CURLY-COATED

RETRIEVER

Height:
25 to 27 inches (male)
23 to 25 inches (female).
A clearly superior Curly falling outside of this range should not be penalized because of size

Weight:
You see curlies of all sizes. Curlies can range from 50 lbs to over 100. The Curly is both sturdy and elegant. The degree of substance is sufficient to ensure strength and endurance without sacrificing grace. Bone and substance are neither spindly nor massive and should be in proportion with weight and height and balanced throughout.

Health Issues in CCR's Curly Heart Health Page Glycogen storage disease type IIIa (GSDIIIa) General care and health A CCR with Epilepsy story Story of a Curly with Hip Dysplasia Curly Health Problems Curly Coat Patterning Tail gland hyperplasia Another Health page

Personality:
Loyal and eager to please.
Proud and confident.
Very intelligent and trainable.
Clever and mischievous, but sensitive.
Needs early gentle, but firm obedience training.
Can do well at competitive obedience, but is not as predictable a performer as a Golden Retriever; likes to do things his way.
Loving with children.
Socialize well with people and other pets at an early age, as this breed tends to be reserved and even timid with strangers if not properly socialized.
A good watchdog who will also protect the family if danger threatens.

Behavior:

Children:
Most Curlies are good with children. You should, of course, supervise all interaction between any dog and young children, as it is possible for either to accidentally hurt the other.

Friendliness:
Reserved with strangers.
Of independent nature and discerning intelligence, a Curly sometimes appears aloof or self-willed, and, as such, is often less demonstrative, particularly toward strangers, than the other retriever breeds.

It is best for all Curly owners to do some obedience training with their dogs especially when young. A combination of early socialization and training will result in an adult with a wonderful sense of judgement about others that you can trust and a close lifelong companion. They do not make good "kennel dogs," kept outside away from their families -- close interaction instead is best for them.

Keeping up the Curly coat for every day or hunting use is fairly simple: comb or brush the coat when the dog is shedding, usually twice a year, in spring and fall, and bathe him at that time as well. You may also choose to bathe him at other times as you see fit. A clean dog is a healthy, happy dog and the Curly-Coated Retriever benefits from frequent baths, at least three times a year. And from combing or brushing when he is heavily shedding.

Coat:
Their coat is naturally curly, and its oily, dense character sheds dirt, mud, and burrs easily.
The body coat is a thick mass of small, tight, crisp curls, lying close to the skin, resilient, water resistant, and of sufficient density to provide protection against weather, water and punishing cover. Curls also extend up the entire neck to the occiput, down the thigh and back leg to at least the hock, and over the entire tail. Elsewhere, the coat is short, smooth and straight, including on the forehead, face, front of forelegs, and feet. A patch of uncurled hair behind the withers or bald patches anywhere on the body, including bald strips down the back of the legs or a triangular bald patch on the throat, should be severely penalized. A looser, more open curl is acceptable

Click here to see a variety of Curly and not so curly coats

Liver is the recessive color in the curly. Black is dominant. More on Black vs Liver color

Curly is an erect, alert, self-confident dog. In motion, all parts blend into a smooth, powerful, harmonious symmetry.
A correctly built and tempered Curly will work as long as there is work to be done, retrieving both fur and feather in the heaviest of cover and the iciest of waters. To work all day a Curly must be balanced and sound, strong and robust, and quick and agile.

You should ask about the parent's health: they should have been xrayed free of hip dysplasia and have certificates from OFA; they should have been examined annually for eye abnormalities and have either CERF certification or reports from an ACVO certfied veterinarian; they should both be fully coated. You should ask about common problems in the breed and not receive either "there are none in this breed," nor "there are no problems at all in MY dogs."

You should ask why the breeder bred the litter, e.g., what were they hoping to gain or improve. You should ask about the breeder's background, what they have done with their dogs, whether they are members of local or national Curly clubs, and about any guarantees they have. If you are interested in any specific activities with your Curly, find out what the breeder has done in this area (for example, hunting) to prove that their dogs are capable. Look over the breeder's other, adult, dogs and ask yourself if you would want to have any of them, as the pups will likely resemble them closely when grown.

Before you commit to a puppy, you should have seen or received copies of OFA and CERF clearances, a copy of the written guarantee the breeder gives with a puppy, and be willing to supply references from past puppy buyers, or their veterinarian, if asked to do so, before making a deposit or paying for a puppy.

Patterned Baldness

The "Curly Coat Problem" can be frustrating -- it is often misdiagnosed for other diseases such as thyroid deficiency, and it is detrimental to a breeding program trying to establish the proper coat. It is difficult to say how many Curlies are affected with this, as many are not shown, are not noticeably affected, or the problem is thought to be something else, such as wear from the collar. In mild cases, the patterning may appear once and then never again when the coat grows back in. While mildly affected dogs generally lead normal lives, it is an indicator of more serious trouble, as it is caused by some type of auto immune problem. Affected dogs are more likely to have allergies, reproductive problems; in its severest form, it affects the growth hormones and the dogs mature at about 40lbs.

Curly Coat Patterned Baldness link

Very often dogs with patterned baldness will have good coats as a puppy, with the bald spots appearing at sexual maturity. Bald patterning appears on the backs and/or insides of the hind legs, and/or on the flanks, and/or on the front and/or sides of neck, and/or the deepest part of the chest and/or as an overall thin or brittle coat. A minor indication of the problem are dogs that are fully coated but only have real curls on their necks and backs. The hair loss is very distinctly bilateral -- that is, on both sides of the dog. There are varying manifestations of this syndrome, from appearing nearly normal to being almost completely bald. In some cases, hair grows back after shedding, but within months rather than weeks.

Diets and supplements do not take care of patterned baldness. You should inform your dog's breeder (send clear, closeup photos of all the spots) of any symmetrical bald spots appearing on your puppy so that they can take this information into account in their breeding program. Unaffected dogs seem to produce affected puppies, implying a recessive gene or genes, but the exact mode of inheritance is unclear. Very few veterinarians know about this problem in Curly Coats.