Hi

Sorry, I'm doing another post on behalf of someone else. I'm hoping to get advice on behalf of my daughter, she's a single mom she has a 13yr old and an 8yr old and is now ready to own a dog as she feels the children are old enough now and has the time to devote to a dog of there own. She's been looking into breeds as there an active family and they really like the flat coated Retriever.

I just wanted to ask if there similar to Goldens in terms of temperament and energy levels, exercise needs. She likes goldens and labs but she said there is just something special and exciting about the flat coat. Any advice would be very appreciated

She's aware of cancer in the breed.

I'm sure they are not known as batty flatties for nothing. In my limited experience of the Flat Coat, I'd say more hyper than the Goldie.

We have flatcoats - well 6 of them actually :) Fab dogs, but then I am probably biased :) They do need exercise and they do need training, they can be busy dogs and are always better if they have something to do, or yes they can be a bit hyper...
The do need patience, and a sense of humour to train, and can be a bit independent on occasion, but they are very rewarding. They respond best to kind methods of training. They should always have a good temperament.
It would be a good idea for you/your daughter to meet some flatcoats in your area if possible to see the breed close up.
A good starting point to find a puppy would be to get in touch with the litter recorders for the breed - contact details for either Jenny Bird or Shirley Johnson are on the flatcoated retriever website.
Parents of any litter should be health tested for hips and eyes (inc glaucoma) at the very least, and preferably elbows and patella as well.
Good luck in your search :)

Glorious dogs with wonderful outgoing, happy and loving temperaments.  They love everyone and life in general. 

Yes, they can be very full-on and you need to persevere with kind and consistent training from day one.  If you do you will be rewarded with a clever dog who loves to have a go at whatever you want him or her to do although you'll have to work hard on the steadiness.

My last Flattie had the biggest heart and greatest character of any dog I have ever owned.  Sadly, I have moved away from the breed now - too much heartbreak from cancer at an early age (plus other health difficulties)  for me to have another one.  A personal decision and I may have had particularly bad luck, but I know am not alone.

I miss them dreadfully ...

Good luck to your daughter if she decides to go for it - and yes, contact the litter secretaries through the FCRS to help you with your search.

Our Flatcoat will be 3 this year - our first Flattie so can only feedback on our experience of owning him. We got quite a few comments about getting a ‘scatty flattie’ from some friends. Maybe we have been lucky, but he has been a very easy dog, even as a puppy he was chilled out. He has a fantastic temperament (our child was 6 when we got him).  As far as exercise goes, he gets 1½  - 2 hours off lead each day. However, there are rare occasions when it is a short pavement walk and he is quite content with this.  Initially we contacted the Flatcoat Retriever Society, but actually found our breeder through searching on the KC website. The breeder has also been a great help - keeping in touch and offering advice when needed. So, from our experience (a totally biased survey of one) I would definitely recommend a Flattie.

Ok so everything you have all said she is happy with, she's ok if there more energetic than a golden but would you say there energy levels are similar bto Welsh springers ? As she could handle the energy of a welshies.

I have no experience of Welsh Springers so can't compare.

In my experience Flatcoats, although full of energy, definitely have an "off switch".  Once settled mine would sleep for ages and loved the sofa!  As said, they need a decent walk every day but, as with all dogs, brain work through training tires them out very nicely.

I can see why people sometimes think of them as scatty.  Stupid they are not!

A poorly trained Flatcoat could be a bit of a nightmare - again true for a lot of breeds.

Another bias opinion here but they are so moreish. Early training is essential and they do have a brain, it just doesn't always think in the same way as a human All of mine have loved kids even though we don't have any but they can be a bit boisterous which can put some off but if the youngest is 8 then it shouldn't be as much of an issue.

Definitely takes a person with a good sense of humour  to own one and they are not everyone's cup of tea.

We have seven of varying ages, who we love to bits, but it is so important to do constructive training right from the start.     Some lines are definitely more trainable than others  , so you can't do too much homework asking about lines, and about any health problems.   

But your first flatcoat is unlikely to be your last !

Jo