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Oakwood Flat Coated Retrievers |
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The Flat Coated Retriever By Diane Constable THE
Flat Coated RETRIEVER was originally bred as hunting and retrieving dog, and has
continued to be bred with the working aspect in mind. The dog needs a close personal
bond with its owner. This is NOT a dog you can just pat on the head once or twice
a day and think nothing more of it. The Flat Coat is a high-energy breed. They
thrive on (and demand) a lot of attention. They are naturally birdy and talented
hunting dogs ---but can be more difficult to control than other retrievers due
to their setter ancestry. They love to retrieve and will continue to "insist"
you cooperate in this endeavor. This dog will chase birds in the yard and will
head for the nearest body of water, whether it is a large lake or a small mud-puddle.
I have found that they will retrieve whatever they find handy, from your dirty
socks to your favorite book. They can be destructive, especially if bored. Flat Coats
have been know to tear up newspapers, chew shoes, get into the garbage, eat stool,
swallow socks and other inedibles that can lead to emergency health problems.
Flat Coats also like to dig in the yard. I try and have a spot set aside for their
digging. They also like to lick people, which can be bothersome at times, especially
for someone who does not like doggy-kisses. The can be mischievous and never 'quite'
grow up. Flat Coats need a lot of exercise. They need to be walked or exercised daily--or they may put their energy to less desirable or destructive pursuits. Mine get a 1/2 to 1 mile run at least twice a day. They need a fenced yard. They don't tend to wander off as a rule, but their curiosity is likely to take them beyond their owner's boundaries. A Flat Coat should have the minimum of a household obedience class --if just to learn 'manners'. My dogs eat 3-4 cups of a good quality dog food daily. They need moderate grooming, a good brushing once a week and some trimming of the hair on their ears, tail and legs. They get a bath every 3-4 months, sometimes more often as they have a propensity to roll in organic materials that I would prefer they didn't. They shed about twice a year. A typical adult Flat Coat will stand 23-24.5 inches at the shoulders (an inch less for females) and run 60 - 75 pounds. There are two accepted colors -- black and liver, but the liver color is not common. The hair is long, similar to a Golden's, but not as dense. Flat Coated Retrievers are not a "popular" dog, I believe they rank in the mid to high 90's on the AKC's breed popularitly list. They can be hard to find. People sometimes have to wait 6 months to a year to find a Flat Coat, and often have to go out-of-state. Generally only Champions and dogs with obedience or hunting titles are used for breeding stock to ensure the quality and working aspect of the breed. Breeders screen for Hip dysplasia , patellar luxation, Progressive Retinal Atrophy. Some will also screen for Elbow dysplasia and Gionioscop.y None of these are common in the breed, although they do appear. Other health problems can include low thyroid and cancer, which is prevalent in the breed. Cancer is the leading cause of death in Flat Coats, with some extreme cases as young as 1 year of age. They usually live to be 8-10 years old, with some living to 12 and 13. There are Flat Coats in obedience, fieldwork, companion hunting, fly ball, tracking, agility, drug searching, search-and-rescue, therapy dog work, and as "helping paws" dogs. They are a good companion dog for someone who likes interacting with their dog, and they will try their best to please their owner. For
more information on the breed, go to the For the Breed Standard go to http://fcrsainc.org/standard.html |