In the early 1800s the Flatcoated Retriever was originally called the Wavy Coated Retriever, and was developed using some of the following breeds; St John's Water Dog (now extinct), Newfoundland, water spaniels and, some say, collies. It was known during these years as the ‘gamekeeper’s dog’. During this time any dog that retrieved game was called a retriever, regardless of its breeding.

In the formative years 1859-1873 Kennel Club records classified all retrievers as a single breed. Only a coat description signified whether the dog was a Wavy Coated or a Curly Coated Retriever. Owners supplied the coat colour, but there was some disparity as not all retrievers were clearly identified.

Various colours were seen, such as black, brown and yellow and these dogs were also shown. Some blacks were mis-marked; black with brown markings on their legs with white chests. At one show, some were shown as Labradors, then at another as Flatcoats - there was no consistency. Black was the favoured colour, and one has to assume the early brown dogs were, in fact, the first livers.

From 1897 onwards separate retriever breeds began to evolve, and it is at this time that the Wavy Coated now became the Flatcoated Retriever. In 1908 the first yellow retrievers were exhibited and described as ‘Yellow Flat Coated Retrievers’ and they were shown at Crufts as a sub-set of the Flatcoats and called ‘Golden Retrievers’. In 1912 they appear in the Stud Book as ‘Golden or Yellow Retrievers’ and in 1913 they were accepted by The Kennel Club as Golden Retrievers. Since then yellow has never been recognised as a colour in the Flatcoated Retriever, although a few may still appear in litters.

Born in 1888, Ch Darenth was the most influential dog of this time, and according to Dr Nancy Laughton’s book, A Review of the Flat-Coated Retriever, published in 1968, “Ch Darenth was the patriarch of all present day Flat-Coats”. Through his pedigree he was related to the early Wavy Coated Retrievers. There were many early kennels, some of them being Leecroft, Southwell, Longshaw, High Legh and Towerwood and one of the most well-known dogs was Ch High Legh Blarney.

The most influential breeder from the 1920s to the 1940s was a stockbroker called Henry Reginald Cooke (Riverside). His aim was to keep the show and working Flatcoat as one, and he kept a kennel of top class dogs, known for their prowess in the field. It is said that he refused to sell his Flatcoats at a reasonable price, which meant that buyers were not able to purchase his dogs. He did this to keep other enthusiasts at bay. The downside was a decline in the breed, because he lived until he was in his 80s. In the middle of the 1930s there were only two main breeding kennels: Southam (Sp), that stopped after the First World War, and Phizacklea (Atherbram). Atherbram went on to become a prominent kennel up to recent times breeding many Flatcoats, especially livers, his dogs are behind many of today’s lines.

The first liver Champion was Roland Tann bred by Mr E Rowland (born in 1947 and sired by Atherbram Jackie). Roland Tann was the sire of Bob of Riverglide, who produced Ch Claverdon Comet, who went on to produce Sh Ch Sandylands Challenge and Sh Ch Sandylands Rungles Witch. Today, many liver Flatcoats can be seen in the field and also in the show ring, an outstanding bitch of the 1970s was Ch Belsud Brown Guillemot (Ch Exclyst Bernard ex Belsud Blackcap) and the first liver to win Best in Show at Crufts in 2022 was Sh Ch/Int/Nord/Dan/Norw Ch Almanza Backseat Driver.

During the 1950s other famous kennels appeared, one of which was Read Flowers (Fenrivers) and his dog, Ch Fenrivers Golden Rod, sire of Ch Tonggreen Sparrowboy, (bred by Joan Chesters-Perks) and behind many top lines today.

Written by Val Jones and first published in the September 2024 Kennel Gazette.

Copyright: The Royal Kennel Club Limited, and reproduced with their permission.

Further information and resources relating to the history of the breed

Breed specific text books, noted below (some may now be out of print as new but still available as second hand copies).

"A Review of the Flat-Coated Retriever" by Dr Nancy Laughton (Claverdon) former Patron of the Society. A reprint of this book was made in 2006 as a memorial to Dr. Nancy Laughton, this is available through the FCRS Shop.

"Flatcoated Retrievers Today" by Mrs Joan Mason, and published by Ringpress Books Ltd.

"The World of Dogs Flatcoated Retrievers" by Mrs Brenda Phillips, and published by Kingdom Books.

‘’The Flatcoated Retriever in the Millenium’’ written by Brenda Hutchison and Val Jones, published as a limited edition in 2019.

The Royal Kennel Club Library and art gallery

S E Shirley MP, who founded the Kennel Club in 1873 was an enthusiast of the Flatcoated Retriever, and it is said, played a part in the development of the breed and standardisation of breed type, producing both field and show Flatcoats.

The Kennel Club Library is open to visitors by appointment, where breed specific books and information, as well as art work featuring the Flatcoated Retriever can be viewed, further information about the library services and resources can be found on the Kennel Club website: https://www.thekennelclub.org.uk/about-us/facilities/the-kennel-club-art-gallery-and-library/the- kennel-club-library/