by Doris Ehret (reprinted from Tailfeathers, newsletter of the Flat-Coated Retriever Club of Illinois) Greetings everyone. My name is Doris Ehret, and I am addicted, you might say, to the field. I obtained my first Flat-Coat in 1989. Gus was a natural in the field and was a favored hunting companion as he often went “on [...]
Purchasing a Flat-Coated Retriever puppy is a commitment that will last the lifetime of that puppy. The best way to obtain a healthy, properly raised and socialized FCR puppy is to purchase your puppy from a conscientious breeder with a long term commitment to the breed. FCRSA maintains a list of member breeders who have signed [...]
By Andrea Holsinger Most Flat-Coat owners love their dogs. As a matter of fact, it has been the relationship between dog and owner that is the heart of the Flat-Coat breed. However, loving your dog is not a reason to breed your dog. Instead, you must love the breed enough to become the most knowledgeable and [...]
By Joe Hamzy My experience in training puppies to track is limited to my own dogs. All are Flat-Coated Retrievers. Kelsey was two when we started tracking training so she doesn’t count as a puppy, even though she acted like one. Rory started tracking at 6 months old. The others started at six to eight weeks [...]
By Diane Badget How true is it that not everyone should be owned by a Flat-Coat? Try this tongue-in-cheek list of requirements on for size! You can sneak a dog hair out of the butter with dinner guests present and not get caught. You can convince the world that you are a fashion trendsetter, and that [...]
By Sally J. Terroux Flat-Coats are slow maturing dogs (usually 3 to 5 years) but even in the "mature" Flat-Coat there usually remains a spark of joy and mischief. One of the leading authorities on the breed, Dr. Nancy Laughton of Great Britain, refers to the Flat-Coat as a canine Peter Pan. This is an endearing [...]
By Stanley J. O'Neill Some have said the Flatcoated Retriever fell between two stools, show and work. Purcell Llewellin, whose name will never die whilst an English Setter lives wrote "I have always been handicapped by trying to combine type and working points. If I had ignored type, and gone, as my opponents do, for work [...]
By Mary Young This article discusses some basic training ideas that may be helpful in developing your Flat-coat as a hunting companion and perhaps also in preparation for organized events such as hunt tests or working certificates. Some guidelines for young puppies… If you have acquired a young Flat-coat puppy, the time to start training your [...]
By Maria White On June 4, 1874, a group of dedicated sportsmen gathered in Chicago for a field trial. Before that trial, they held an exhibition, comparing their dogs to each other purely for beauty’s sake without regard to their hunting ability. They recorded the results of that exhibition and thus the dog show was born. [...]
