History of the Curly Coated Retriever

Watch…!! · Breed Standard · Curly Lecture 2004 Aus Ch Blazeaway Black Rob RRD With Helen 3 years old 1989

The Early Breed The breed originated in England and was recognised by the Kennel Club of England in 1854. The curly was bred as both a gundog and a guard dog. Prized by English gamekeepers for his perseverance and fondness for water. He is intelligent, friendly and loyal. Known to be the oldest of the retriever breeds the history is long and by no means certain. The English water dog, St Johns Newfoundland, French poodle and the Irish water spaniel are all mentioned along with one or more setter breeds as having been used at some time in the breed’s history but no one knows for sure. We do know that the breed as we know it today had evolved by the early 19^th century. THE CURLY-COATED RETRIEVER IN ENGLAND There were no records of breeding kept before the late 1800’s, the Kennel Club then began to keep records, and we can see the development of the breed from these records. The First World War saw a dramatic drop in the curly population, mostly because of the lack of food. A few people, however, helped to keep the breed alive even in those very rough times. In the 1930s, we see the beginnings of the modern kennel prefixes but again England was thrust into another war. Dogs were shipped to potentially safe places to await the end of the war, yet the breed almost died out for the second time in 30 years. In the 1940s, there was a resurgence of breeding stock, with the breeding of dogs that were to become the beginning of the present-day pedigrees During the 1950’s and 60’s there was some very active breeding being done, and the number of Curlies in England grew. We began to see the exporting of Curlies to Australia, Scandinavia, and the USA. The growth of the breed continued into the '70s and '80s with some well-known prefixes coming to the front. Eng Ch. Darelyn Rifleman began his historic show career in the early 1980’s, with best in show wins against dog entries of 16,315 and 23,627 at England’s biggest shows. He became an important producer and his offspring are in many pedigrees throughout England, Europe, and Australia today. Many breeders, using these early pedigrees, have developed the modern curly and have influenced the development of the breed worldwide. THE CURLY COATED RETRIEVER IN AUSTRALIA Records indicate that the curly was an established breed in Australia by 1880. The first recorded information goes back to the early 1800s and there is reason to believe that the curly existed in Australia even before then. The modern-day curly in Australia and New Zealand was developed from early Australian, New Zealander, and English imports. The early part of the 20^th century relied on importation from England Importation from England slowed after the war, but those that were brought in are prominent in today's pedigrees. The '70s marked the beginning of the importation of New Zealand Curlies. Many dogs today carry New Zealand bloodlines Australia began exporting Curlies to America during the '70s, as well as to Germany, New Guinea, and New Zealand and continues to do so to today. They are now becoming a part of breed history outside of Australia.