundland and setter stock for retrieving on land and water.

It nearly disappeared after the Second World War and remains comparatively uncommon.

It is a lean, elegant retriever with a long clean head, a flat glossy coat in solid black or liver, and moderate feathering. Its nickname in the breed is the Peter Pan of dogs: flat-coats mature slowly and stay playful and demonstrative into old age, with a tail that is essentially never still.

Origin
England, 1800s
Size
25–36 kg, 56–62 cm at the shoulder
Lifespan
8–10 years
Coat
Flat, glossy and moderately feathered
Temperament
Exuberant, friendly, slow to mature, endlessly optimistic
Exercise
At least 1.5 hours daily

Related: Chesapeake bay retriever · Curly-coated retriever · Golden retriever · Labrador retriever

2 flat-coated retriever photos, newest first

  • Gherkin, a flat coated retriever

    Gherkin

    Gherkin was promoted to stage manager during a curtain emergency; unfortunately, dozens of ping-pong balls escape at once.

    FrostyOtter · 1 week ago

  • Gherkin, a flat coated retriever

    Gherkin

    Gherkin does not believe the camera is necessary.

    GentleFinch · 2 weeks ago

Living with a flat-coated retriever

The coat is easy — a brush twice a week and a check of the feathering after fieldwork.

They are sociable to a fault and make poor guard dogs and poor solitary ones; a flat-coat left alone all day is an unhappy dog.

The hard fact about this breed is cancer. Flat-coats have one of the highest rates of any dog, histiocytic sarcoma and soft-tissue sarcoma in particular, and the median lifespan is correspondingly short. Any new lump should be checked promptly rather than watched. Hip dysplasia and glaucoma also occur.

General guidance, not veterinary advice. Individual dogs vary, and anything about a specific animal is a question for a vet who has seen it.

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