Curly Coated Retriever

A retriever with ideas of its own

Retrieving means picking up an object and bringing it back to a person. For the Curly, that task comes from its history as a gundog that also worked in water. The standard describes a confident, even-tempered, independent dog that may initially be reserved with strangers. When meeting new people, it should have time to approach them by choice.

Training can make good use of that independence. In a small search for a dummy, a soft object used for retrieving practice, your dog can find the answer with its nose. You can arrange the task to make success likely: start with the object visible and nearby, then move to a slightly less obvious spot. Rewards for finding, carrying and delivering make the separate parts understandable.

Brief, varied exercises give you chances to learn about each other. One task might involve waiting calmly, another finding a placed object, and another walking calmly together. The British breed club explicitly supports training without harsh handling or punitive correction. Watching your dog's responses and rewarding successful attempts makes the task you are practising together clearer.

Size and build

The Curly developed in Britain as a hunting and retrieving dog. The breed club records 1860 as its first appearance at a dog show. The precise early dogs involved in its ancestry are not fully documented. Today's breed has been developed over many generations as a retriever in its own right.

The international breed standard issued by the Fédération Cynologique Internationale (FCI) gives ideal shoulder heights of 69 cm for males and 64 cm for females. These are ideal measurements, rather than a height interval. It does not specify a mandatory weight. Accepted coat colours are black and dark brown, termed liver in the English standard.

Young dogs should meet new tasks in small steps. An easy-to-reach object is enough for a first search, and a brief familiar journey can introduce settling in the car. Physical demands should suit growth. Planned opportunities to sleep help a youngster settle between new experiences.

From puppy to senior: caring for your dog through every life stage ↗

Health

Choosing a puppy should include checking clearly documented health records. The Royal Kennel Club, the British canine organisation, recommends hip and elbow screening and lists a DNA test for exercise-induced collapse (EIC), a collapse associated with exertion, among its further recommendations. The British breed club also mentions eye examinations and further DNA tests. These programmes have different priorities. Ask what has been carried out under the relevant club's current rules and which dogs the results identify.

EIC is associated with an inherited disorder of nerve and muscle function. Two copies of the tested variant can increase risk, without every affected Curly showing the same symptoms. Other tests named by the breed club include PRA. This means progressive retinal atrophy, a gradual deterioration of the retina at the back of the eye. GSD IIIa is glycogen storage disease, in which the breakdown of glycogen, the body's stored form of sugar, does not work properly. DNA tests identify particular variants and do not replace a clinical examination.

Collapse, unusual weakness or breathing difficulty need immediate veterinary help. For large dogs with a deep chest, stomach torsion is another important emergency: the stomach can swell and twist. Unproductive retching, severe restlessness and an enlarging abdomen need immediate assessment at a veterinary hospital. Fellfolio can organise reports, medication and your observations, giving the treating team access to earlier changes as well.

Could this breed fit your life?