Page 242 - ShowSight - February 2020

Curly-Coated Retriever Q & A
“The Curly is a smart, devoted family dog who can go from the field, to the show ring, to obedience, rally, agility, lure coursing, nose work, barn hunt, dock jumping and anything else his family wants to try.”
Mary Meek continued
the yard and home. He is energetic and needs exercise but can veg out with the best of them. He thinks, so when he tries something he is usually pretty successful so keeping his brain occupied keeps him on the right path. He learns quickly and when training, can get bored if asked to do things he understands over and over so we change exercises up to keep him guessing. For the most part he is not a barker but when he does there is usually a reason for it. He needs socialization, obedience training, and exposure to the neigh- borhood and world around him. For the most part he does well with other pets both at home and out and about.
What are any misconceptions about the breed you’d like to dis- pel? Because the Curly is a more reserved dog around people he doesn't know, he is sometimes thought to be shy or unfriendly. He is not your best friend immediately but is willing to get to know you and interact with you as long as you don’t push yourself on him in the beginning. When out and about, the Curly will stand quietly while around strangers and accept petting but not always wag his tail and get giddy with you. I personally like that but I come from sighthounds and they are very much the same way. For many years hunters avoided having Curlies as they thought they were untrainable, hard mouthed, and worked too slow. Curlies were developed as gamekeepers dogs, they retrieved cold game after the hunt and roamed the manner keeping poachers out. As field dogs they are intense, determined, close quartering hunters, putting up birds within gun range. They are excellent swimmers, and will retrieve until they can’t break ice. Here again they train differently than Labs and Goldens but if trained right are a joy to watch and shoot over.
What special challenges so CCR breeder face? As with any pure bred dog, Curly breeders have to contend with the adopt don’t shop attitude the the pet buying public is bombarded with. We need to promote all the good things our breed has to offer to these same people. We need to make them more aware of the health, soundness of mind and body, and the ability to know the background our dogs offer that are all unknowns to those buying or adopting mix breeds. Because we are a low number breed we contend with those looking for a dog who only recognize the more popular breeds.
At what age do I start to see definite signs of show-worthiness? I do my final evaluation of my puppies at between seven and eight weeks. Personality and temperment are settling in at this time and when checking for type and soundness what I feel is what they will be like when they grow up. They will go through growth spurts until about 18 months then settle in and mature at a slow rate. Curl- ies bodily mature at between four and five. I am comfortable with my show prospect pups at this age. The market for Curlies is small in comparison to the more popular breeds but our people keep com- ing back when they are ready for another dog or replacing one. I place most of my pups in pet homes and some of these pups would be super show/breeding prospects but our show market is limited and my first priority is a forever home for each pup I breed.
What is the most important thing about my bred for a new judge to keep in mind? This is the Curly-Coated Retriever, a new judge must understand what a correct Curly Coat is, it was
developed for protection in the field. Talk to breeders about how the coat develops and understand patterning. The Curly is a field dog, coat and soundness will enable him to work all day and you as a judge are looking for a Curly that can do that.
The best way to attract newcomers to my breed? We must be willing to mentor newcomers in the breed, support them in their efforts to learn to show their Curly in all venues of the sport, and be there for them in their success.
What is my ultimate goal for my breed? To work to improve our Curlies in health, quality and temperment and enjoy watching newcomers discover the wonderful qualities of this breed that has kept me in love with them for all these years.
What is my favorite dg show memory? I have many, but winning a group placement at Westminster owner handled is the first one I think of when asked.
The Curly is a smart, devoted family dog who can go from the field, to the show ring, to obedience, rally, agility, lure coursing, nose work, barn hunt, dock jumping and anything else his family wants to try. They are service dogs, search and rescue dogs, even working drug dogs. But most of all they can curl up with you and spend a quiet evening on the couch or bed. He is unlike any other dog in looks and I think he is extremely handsome but then I have owned Curlies for many years now.
SCOTT & KATHY SHIFFLETT
We live near Annapolis, Maryland on a farm close to the Chesa- peake Bay. Our farm is a working farm where we raise grains, hay and vegetables. We also hunt deer and geese on our farm. Our Curl- ies have an opportunity to go back to their roots of a hunting dog during duck and goose season.
When we aren’t out showing our dogs, we are normally working on the farm. The spring and summer are very busy getting the hay fields ready to plant, cut and harvest. Kathy spends time in the barn and riding with her home-bred equine, Malachi.
The Curly is ranked 162 out of 192 Breeds by the AKC, am I comfortable with this ranking? The CCR has a small gene pool so as a breeder and owner I am comfortable with this ranking. Curlies are cherished by the Curly fancy and are sort of a well kept secret. Most of our puppies become family companions or hunting dogs. It is interesting when someone inquiries about a puppy because they have typically done there research or they are looking for a second Curly. Once you have a Curly you will almost always have a Curly.
The average person does not recognize the Curly-Coated Retriever as a purebred AKC Breed. They think it is some sort of “Doodle”; even though the CCR is thought to be the old- est of the retriever breeds. Occasionally, we come across a person that knows what breed our dog is. That is always amazing and a welcoming revelation.
240 • ShowSight Magazine, February 2020