Curly Coated Retriever

The Curly Coated Retriever (often referred to as a Curly) is a breed of dog originally bred in England for upland bird and waterfowl hunting. It is the tallest of theretrievers and is easily distinguishable by the mass of tight curls covering its body. Curly Coated and Wavy Coated (now known as the Flat-Coated Retriever) were the first two recognised retriever breeds, established as early as 1860.

Appearance

The Curly is an active, well-muscled dog bred for upland bird and waterfowl hunting. The Curly is somewhat different in structure than the more common retrievers. A well-bred Curly will appear slightly leggy but is actually slightly longer than tall. It is balanced and agile with a significant air of endurance, strength, and grace. Curlies are soft-mouthed and regularly handle game with care. Show standards call for dogs to be between 25 and 27 inches (64 and 69 cm) at the withers, and for females to be between 23 and 25 inches (58 and 64 cm), however a wide range of sizes occurs, particularly in those dogs bred for the field, which generally run smaller. The country of origin calls for a taller dog and bitch, with only 27 inches (69 cm) for males and 25 inches (64 cm) for females listed. Taller is preferable to shorter. Weight should be in proportion to the height of the dog.

The breed sports a coat of tight, crisp curls. The tight curled coat of the Curly repels water, burrs, and prevents damage that other sporting dogs with softer, thinner coats cannot escape. The only acceptable colours for the Curly Coated Retriever are solid black and solid liver. Occasional white hairs are permissible, but white patches are a serious fault. Eyes should be either black or brown in black dogs, and brown or amber in liver dogs. Yellow eyes are unusual. The nose should be fully pigmented, and the same colour as the coat as the dog.

Temperament

The Curly Coated Retriever was originally developed as a gun dog and their temperament and conformation reflect this purpose. Curlies are still used in many countries as bird hunting companions, including in both upland and waterfowl hunting. Like most retrievers, they are valued as pets and are a lively and fun-loving breed. As long as the Curly has enough exercise, it can be calm and laid back in the home environment, which makes them both a great activity dog as well as a placid member of the family.

The Curly can be sometimes aloof with strangers but are usually very loyal and affectionate with their owners and family. Curlies are extremely intelligent in general, but training can sometimes be difficult as they can easily get bored with repetitive training. They rank 41st in Stanley Coren's The Intelligence of Dogs, being of average working/obedience intelligence.

Care and maintenance

Coat

Curlies are a single coated breed with no undercoat, and the small tight curls of a show-standard dog are very easy to maintain. A Curly kept as a companion and/or hunting animal need not be elaborately groomed but needs to be kept clean and free of mats for the health of the dog. All Curlies shed though not to the degree that dogs with undercoats do. Bitches usually shed more heavily during their heat cycles (usually twice a year). Dogs and bitches may also shed more in the spring, especially those living in areas with extreme seasonal temperature changes. Bathing should be as needed using a dog shampoo.

Show ring exhibitors normally trim feathering from the tail, ears, belly, legs, and feet. Trimming is not required when exhibiting a Curly at a conformation dog show, but most judges may discount the dog if it is not trimmed. Shaving of the body coat is undesirable.Colors only come in soild liver & black.

history

The Club history can be dated back to 1890. When although the "Curly" was a popular dog in the gundog community, it was losing its popularity, so the club was formed with the object of furthering its interest. Our first recorded Secretary was

 G.W. Mason (Gomersal) in 1899 and by 1912 the club had £33.19s in the bank, and the Secretary was A.R. Fish (Penwortham) The Clubs activities are a little vague, as details of the meetings, were they were held, what was decided, are difficult to find out. Apart from who was the secretary at the time.

So to more modern times

 We used to hold the AGM's at Crufts when it was in London. We were only allotted a certain time (so much per hour) and problems always arose because the meeting before us invariably over -ran and then before we could finish people were walking into the room from the next society. Our next move for the AGM was to Manchester in Belle Vue. Tommy Spooner was on Manchester committee and they provided us with a very nice room and often free tea and biscuits which was like heaven after the Crufts sessions. Committee meetings were held round the benches at "suitable" shows. This was really quite chaotic as you can imagine, with people wanting to prepare dogs if it was before judging or leave if it was afterwards. Really from the sublime to the ridiculous, when committee meetings next moved to Committee peoples homes. It made it much fairer in one sense as everyone had a turn at the "long distance" Somerset, Sheffield, Wales and those in between. People often became too comfortable and length of meetings increased. Our last destination is Featherstone, a comfortable , warm room, where we take a working lunch. Where we go from here remains to be seen.

Curly Coated Retriever

A Black Curly Coated Retriever is shown here. Curlies can also be liver in colour.
Nicknames	Curly CCR
Country of origin	United Kingdom - England
[hide]Traits
[show]Classification and standards