Hi there.  I have been a member of this board for many years, but haven't posted for quite a long time, probably since 2006 when I received alot of good advice and kind words when we lost our beloved GSD.

I am doing my homework on when when we one day get another dog. Over the last 13 years we have had two rescue GSD's, sadly losing one aged 5 to cancer.   At present we have an 11 year old GSD so wouldn't consider getting another dog until such a time as he is no longer with us, hopefully a couple more years yet. 

As the last two dogs have been rescues we have decided we would like to get a puppy and possibly a change in breed so thought I would ask your advice on what people think of the flat coat retriever.

My husband works full time, but I only work 3 days a week and can go home at lunchtimes or have a dog walker.
We have a 3 year old son, who would probably be nearer 4/5 when we get another dog.

Could someone give me some advice please on this breed. 

Many thanks

Fiona

Lovely breed and you will get loads of advice from very experienced owners. I currently have one fcr my second. I also have a gsd and a pomx
Great family dogs love people and other dogs. Not hard to groom and a little trim on ears tail and feet occasionally is all they need. A sensitive breed and very trainable also if you dont like velcro dogs a flatcoat is not for you. Generally they need to be with their people and mine is usually stuck to me somewhere andwill get up from sleep to plonk herself down again near me. Currently is sulking as I have been away without her for a few days. Definitly not a breed to be left long hours and ignored. Bets they have something to do ie obedience showing or what they ae intended for gundog work even just for fun. Dont bark much. I could go on can you tell I love them

Downside. breed is prone to cancers . Can be excitable ( peterpan dogs.. never grow up  ) but only because they a want to greet you. Can be stubborn need firm but gentle handling. Very food orientated which is good and bad, love rolling in anything the more mucky and smelly  the better. Can play deaf :)

I would say your circumstance are ideal especially if you can have a dog walker for the days you are not there. They are good with children and not a snappy breed at all but do need to be shown what is right to carry in their mouths. Mine always has to have something in her mouth. 

if you have had a gsd before you will find them quite different. Although like the gsd they like to be with their people/person they also want to greet the rest of the world like tigger boing boing!

Have a look at the breed website also try and go to discover dogs at earls court next month. They will be up there and will happpily give loads of info and you can meet the real thing

Thats great, thank you so much for the info.  When you say "velcro dogs" do you mean there fur sticks to everything or the dogs stick to you as in don't want to be apart from you!!!

Also how long is the longest you leave yours for as when my son starts school next year I might be changing my hours, as in doing 4 short days instead of 3 long days? 

My last question is:  There don't seem to be many of these dogs around, or breeders, or maybe thats just where I live.   Are they very popular dogs as I went to a small local dog show yesterday and did not see one fcr.

Thanks again for all your help.

Sorry velcro dogs lol no they like to be with you. Dont think you can go to the bathroom without them knowing. Some people prefer a more independant breed. As for the fur after you have had gsd especially long haired fcr is a delight
I dont leave my dogs longer than 4 hours as a pup you  will need someone to be around most of the time to get the housetraining and basics sorted. Also they need you especially as little ones. Otherwise as long asyou have some coming in if its going to longer 4 short days is probabl better depending on what you ,mean by short

Oh yes there are lots but we are hiding lol Its not as known as some other breeds but one you know who to speak to the world opens up. if you want to pm me feel free

Hi Fiona

I agree with furriefriends.  Flatcoats are a glorious breed.  Definitely velcro and definitely Peter Pan dogs!  I think they have a bit of a reputation with some for being a bit scatty but I think it is just the enormous joy they have for life and their love of everyone and everything in it.  Some people find their enthusiasm a little overwhelming.  Bright and trainable but quite 'full on' and you need to be kind but firm - and patient!  They definitely need 'something to do' and love to please - as long as you have a sense of humour.

Unfortunately, it's true that the incidence of cancer in the breed is high.  I have possibly been exceptionally unlucky.  I have a 7 yr old boy doing fine following removal of a malignant lump two years ago but I lost a beloved youngster recently, diagnosed at 13 months old.  Beyond devastating ...

There are many very knowledgeable owners and breeders on here who may be able to advise you regarding seeking a puppy from relatively long-lived lines as much as possible if you think they are the breed for you.

I adore the breed for all sorts of reasons and always will - as you can probably gather!

Good luck with your decision.   X

I'm going to duck after posting this but.....You couldn't pay me enough to keep a FCR.  Oh my goodness! They are lively and bouncy.  And I live with a springer.lol.  Also, I have 2 GSD's.  I find them very different, nature wise, to the flatties I know.  Please bare in mind, I have never owned one, just know of someone that has some.  They seem to be very boisterous as the person has had loads of injuries due to her dogs?!  I Love my dogs but I like them to get over the puppy stage quickly and behave, especially as I have kids, but the flatties don't seem to do this?  Absolutely beautiful dogs that we also considered but after getting to know some, we ran for the hills!!lol
Please bare in mind, I have never owned one.  It may just be the owner that I know isn't very strict with hers or something? 

oh that made me laugh cracar :) yes they are too much for some especially being slow to mature out of puppyhood. As for injuries the only ones I have had are the occasional ones from a bounce but tha really is my fault for not stopping her.I think your comments are useful though because the op needs to know they arent what everyone wants.
Now a working cocker ..... nope I wouldnt have one of those fcr seems quiet by comparison

Thank you all for your advice and comments which have given me a lot to think about. At least I have time to research things properly and don't have to rush into anything. The only worry I have is having a toddler and someone mentioning injuries!!!!
Thank you all again. I will probably be back with a lot more questions.
Kind regards
Fiona

Cracar - hee hee - no need to 'duck'!  Each to their own and you're right to point out how very bouncy they can be!  Mine have been fairly sensible on the whole and certainly in the house you would hardly know they are there (apart from shadowing you, of course).  But a FCR untrained and given insufficient mental and physical exercise would be a nightmare - as would lots of breeds, I guess.

Fiona - I agree with others - your best bet is to meet as many Flatcoats as you can and talk to lots of owners/breeders about them so that you can see if they might suit you and your family.  Good luck!

Isn't it odd just how we all differ in what we want/like in a dog.  I know that the breeder of my Border Collie cannot stand terriers, not at any price.  Yet I've had terriers and love their characters.  You do need to be able to deal with "wilful" though.  I call it personality!

I love dogs with coat too.  I find grooming so therapeutic.  Others like the wash and go type dogs.  I adore Bearded Collies, yet would agree that they can be a bit boisterous as youngsters.  I do understand that accidents can happen though.  I had a winter puppy once, so had to make sure I went outside with her, to do the big praise.  I soon learned that it didn't do to start the praise until they had "finished."  I actually praised one pup and they didn't wait to finish, just got so excited by my praise that she jumped up as I bent down towards her.  I can confirm that they have very hard skulls.  The back of her head hit me under one eye, and the skin on my cheekbone just split.  Blood everywhere, and swelling started right away.

I went in to work on Boxing Day with the mother of black eyes.  Yet I still love the breed.  I am not sure what a sedate breed would be like to own!  But I am fairly certain that I would love a flattie.  :-)

Cracar, I would really like you to meet my Melody, yes, she is a FCR and she's 2 years old.  She is enthusiastic but that tends to be because she loves everyone & everything, even when 'jumped' on by other dogs she bounces back, sort of shrugs her shoulders, and gets on with life.  But she can be calm (Yes I know!), very affectionate, gets on great with my cats even though she had never been bought up with them as a puppy.  I have no fears she will ever take a dislike to another dog, its just not in her nature.

Having had Large Munsterlander's since the late 80's I would say the FCR would make a far better family pet for an active family.  The LM, by 6 months onwards goes into hunting mode when out and you have to curb this to make a controllable dog, the FCR is still a big puppy at this age and wants to play.  Melody meets one of her brother's daily and all they want to do is chase each other and wrestle each other, they go into their own little Flatcoat world.

The downside of the FCR : yes they will roll in anything, I don't have a problem with a greedy dog as Melody isn't, they will also mouth a hand or arm and trying to convince a stranger they aren't being bitten is sometimes difficult and they jump up at everyone too.

As my user name suggests I am besotted by the breed. They love children, even mine who have no regular contact with them, the downside is they can be quite boisterous and could easily knock a small child over when playing. Even within the same breed there is a vast size difference within the males, a small male like my first was only about 22 inches and 30 kilos whereas the one I sadly lost last year was about 5 inches taller and 12 kilos heavier.
They do need a lot of exercise, including free running to keep them from bouncing off the walls. Mine are left for about 3.5 hours at a time as I can get home at lunch time to walk them but this is after an hours run in the morning and at least the same at night.
They can be very clingy, I cannot even go to the loo without at least one following me but the same dog can decide to stay out in the garden for ages if he is not ready to come in when I think he should.
Don't know where you live but there is a big Flattie show in Lanark this Saturday, there will probably be other shows near to you at some point which would let you see what they are like in the flesh. Be prepared however to be licked to bits if you do visit a large gathering.

Thank you all so much for your replies.

I have been having a little look this morning about the breed and so many people are saying that alot of flat coat retrievers are dying very young, mainly of cancer.  Thats a big worry to me as having one of beloved GSD's dying aged 5 of cancer and it was devastating, not something I want to go through again if I can help it!!! 

Kind regards

Fiona

Fiona thats is true  however I do also believe that many of our dogs of all breeds are dying too young from cancers. I am  not sure what the most common cause of death in dogs is having not researched it but I expect cancer is way up there. The flat coat people are one of the few breeds that are very aware and are trying to do something about it. There has been a lot of research by the society going into this problem over many years now. Hopefully one day we will crack it and I am sure some lines have more problems than others.
If you do go for a fcr maybe one of the things to question is longeveity in that particular line

I agree with furriefriends, do your homework on lines.  And go for a litter sired by an 'older' sire.   There's a number of litters that always seem to be sired by one particular dog that can't be good for the breed even with such a large gene pool.

Ok. That's really helpful, thank you. At least I have plenty of time to do my homework so don't have to rush into anything.

Fiona

Beautiful dogs who ooze friendliness but oh so "licky"! All the ones I have known just won't stop washing people. That would drive me mad.

My aunty's FCR is terrible for licking, too! EVERYONE that I've ever met with a flatcoat finds them extremely licky, too.

It can be controlled! My Flatcoats have always been trained to not lick people who don't like it, but have a field day with those who do!  :)  One of mine used to love one of our vets who always bent down to have his ears licked! Even if we met him in the village !

>It can be controlled! My Flatcoats have always been trained to not lick people who don't like it,

Oh how I adore licky dogs.  :-)  Totally understand your vet!

I do too! Especially my feet! :) Flatcoat tongues are brilliant!

Brilliant dogs, easy to train, extremely loving, good with other cats/dogs/guinea pigs/chickens :-)

As for licking I find it quite easy to control so not a problem for me.

Cancer is an issue as others have said but I also feel it is prominent in a lot of breeds so it would never prevent me from having one.

Only problem......... They are totally addictive :-)

I can't really add anything more to the advice about looking for a well bred litter, for me, there are too many dogs being used prolifically at a young age in flatcoats, it was something I commented on recently on another forum, I think 40% of the litters currently advertised on here are either by, or have the same lines as, one stud dog.  I'm not blaming the dog, he's obviously achieved enough credence for people to want to use him, but personally, thinking about the long term future of the breed, if we have any health issues with the lines that are being used more frequently, then we are stuffed, for want of a better phrase.

Having said that, I absolutely adore my flatcoat girl, she's a beautiful character and nature.  I get slightly miffed about the overly bouncy thing, they are clownish certainly, but are, after all, a breed that has been bred for working, so there should be some calmness about them, and biddability, I prefer to think of them as an enthusiastic greeter.  I'm hoping to compete in Spring with my bitch, she's certainly got plenty of natural ability in there, and looks very stylish when working; I'll also have her out on a shoot from November onwards, helping with any duties required, along with one of my more experienced Labs.  So they are definitely, or can be, very much a working breed. 

I don't know if anyone's mentioned the health tests, for me, I'd like to see hip scores, elbow grades, gonioscopy, current clear BVA eye cert and a patella luxation grade.  Possibly longer than some lists, but then I come from Labradors, and the number of tests we have for those just keeps on growing. 

Good luck with your search for a litter, if I can be of any help I'd be more than happy. 

Well, we've got 10 flatcoats at the moment, half of them are over 8 years old - the oldest boy at 11 1/2 is still picking up.      One of them is at the moment being a companion for a very much respected senior flatcoat breeder who recently lost her own girl aged 13.    Our girl just knows she has to be careful with her 'auntie', and her behaviour is not the same as when she's romping with the others.     

Now we do work them a lot, especially of course in the shooting season, when they are out in shifts  almost every day and having a ball!     They really do need brain exercise as well as alongside controlled physical exercise for a happy well balanced dog!

Yes, they love stinky rotting manky yuk.    Yes, they roll.   Yes, they lick.   Sadly some lines do seem to be more prone to cancer, but we are gathering much useful information about this.

But I would never ever be without them (or with my working cockers ;-)   )

Thats it, have just booked the tickets and train tickets to Discover Dogs.  So excited and really looking forward to seeing all the wonderful doggies, especially the flat coat retrievers, most probably my next breed of dog x

YOu will have a great time and look out for Gill on the fcr stand. She is font of all things flat coat

Hi again.  Well we went to Discover Dogs yesterday and had a great time, especially visiting the flat coats.  They were all absolutely gorgeous dogs and were all ready to give kisses and lots of wags.  Their owners were all very helpful, especially Jill Whitwell who was full of knowledge, good advice and was so patient with me and my hundred and one questions.  My husband also fell in love with the breed so it looks as though this will definitely be our next choice of dog in the future.  Thanks for all your help and advice also.

Fiona. 

That's great to know - Jill is super, and has been in the breed for years!

Jo

So pleased u found it useful jill is great a d very knowledgeable. Whe  you are ready to look for a pup eaae go tbkugh the ljtter secretary who will help you find a good one