Keep in mind that I have limited experience with the breed; some people are saying that it’s not uncommon for the Curly Coats to be a little surly, hard to manage, etc…

Thank you for watching!

I'm also waiting for the American Akita episode

This is one CCR, they all seem to vary in temperaments, I've owned 3 and all have been aloof and not fond of people outside of their circle.

Check back in and tell us about her!

How do your dogs compare to the pup in the video?

@@StonnieDennis my bitch is an absolute sweetie pie like Maggie, a thinker, very soft and cautious/evaluates situations before going head on in. My dog, also a lover but slower to mature (a boy thing 😜), he’s a fanatical retriever in the water, she is on the ground. Not much fazes either and both are people and dog friendly. As you mentioned, like Maggie, prefect for nursing home environment as both are great couch potatoes 😊

Have you ran into many that were unfriendly? Did it take a while for your male to develop a strong retrieving drive?

I've read that some make sound guard dogs on top of their retrieving duties - would this align within the variability within their temperament?

@@StonnieDennis there's some same sex aggression in the breed, but i would say this stems from the fact that curlies have remained relatively unchanged since their creation. they were used by poachers/game keepers and i personally would define them more as a versatile gundog. they guard, track, hunt and retrieve. if you're lucky like me, you get one that does all those things AND flash points. they have drive but hate repetition and will blow you off when you've asked them to do a task too many times. again, they were used by poachers/game keepers and were supposed to work quietly on their own without commands so that they wouldn't give away their location. keep sessions short, and retrieve drive should be fostered. my curly retrieved at 8 weeks, but not like a robotic lab. my boy's prey drive is off the charts, i use him for blood tracking and recently started upland. they should NOT have any aggression towards people, but should be aloof. He's very demonstrative towards humans he knows, but does not run up to greet strangers. once you are ok in his book, he will remember you forever, and can find you from across a crowded room. they are also very intuitive and match their energy level to the situation they are in, translating to an awesome off switch.

Thanks for watching!

100%

Thank you!

I’ve owned a nuts (ditzy, excitable no matter the exercise level received) one, but have met more settled Flatcoats. It was a very different experience with her compared to raising a Lab or the other large breeds that I’ve owned. She did, however, have the typical retriever temperament of being very friendly with people and other animals.

Yeah no..they are NOT SOME 70YR + dog, don't be fooled by super sweet Maggie. These dogs can absolutely be full of energy and drive and need a job.

I think I would still prefer the big chubby at 7:41, however.

Yes you can find Curlies in modern golden pedigrees !

That's wavy coat retriever mixed with Irish setter

​@akodo1 Actually curlies have shown up in golden retriever pedigrees in the early 1900s

@@LD-xg5gw the poster asked if the CCR was foundation of the golden. It's not. CCR might have contributed but it wasn't foundational. That's a wavy coat retriever and Tweed water spaniel. (I was wrong when I said Irish setter) The first Golden Retrievers were bred in 1868 by Lord Tweedmouth, the first Baron Tweedmouth, Dudley Coutts Majoribanks, at his estate in Guisachan House in the Scottish Highlands. Lord Tweedmouth mated a yellow Wavy-Coated retriever named "Nous" with a Tweed Water spaniel named "Belle" in 1868 and 1871. The first litter's puppies were named Cowslip, Crocus, and Primrose

I felt like it was an unfair comparison, so I left it out.

@@StonnieDennis This is because this dogs time in Your hands is too short. After some time she can compete with black labs and will not be beaten too much..

I’ll have access to her, as she just lives down the road. If her retrieving drive increases, I’ll make another video. That being said, I can’t imagine her developing the drive of a field bred Lab.

She has read the calm and polite chapter of your book!!! LOL

How many, in total, have you had the chance to be around on a consistent basis? How would you describe their retrieving drive? I suspect bloodline makes a big difference in terms of temperament and working ability. This one is as sweet as pie. I had another one two months ago and it had a reputation for being a bit unfriendly, but it turns out that he was just a little bit under socialized.

I think you will find your experience with the breed will come down to the lines and training/social interactions the dogs received. Do a huge amount of research on breeders before purchasing a pup.

I love your advice in your videos about picking a dog that is good for your home. I have a field lab and a lab mix, they are so easy to train and love their people. My field lab is a smuggler who is medium energy, perfect for me. Our rescue mix is not as easy in terms of anxiety so our calmer pure bred lab is a perfect dog with him.

Socialization for any dog breed is a necessity for a family dog. Some more than others but still indispensable.

@@reconrc1787It makes sense that if you live in an area where high drive dogs are valued, then that’s what gets emphasized in breeding and puppy selection. Another thing to consider is that many people who buy dogs for hunting do not believe in the type of intense, early, socialization, that we provide in our program so you may not be getting to see the dogs reach their full potential in terms of sociability. That’s not usually an issue with Labs, but we all know it’s definitely an issue for some types of hunting line retrievers. I’m super interested in your personal experiences. Please feel free to comment as much as you like!

Make timestamps as to what I got wrong and then post some links to your Curly Coat Retrievers doing similar things in similar environments. No need to be afraid, I made the video so people can start researching. This is my experience, with video evidence of the process and the results. Do you have links so we can take a look at your work?

I just went to your channel. Honestly I couldn’t find one watchable or useful video. Maybe I’m missing something, can you please make a play list so we have a good starting point for understanding your opinion and expertise on the breed?

As someone who isn't a retriever person, I gained a lot from this video. :) And in the first minute of the video, it's already explained that he's not an expert. It's cool to not know things and reach out to people who do. So since you're here, what would you say about your experience with Curlies and what kind of handler would fit them?

@@StonnieDennis Stonnie, this guy seems to be from Germany/Austria area. I've heard from guys who have imported German wirehair pointers, Drahthaars (basically GWP that don't meet the AKC/UKC standard ) and Weimaraners. These guys say the import dogs have much different temperament in two ways. First - they are more "hard headed" during training. Second, they are equally interested in mammals as they are birds. (Makes sense because these are more generalist hunters in Germany that track wounded deer, chase raccoons etc) It takes a few generations of breeding to get them "Americanized" And we know that German line GSDs are very different temperament from American lines What this tells me is Stonnie is probably 100% correct on American Lines Curly Coated (well maybe 95% don't want your hat to stop fitting ) and the commenter be 100% correct on German/Austrian lines. If you want a dog like in this video buy from an American breeder don't import.

I have 2 curlies, I think Stonnie makes a good picture of curlies in a 20 minutes video. “Soft”, sweet temperament, in between field and show, perceptive to the environment.