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. [...]
By Frances Powrie, Judy Cerney & P.J. Lacette When a cuddly Flat-coat puppy first arrives in your home everything your new companion does will be cute and funny, but soon your 10-lb. puppy will be a vigorous 50 - 70 lb. bundle of energy. You will find that teaching basic obedience commands from the beginning will [...]
By Webb and Leslie Anderson Early agility training is a great way to exercise your young puppy’s mind and body. However, you must always be careful not to ask him to do anything that his body is not yet ready for. And remember that early agility training should be a game for puppy, lots of fun [...]
Thinking of adopting a dog? Please consider adopting an older dog. The photo below is Velvet who joined our family in the Fall of 2008. At the time she was 10 ½ years old, and I am sure a lot of folks would have passed her by as being “too old”. Old dogs CAN learn new [...]
By John Bulger So you think you want a Flat-Coated Retriever. Wonderful! They are fantastic companions and talented performance event competitors. They are versatile hunting partners, at home in both waterfowl and upland game settings. You say you just want a pet? Flat-Coats excel in this category too! This breed is not for everyone; you need [...]
Items to Check After Cancer Diagnosis Complete Exam Blood Work X-Ray (spleen, lungs, heart, liver) and Ultra-sound if there is anything unusual If medicine is prescribed discuss the interaction with other drugs the dog is taking (thyroid, rimadyl, adequane, etc.). Are there any side effects? What to watch for. What to expect. Emergency Care Who will [...]
Since the Flat-Coated Retriever is an international breed, the Sharon Myers committee felt it was important to reprint these articles on a very serious health problem in Flat-Coated Retrievers that seems to be emerging in the UK. As all of our dogs come from the same original stock, we offer the following Introduction by James Wood [...]
