Personality and Traits of Curly Coated Retrievers
The origin of the curly coated retriever dog breed is English, and it is undoubtedly the oldest of the retrievers. Finding its ancestors is by no means simple; various conjectures have been made.
What is certain is that among its ancestors is the Newfoundland dog that was crossed with the Irish water spaniel from which the breed got its characteristic curly coat, which makes it unique among retrievers. Some speculate that there may have been the tramp dog and even the Labrador, but nothing is certain.
The only thing that is certain is that this breed has always been present in England. Its ancestors did not; in fact, retrievers came from the Newfoundland of Saint John, where they helped fishermen on the island of Terra Nova.
The curly coated is an excellent hunting dog, used for duck hunting in marshy terrain as it is an excellent swimmer. In fact, it is thought to have inherited hunting skills as a retrieving dog from the tramp. In the 19th century it was widely used, whereas today it is preferred to its smooth-coated counterpart, the flat-coated retriever. This is why it has become a very rare specimen, with only a few in France, England, Scandinavia and the USA.
Character of the curly-coated retriever dog breed
The curly coated retriever is a strong, active dog with a friendly and confident character. It has a sociable and joyful temperament and loves to play a lot, especially with children. It recognises only one owner and becomes very attached to him, but it is also friendly with the other members of the family, although it is from the owner that it demands all the attention. It is by no means aggressive, it is reserved with strangers, which is why it is also an excellent guard dog.
It does not like to be alone, so it is not suitable for people who are away from home for several hours a day. It needs an owner who loves exercise, as it needs to go for its long daily walks. He is not very suitable for living in a flat, ideally in a house with a garden where he can spend several hours a day, and perhaps also near a river or pond as he loves to swim.
In fact, first and foremost it is a hunting dog, much used for duck hunting in ponds, but it also loves being in the company of its family. With other dogs it is not very sociable, which is why it needs socialisation very early on, even as a puppy. With cats, if they grow up together he usually gets along well.
It is a dog that loves to be the centre of attention and reacts well to training, thanks also to its great intelligence. It is sometimes a bit self-centred, precisely because it always wants to be considered.
It is a strong and active dog, has a lot of guarding and protective instincts, without being aggressive or biting. It is therefore suitable as a protective family dog.
With regard to its training, it is important to be firm and resolute and to give it a consistent and straightforward education.
Appearance of the curly coated retriever dog breed
The curly coated retriever is a medium-sized dog, the male at withers measures on average about 67 centimetres and weighs between 32 and 36 kilograms, the female usually a little less. It has a robust and strong build, its proportions are well balanced, and it is generally very elegant.
The musculature is well developed and evident, the tail is moderately short, carried straight, tapering towards the end and is never carried high or curled. Its limbs are straight and solidly muscled; its gait is a long stride with good rear propulsion.
The head has a long, well-proportioned, flat skull with strong, long jaws. The truffle is black or liver brown. The eyes are large, generally dark; black or dark brown in black-coloured dogs, while liver-coloured has a shade of brown that matches the coat. The ears are rather small, hanging low and covered with small curly hairs, as is the tail.
It is the coat that is the main characteristic of this breed, in fact the whole body appears as a mass of thick frizzy curls very close to the skin, extending from the occiput to the tip of the tail. It has no undercoat or bare areas. The colours permitted by the breed standard are black, and liver brown, both plain and without shading.
Care and health of the curly coated retriever dog breed
The curly coated retriever is a very robust dog that rarely falls ill. It has a life expectancy of around 11 years. It is very resistant to all types of terrain and weather conditions. Although it has no undercoat, it is very resistant to cold and weather. It also withstands high temperatures well.
Its health does not require any special attention other than constant exercise and swimming. It can, however, like many dog breeds, suffer from hip and elbow dysplasia and joint problems due to slow growth.
As far as the care of the coat is concerned, this requires some attention because in general the coat needs a lot of care. Firstly, its curly coat must be prevented from becoming frizzy, in which case it is sufficient to moisten it slightly, and it must also be brushed at least three times a week to remove dead hair.
As far as feeding is concerned, this is a dog that is predisposed to being overweight because it is very greedy, so care must be taken with the amount of food per day and it is generally a good idea to feed it twice a day to avoid stomach problems. It is very important to provide him with a healthy, well-balanced diet.
