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Dog Articles
Past and Present: Retriever
Many
breeds of dogs have been trained to find and bring in game which has
been shot, but Retrievers, as their name implies, are bred specially
for that purpose. English sportsmen had for some time been
experimenting with different breeds in an effort to find a dog
exactly suited for retrieving game, when, about the middle of the
last century, there was introduced from Labrador a hardy,
black-coated, small-eared, medium-sized dog, which seemed to answer
the purpose. He was a typical water dog and not subject to ear
canker, which so often develops in Spaniels used to retrieve
waterfowl.
This
Labrador dog, crossed probably with the English Setter, and perhaps
with other breeds, produced the Retriever, which may be either black
or liver brown.
In size
about like a Pointer, covered all over with a coat of tight, curly
hair, Astrakhan-like, except for his smooth head and face, he is a
curious-looking dog. He is a capable and teachable creature,
however, and makes a capital assistant in the duck-blind or as a gun
dog, where birds are the quarry.
The curly
Retriever may be either coal black or dark liver brown. He should
weigh about 65 to 80 pounds.
There is
also a smooth Retriever, which is much like the curly in form and
size, but has straight hair.
The
Labrador Retriever is shorter of leg than the other types and
generally more solidly built. It is generally some shade of brown,
and none of the Retrievers should show more than a trace of white on
the chest. All have smaller ears than the Pointer or Setter, and the
curly type carries his close to the head.
The
original ‘Labrador’, or something very like, still exists under the
same name, as a distinct and recognized breed. He has all the good
qualities of both of these highly intelligent parents.
Source:
National Geographic 1919
Recommended Reading
Dog Training
Mastery - An Owners' Manual
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