Information wanted on Flat coated Retrievers General Chat

Discussion in 'Flat Coated Retriever' started by kammi_sparky123, Jan 31, 2012.

  1. kammi_sparky123

    kammi_sparky123 New Member

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    Information wanted on Flat coated Retrievers

    How much mental and physical exercise do they need per day?
    Do they have an off switch?
    Do they bark/alert you of things?

    Plus pics! (Of course :lol:)

    ETA: also training experiences? do they like other dogs or more focussed on the owner? etc etc :)
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  3. Ramble

    Ramble Member

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    Ramble
    Where to begin!
    Yes, they have an off switch.
    Mine switch off at between 7-8pm each night. That said if I get up, one follows ( our rescue girl is too frightened she will lose her sofa space and end up on the floor lol!)

    Other dogs,Cosmo isn't too interested but we have trained him to be that way; Tango on the other hand, is
    fixated, again though a throw back to her previous life. In terms of training, as long as you persuade them that anything they are doing was actually their idea in the first place you are okay. I am in awe of people with
    more than two. Mine conspire to outwit
    me and often succeed. They keep
    you on your toes, not an easy dog by
    any stretch of the imagination. I really
    do mean it when I say I am
    glad they do not all have opposable thumbs!!!!

    In terms of exercise and stimulation, they could carry on all day if they are interested, they do
    get bored easily ( the same daily walk is
    not for them) and will
    make their own entertainment!!!
    We have always had Border Collies until
    we met Flat Coats. The collies were easier.

    Generally they are not a barky breed.

    I adore them.
    They are not for everyone though. Humiliation comes
    as an extra with the puppies, the breed are very good at it!!! :) they are people oriented. They are at their
    Most happy when they are with their people. They do
    Not thrive when they are left alone.

    They have an enthusiasm for life which is amazing and inspiring, but also quite exhausting. :) if you are interested im the breed it is vital you go
    and meet some at a decent breeders. PM me
    Your area and I will try and give you a local contact if
    Needs me. Being Flat Coated is something you either love or run away from!!! I have had people interested in the breed come to meet mine... And decide they are not the
    breed for them!!!!
  4. kammi_sparky123

    kammi_sparky123 New Member

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    Oh wow, thanks for all that - that's fab! :D

    It isn't a breed I know much about, but they have intrigued me!

    I am not the sort to leave my dogs all day tbh, but I will be working full time when I get a second dog so would need to work out some arrangements! (Would need to do that with just Alfie anyway lol). Possibly going back at lunch time or getting someone to let them out in the day, or dropping them off with my parents before work! (Or a mix of the 3 lol), so it would need to be on its own, but not all day every day.

    I shall PM you in a sec! :D

    For a couple of reasons I am thinking that a GSD (as much as I still want one) is possibly not the best/right dog for me for the time it would be at.. so looking into other possibilities!

    Collies were easier than the flat coats?! Haha really?! That's mad... in what way? Lol

    At the moment I am liking the flat coated retriever, but haven't met one yet! :lol:
  5. TabithaJ

    TabithaJ New Member

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    ownedbyayellowlab
    One of my favourite breeds :)

    Dexter's girlfriend is a beautiful Flattie. She is a real livewire which I gather is quite 'typical' of the breed. They are very intelligent dogs, and seem to be very sociable with other dogs, and also great with people and children as a rule.

    I'm guessing a lot of exercise once fully grown - around a minimum of an hour a day. The ones I've met have all been an absolute delight - they all had bags of personality!

    LOL LOL - you and I definitely tend to like the same breeds!!!

    I was set on getting a GSD as a second dog - but then rather fell for the female Flattie that Dex plays with several times a week!

    She is soooo cheeky and as RAMBLE says, she really DOES keep her owner on his toes!!!

    I also think they are a very elegant breed :)
  6. kammi_sparky123

    kammi_sparky123 New Member

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    She sounds so lovely! Perfect really :lol:

    Haha it is funny how we tend to do that! As we started asking about GSD's at around the same time too! :lol:

    Ramble - what is recall like? :lol:
  7. Ramble

    Ramble Member

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    Ramble
    Recall can be questionable! The first one we had was a guide dog pup. It took a year to train any sort of recall (long story but essentially this pup wanted to love everyone and everything). His recall went to pot again when he went in for training. He was also an escapologist. Took 4 top trainers nearly an hour to get him back once...He was playing..

    How are they harder than collies..they think and problem solve. Collies tend to say 'okay cos you said it' and are hugely trainable and biddable ( but they can learn bad stuff quickly too), FCRs are a law unto themselves and you can see them planning their next move ( honestly). Mine have now learned how to open a cupboard in the kitchen with the coats in. This cupboard door pulls out and has a small round handle, it also sticks. I know they use their mouthed to do it but I have no idea how! I find it hard enough to open with my hands. They can also open the stairgate at the bottom of the stairs. They put their heads through the bannisters by the gate and nudge it with their noses until it clicks open, then they go to the front of it and pull it with their paws! Cosmo devises these things then he teaches Tango. At agility Cosmo is the one sniffing out people's lunches ( and eating if he can...whilst the collies sit patiently and wait for their turn!)
    They are not a breed who would do well being left s lot each day, if they were, they would, I think, lose the sparkle that makes them Flat Coat. Tango had lost hers when she first came to us. She now has it back......

    You do need to spend time with this breed ( no
    Offence but beyond just playing in the park). They are high
    Energy dogs with an enthusiasm for EVERYTHING that enthusiasm can cause problems and it is not something everyone wants or can deal with.

    In terms of exercise, Cosmo gets around 2 hours each day an hour doesn't touch the sides. Tango, who has severe arthritis in one joint, has an hour a day. An hours walk in the morning before work and being left could, I think, create problems.
    Last edited by a moderator: Feb 1, 2012
  8. Ramble

    Ramble Member

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    Ramble
    Can I just add, if anyone is thinking of getting an FCR PLEASE make sure it is from a reputable breeder, sadly there are some bad ones out there. Contact the litter lady at the Flat Coated Retriever Society ( there is one for Scotland) or at the Northern England Flat Coated Retriever Association(NEFRA). They are hugely helpful and will guide you and advise ( they will also help advise you if this breed is the right one for you). Don't just look online, it really is vital that you speak to people.
  9. x-clo-x

    x-clo-x Member

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    chloe
    pretty much agree with everything ramble has said. i had to laugh at the problem solving and sniffing out people's lunches :lol: :lol: so true :lol: :lol:

    definitely go to a reputable breeder, i know of a good one ;-) which is where i would go for a pup. ramble quite likes them too :lol:

    they are such great dogs, and i really do have a soft spot for them, and would love to have one one day. when i looked after them for a month and then came home, my house felt empty without a flatcoat, even though i had my dogs, it just didnt feel the same, and i still miss and think about them now.

    here's some pictures for you.

    [​IMG]

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    and some cute puppy pictures :007:

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    [​IMG]
  10. kammi_sparky123

    kammi_sparky123 New Member

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    Thanks Ramble.

    It isn't a breed I knew much about, and any dog I get I put mega amounts of research into lol.

    If I am honest they do seem "harder" than I first thought! :lol:

    I am still not ruling them out, but possibly not my first choice! :lol:

    I shall explain my situation quick!

    When I move out I want a second larger dog, and was totally set on a GSD as I adore them, and will get one in the future, but maybe not as my next dog, as I will have moved out into my first place away from home, on my own, already having Alfie and other pets and working full time a GSD may be just too much to take on at that time, including all the walking and training (I do with alfie and would do with another dog obviously lol), but all the extras the GSD needs, like tracking and a lot more intense training, and the more difficult socialisation with it etc etc...

    So have started to look at different breeds!

    I am not saying I won't have time to train and walk a larger dog, just maybe not taking on a GSD.

    So at the moment the flat coat is still an option, but possibly not my first choice from what you have told me!

    I hope that makes sense?

    ETA: Thanks clo! Such lovely looking dogs aren't they! :D
    I will still make an effort to meet some, but as I said above, due to what I have been told they are possibly not the breed for me (not for my next dog anyway!)
    Will look into it more though :D
  11. pippam

    pippam

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    when I first met a flatcoat i thought it was a spaniel cross collie!!

    Never heard of the breed but now ive met one I really like them ^^
  12. Ramble

    Ramble Member

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    Ramble
    I puppywalked a high energy GSD X ( he was huuuuuuuuge...48kg). He needed a LOT of work as he was very herdy and protective. He used to try to herd old ladies at the traffic lights!!!! He was a lot easier than the Flat Coats. In all honesty if the time is wrong for a GSD it is probably more wrong for a FCR. I can't oversay how enthusiastic these dogs are and how much they want to be with you and have your undivided attention...remembering that any attention is good attention and all that......
  13. Ramble

    Ramble Member

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    Ramble
    People think that because they are 'retrievers' they must be 'easy' or like Labs. Nothing
    Is further from the reality....
  14. kammi_sparky123

    kammi_sparky123 New Member

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    Well that's what I mean in that maybe they aren't the right breed for me for the time I will be getting another dog! :lol:
    Maybe in the future though!

    I am not saying I won't have time for another dog obviously, but I don't want to take on too much if you see what I mean?
  15. kammi_sparky123

    kammi_sparky123 New Member

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    If I am honest I was a tad like this :blush: not in thinking that all retrievers were like Labs, more in the sense I didn't think how "difficult" they could be :lol:
  16. x-clo-x

    x-clo-x Member

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    chloe
    flatcoats are alot smarter than labs :lol: :lol: awww i love em :007: :007: :007:
  17. Ramble

    Ramble Member

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    Ramble
    No need to be embarrassed you really are not alone. :) As I say I have had people sent here because they are convinced, having read a little or met one in the park, that a FCR is for them...then they meet mine....and suddenly they don't want one anymore :) Don't get me wrong they are fab dogs and I will never be without one, but they are not for everyone.:grin: Best to be honest and open about that :)
    Anyway here are mine with our recent Oldies Club foster and a friend's dog...
    [​IMG]


    This was me trying to take a 'nice' Cosmo shot in the garden, but Tango...my arthritic girl had other ideas...
    [​IMG]
    A more calm moment...but the look on Cosmo's face (the one with no apple) is a look that always concerns me, he is thinking it through.....how to get the apple...
    [​IMG]
    This is normal...this is what he does whenever he can...
    [​IMG]
    Hmmmm....this makes him happy. He is not unusual....
    [​IMG]
    Nor is this...they eat sheep,horse,cow, bird, fox, rabbit and their own poo....
    [​IMG]
    But yes, they are amazing dogs and I love them and can't imagine not having one in my life. :)
    [​IMG]
  18. Ramble

    Ramble Member

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    Ramble
    For what it's worth, I think you are being hugely responsible, I wish everyone did their research like you...and yes I know exactly what you mean.
  19. kammi_sparky123

    kammi_sparky123 New Member

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    Thank you - I just like to work out things before hand and not jump into decisions that may not work out!

    It will be a couple of years before I move out, but the way I see it is, if I try and find a breed of dog I want now, it gives me all that time to research the breed and chat to breeders!

    Gotta say, your two are looooovely - I don't mind the mud - though that picture with the ball is a bit gross :lol:

    I love the picture with the apple! :lol:
  20. Ramble

    Ramble Member

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    Ramble
    thanks :) I lurve them lots :) but they are total nutters...
  21. kammi_sparky123

    kammi_sparky123 New Member

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    They do look like fun though, and are so shiney!!

    I am still totally lost as to what kind of dog to get though :(

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