Did you Know that there are Several breeds of Retrievers?
There is the Chesapeake Bay Retriever ( a redish curly coated style).
Theory is that with the wreck of a British ship off the coast of Maryland, among the survivors were two Newfoundland pups, a male and a female. Both proved to be excellent water retrievers and were mated to local sporting dogs that may have included both Curly and Flat-coated Retrievers among others. The breed that emerged from this mixture proved to be one without equal in cold and rough water. A powerful swimmer and an excellent duck retriever, the Chessie has always been valued for his talents rather than his appearance.
Then there is the Curly Coated Retriever (black or liver coloured- curly hair)
One of the oldest of the retriever breeds, the Curly has appeared in British sporting prints dating back 300 years. He was the first breed trained to retrieve game and deliver it back to the hunter. Educated guesses put the Newfie, the Poodle, the Old English Water Spaniel and the Irish Water Spaniel in his background. At one time the Curly was the gamekeeper's favorite dog and it is still regarded as the most efficient retriever in New Zealand and Australia.
And there is the Flat Coat Retriever (black or liver coloured - flat hair)
How the flat-coat was developed is not clear but it's thought the breed may have originated from crossing Continental Water Dogs, the Newfie and land Spaniels, combined with Collie breeding to add to working ability and straighten the coat. Until World War 1, this was the most popular of show dogs in Britain as well as a favourite in the field. heir coat is straight and flat-lying. It should be of moderate length, dense, glossy and full.
The Golden Retriever (various shades of gold)
It was developed in the mid-19th century. It was created by crossing the wavy-coated Retriever with the yellow Tweed Water Spaniel. The offspring were crossed with the Irish Setter and the sand-coloured Bloodhound. Among the most ingratiating of breeds, the Golden's manners win friends for him wherever he's seen.
The Labrador Retriever (black, yellow or chocoate in colour)
The Labrador descended from dogs taken to Newfoundland by explorers, fishermen and settlers and evolved by natural selection. Excellent retrievers of fish and game, they often sailed with the fishermen in the early 1800's. The British further developed the breed by crossing it with other sporting dogs, notably the Flat coated Retriever, the Curly-coated Retriever and the Tweed Water Spaniel. It wasn't long before the Lab took over as Britain's most popular gun dog, and has distinguished itself as a police and war dog as well as a guide dog for the blind.
The Nova Scotia Duck Tolling Retriever (various shades of red or orange with white markings on chest, feet and tip of tail)
Yarmouth County, Nova Scotia, is the home of this retriever. Tolling is a technique used to entice game to approach within firing range by arousing the 'game's' curiosity. It's a trick used by the fox and when hunters saw how well the on-shore antics worked, they developed a dog to do the same thing. The Tollers were a mixture of retrievers, spaniels and setters with a possible farm collie cross thrown in. It has great endurance and is a strong swimmer and natural retriever. It is the smallest of the Retrievers.
