Curly-Coated Retriever breed guide

Like Labradors and Golden Retrievers, Curly-Coated Retrievers are affectionate and gentle, but they are more independent and less needy. They are playful and mischievous with loved ones. AKC calls the Curly a thinking person's retriever that will never quit before you do.

A Curly needs a firm but kind trainer: a rough one makes it turn tail, while a soft or unclear one loses its attention. AKC says it is smart enough to need an owner who is smarter.

Curly-Coated Retrievers live 10 to 12 years. AKC says the majority are healthy and breeders are diligent about screening hips, eyes and the heart, though cancer is a concern.

The breed is susceptible to gastric dilatation volvulus, a life-threatening stomach condition also called bloat, so owners must know the symptoms and act quickly.

Curly-Coated Retrievers have no undercoat and females usually shed a fair amount of coat about every six months, which can leave them looking relatively bare. During shedding season a rake-type grooming tool with metal prongs removes dead hair, after which the coat may be scissored down.

The breed needs a fair amount of exercise but settles down and relaxes well at home, so the home does not need to be large as long as the dog is with its owner and gets adequate exercise.

Curly-Coated Retrievers are thought to be among the oldest retriever breeds, though retrievers arrived on the sporting scene only in the late 1700s, after wing shooting with rifles became practical. The Curly was pieced together in England in the 1800s, with no written records of its earliest history.

It is popularly believed to descend from two now-extinct breeds, the English Water Spaniel and the Retrieving Setter.