Home Forums Birds & Dogs Hunting Dogs flat-coat retrievers-anyone have experience w/them?

I tried doing this a minute ago but something happened and my post disappeared before I could finish, so I hope this doesn't come up twice! Anyhoo...

I'm interested in getting a new hunting/family dog a year or so and am interested in the flat-coats. My wife would prefer a black dog and I like longer coats, easier to clean up shedding, hence, my interest in flats. Does anyone have any opinions based on real experience with them? I'm currently living overseas and don't know where the next move will be to, so that will influence my final decision, I don't want a black, long haired dog if we end up somewhere hot. Thanks for any info you can provide!

I have been doing some research on Italiano Spinone, a versitile hunting breed. I hear good things about temprement, in the house and with kids. Another bonus is that they do not shed. Need another dog to keep our bobtailed lab company.

You can probably get some good information at

http://www.dancindogproductions.com/
or
http://retrievertraining.net/forums/

The Hunting Retriever Club might also be a good source.

There used to be a few active in the hunt tests here in the great lakes region (Michigan, Indiana, Ohio etc.) I don't really have much first hand experience with them, Retriever club I belonged to had one member with them. Nice dogs, seems like they were slower to develop than Labs which is not necessarily a bad thing.
Kevin

CB, thanks for the links, I'll check them out.

We got one. He came to us from Skagway, Alaska. A fellow there had one as a kid in North Carolina and got it for his new wife. Even came with a computer chip in his ear. Gave him to us after his wife couldn't control him (they had him tied up all day). In the words of the author John Irving "how can kids be so good looking and be so bad".
They are beautiful dogs and love people, are gentle to a fault. Their big flaw (in our opinion) is they never grow up. They continue to act like puppies even at 8years old and 80lbs. Ours will jump on furniture, steal a turkey off the thanksgiving table, chase a tennis ball off a cliff, and sit in your lap without an invitation. We've found the best way to control him (since discipline won't work) is to exhaust him through 2-4 hours of exercise a day. If you plan to work him or keep him active they are great.

Kloshe,
Thanks for the info, sounds like you really have to like puppies since they don't get past that stage, something I've read in my limited research. Do you hunt him or is he just a pet?

Our male is 8 monthes old, and very much as Kloshe describes his. Very content, just as long as he's with his people. I bring him to the office, and he's very happy to flake out in my office, as long as we can go for a good run at lunch time. He's a complete sap. Don't sit on the floor if you don't want a lapful of dog! Then again the coat is so nice, that snuggling with his definatly is not a chore. Very much a puppy, but then again he's only 8 mos. Definatly a stinker, if he thinks he can get away with it. We're going to see how he takes to some moderate hunting as the weather gets better. Nothing hard core, but some upland flushing work on grouse, and maybe a bit of jump shooting blacks and wood ducks on a coouple of local rivers. I've got some breed and breeder info for the North East US if you would like.

Our dog is just a pet, but with his acute nose, strong retrieving instinct, and unwavering desire to please, I have no doubt he'd make a great bird dog. He does like to roll in smelly stuff. We live on a salmon river in Alaska and he can't help but roll in decaying rotten salmon. After a while he looks like a rahstafarian with dreadlocks.

yeah, I'm waiting for ours to find his first dead seal...

Thanks for the info guys! Sounds like they are active, smart and people loving, but need a lot of attention, direction, and exercise. I suppose all have hunting potential if given enough training. Any other observations? Thanks for taking the time to respond!!

I know nothing of the breed other than what I have read. My advice to you if you want a hunting dog, is to make sure it is from a working line.

Just my .02's.

sounds like an ice cream. Groan. Sorry about that.

Beautiful dogs, best looking of the retriever breeds. Like other retrievers they are smart. MUCH smarter than the so called "versatile breeds" and MUCH better hunters. For the average Joe hunter a good choice. If you want a MH or FC not a good choice, for they can't take a great deal of pressure, like a Lab. Breed is prone to stomach torsion and short lived.