Anyone have a contact with Flat-Coat pups? I can not find anyone close to me (Utah) and the contacts I have found have been less than willing to respond. Looking for working line.

Thanks

Are you sure you want a flat-coat? Their life expectancy is short due to their history.
Just a thought.

quote:

Originally posted by aliveincc:
Their life expectancy is short due to their history.

Smokers?

Sorry, but it struck me and I had to...

Alive- Please expound. I have researched the breed for a few years and have never seen any thing that showed a shorter life expectancy.

Our block-headed lab died last Fall and the kids want another dog. I thought a Flat-Coat would be the way to go.

Flat-Coats have a prevalence to cancer. Many of them get it at about 6-8 years of age. I know someone who has three at the moment and has previously lost at least 3 to cancer. The flat-coat world in general is a little tweekie. Most owners are very protective of the breed and they don't seem very welcoming to outsiders. The dogs themselves are quite sensitive and consequently harder to train. If you are looking for a top notch retriever and hunting dog I would stick with labs or goldens. I spent a lot of time researching this breed and still have, and am sticking with my goldens.

Send me a PM if you would like more info. Always happy to talk dogs.

375er

375- I have found tight lips and closed doors when I ask insiders for info on Flat-Coats. I had seen some cancer info also, but never found where it was prevalent in the breed. Interesting point you make. Thanks for the response; it is appreciated.

Dare to be different! Flat coats are a neat dog if they float your boat get one. A good breeder should want to perpetuate the breed and should be willing to talk to you about them.

I married my wife, knowing that one day she and I will both die....

My understanding is that in the 40s, the breeds numbers became so low that the flat coat nearly ceased to exist. The dogs that remained had a genetic disposition toward cancer. When you only have a few dogs to start with and they are affected, then their offspring will suffer the same problems w/ a 6-7 yr life expectancy.
I personally don't like the thought of my Labs dying from cancer by age 6 or 7.
Hope this explains it.

Thanks for all the input.

I need to research a little more and find a breeder who is easy to work with.

we had a flat coat when i was growing up. chevis was without a doubt the sweetest, best friend a kid could have. and protective? HO BOY! the second my dad left for work, chev was at one door and brandy (black lab) was at the other. no one could get close. brandy made a bunch of noise if he cornered you outside, and chev would sneak up on you from behind! she had parvo as a pup but made it through. the was, i think 13 when she had a stroke and had to be put down. i was 16 or 17. it was tough.

interesting on how we ended up with her... my dad and step mom went to buy a black lab from a breeder. chevis was a little different than the other pups, with her longish silky hair. her disposition was so sweet, my dad picked her. breeder said it was just puppy hair and would be replaced with regular black lab fur when she was older. she was spayed and treated like any other dog. a guy found out we had a female flat coat and tracked my dad down, wanting to breed, and was ticked when he found out she was spayed!

the sweet disposition was a help and a hinderance in training. you only had to speak in a rough tone to get her compliance.

quote:

Originally posted by 724wd:


interesting on how we ended up with her... my dad and step mom went to buy a black lab from a breeder. chevis was a little different than the other pups, with her longish silky hair. her disposition was so sweet, my dad picked her. breeder said it was just puppy hair and would be replaced with regular black lab fur when she was older. she was spayed and treated like any other dog. a guy found out we had a female flat coat and tracked my dad down, wanting to breed, and was ticked when he found out she was spayed!

the sweet disposition was a help and a hinderance in training. you only had to speak in a rough tone to get her compliance.

A flatcoat is a breed of its own, not a variation of lab. If its momma was a lab and its daddy was a lab then chevis was a lab. Some labs do in fact have longer than normal hair, even silkier than normal, but are still labs. I've seen some British labs that could pass as a Flatcoat.

Dad had a mutt when I was a little kid, tippy, who looked to be a Flatcoat/Cocker mix. She was a real sweatheart and lived to be 17 years old. If Flatcoats are in fact prone to cancer and have short life expectancies that is a sad thing for the breed. Our dogs are not with us long enough as it is.

MC,

If you really want one, go for it. However, do a lot of research if you want a "working retriever". I run hunt tests and field trials and I have seen very few Flatcoats that get the job done. And of course there aren't that many to begin with. If you really want a serious worker I would be prepared to get a puppy from a breeder a long way from home. You will probably have to search all over the country. I have nothing against the breed. I just have never seen one that suits my needs for a hunting retriever.

Best of luck to you.

quote:

Originally posted by Bryan27:
A flatcoat is a breed of its own, not a variation of lab. If its momma was a lab and its daddy was a lab then chevis was a lab. Some labs do in fact have longer than normal hair, even silkier than normal, but are still labs. I've seen some British labs that could pass as a Flatcoat.

very interesting info! thank you. i was under the impression that 1 in 10,000 labs had the recessive gene from the newfoundland breed that lent them their long silky hair, thus the flat coat. it highly possible that we were misled, as this was years before the advent of the internet and widely available knowledge. thanks again.