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Maplewood Flat Coated Retrievers & Cardigan Welsh Corgis
Sharon, MAkatrin@maplewooddog.com
| Photo by Jean Fogle Camp 2003 As stated before, Flat-Coated Retrievers are a highly versatile breed that excel in the many areas of dogdom. From agility to breed to field to flyball to obedience and of course to being a companion, this high energy breed is a wonderful friend to have around. Considered a larger breed (adults being about 23" tall at the withers and ~60-70lbs) Flat-Coated Retrievers are a breed apart. After the 2001 Westminster Group 1 Win by Zeus, this breed has gotten a tad bit more popular, but the enthusiasts who love and cherish this breed so much are doing all they can to encourage only responsible and well educated people take on a dog of this breed. Most of the Flat-Coats people see are black, like James, but a small percentage are liver, as Regal is, and an even smaller number are yellow or tweed (a disqualifying color). The majority of Flatties DO NOT have the zipper up their nose as Regal does. His breeder calls it angel kisses, I call it his excuse for having no brains some days! (The zipper lets them in & out) Regal's cowlick just makes him all the more special and cute. Some folks we meet think that it is a breed trait, so I am just preparing you if you are interested in this breed, most lack the funny hair.
For a short time Regal was a breed-show dog, earning 6points with a 4pt major in his career. Photo copyright Ashbey Photography Unlike your average Lab or Golden, Flat-Coats are known for their constant drive and high energy level that lasts their entire life. It is very rare to see a flattie slow down in his or her later years it is not uncommon for a 9 or 10 year old FCR to be mistaken for a 2 year old. Because of this energy, a flattie owner has to be prepared to exercise his or her dog at least once a day and have some kind of constructive playtime for the dog a few times a week. This need for an energy outlet makes these dogs great agility dogs and once you know how to teach them, very easy to train.
Regal and I placing 1st in our Junior Showmanship class at the 1999 FCRSA National Specialty Most FCRs do well with a positive training approach, especially if it involves any kind of food or retrieving. After chasing the tennis ball, eating has to be the next most rewarding thing on Regal's list of good stuff. I have found that Regal responded very well to a method of training called clicker training. This positive method is based on the principles of operant conditioning as defined largely by B.F. Skinner. The one major downfall that I know of to owning this breed is the prevalence of cancer. The majority of FCRs die due to some form of this disease and as a whole, the veterans are a cherished group of dogs. Every year past 7 or 8 that they are around on this earth is considered a blessing. At the present the FCRSA is supporting cancer research groups and more information can be found on the FCRSA site. |
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Send all comments to katrin@maplewooddog.com Copyright (c) 2007-2008 Maplewood Flat-Coated Retrievers No artwork, photos or writings to be reproduced without author permission |
