Breed Info

Coat

Coat is of a moderate length, density, and fullness with a high lustre. The ideal coat is flat lying and straight; a slight waviness is permissible. This is a working retriever and the coat must provide protection from all types of weather, water and ground cover. This requires a coat of sufficient texture, length and fullness to allow for adequate insulation. When the dog is in full coat, the ears, front, chest, back of forelegs, thighs, and underside of tail are thickly feathered, without being bushy, silky or stringy. Mane of longer, heavier coat on the neck extending over the withers and shoulders is considered characteristic, and may affect the appearance of the topline and forequarters. Faults: Curly, woolly, silky or fluffy coats should be heavily penalized. Since the Flat-Coated Retriever is a dual-purpose dog, feathering is not excessively long.