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Curly Coated Retriever Information
The real origin of the Curly-Coated Retriever is a bit of a mystery. What is known is that this breed is one of the oldest of all breeds now classified as Retrievers. They are descended from the 16th century English Water Spaniel (which is now extinct), and from some form of retrieving setter. Some believe that the Irish Water Spaniel was his ancestor and most likely that a cross was made with this Spaniel from time to time.
In the early 1880's, the Curly is said to have been crossed again with the Poodle, this cross taken with the objective of giving the breed a tight curled coat as well as to enhance the retrieving instinct.
The popular gun dog following the Old English Water Spaniel, the Curly was first exhibited in 1860 at England's Birmingham show. In 1889, dogs were exported to New Zealand, where they have long been used for retrieving duck and California quail.
The first breed club for the Curly-Coated Retriever was formed in England in 1896. The breed was introduced to the United States as early as 1907, but the first AKC registration was in 1924.
Males should be 25 to 27 inches tall, females 23 to 25 inches. The Curly Coated Retriever has a coat unlike any other breed. The body coat is a thick mass of small, tight curls, lying close to the skin, resilient, water resistant, and of sufficient density to provide protection against weather, water, and punishing cover.
Health concerns with the breed include Hip Dysplasia, which is a malformation of the ball and socket joint in the hip. Eye Problems such as cataracts of various kinds, corneal dystrophy, PRA, distichiasis, entropion, ectropion, retinal dysplasia.
Another concern is 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. 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.
Other concerns are bloat, seizures, low thyroid, autoimmune.
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