Plate 130 · British Isles
Curly-Coated Retriever
卷毛寻回犬
“The tallest retriever, in a coat of tight curls.”
- Origin
- United Kingdom
- England
- Country of origin
- An English breed; the sources name no single place, so the marker is the United Kingdom's reference point.
- The point is a reference position in the country of origin.
- Era
- 19th century; shown from 1860
- Today
- Gun dog · Companion
Under editorial review — sources listed below.
History
01 · Origin
England
The tallest retriever, covered in small, tight curls; one of the two oldest recognized retriever breeds.
02 · Historical role
What it was bred for
Retrieving upland birds and waterfowl.
03 · Breed development
How it changed
Thought to descend from the extinct English Water Spaniel and retrieving setters, perhaps with Irish Water Spaniel and St John's water dog; a Poodle cross is said to have tightened the curls in the 1880s. Curly-coated and wavy-coated retrievers were shown from 1860; a breed club followed in 1896.
04 · Today
Gun dog · Companion
A hunting dog and a confident companion.
Personality
- Confident
- Proud
- Wickedly smart
- Calm at home
General breed tendencies, not guarantees — individual dogs vary with genetics, training and environment. Ratings: the AKC’s trait scores as its breed page gives them (the AKC’s 1–5 guidance for owners, not a measurement). Other profiles here use editorial ratings, a different source, so compare across them with care.
- Exercise
- A fair amount of exercise, then settles calmly at home.
- Grooming
- Rarely brushed: brushing frizzes the curls; scissor during shedding.
- Training
- Intelligent: firm but kind, never rough, and without too much repetition.
Living with one
- Size
- Large
- Lifespan
- 10–12 years
- Coat
- Mass of small, tight, crisp curls; black or liver
Field note
It was exhibited at the Birmingham show in 1860, among the first retrievers ever shown.
Recognition & today
- AKC
- Sporting Group
- Also recognized by
- FCI (Group 8, standard 110), The Kennel Club (UK)
- Popular in
- New Zealand, Australia
AKC: Sporting Group, recognized 1924.
A small but devoted following worldwide; the AKC says it remains popular among hunters in Australia and New Zealand. AKC registrations: ranked 168 among breeds in 2025.
Sources3 references
- Curly-Coated Retriever — breed information — American Kennel Club
https://www.akc.org/dog-breeds/curly-coated-retriever/
Registry · accessed 2026-10-14 · Registry status, group, size, life expectancy and registration rank; history as the AKC tells it. Ratings: the AKC's own 1–5 owner-guidance trait scores as the page gives them (energy level, trainability, barking level, openness to strangers, good with other dogs), not measurements.
- Curly-coated Retriever — Wikipedia
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Curly-coated_Retriever
Encyclopedia · accessed 2026-10-14 · Tallest retriever; with the wavy-coated (flat-coated) retriever, one of the first two recognized retriever breeds, established as early as 1860.
- Curly Coated Retriever — FCI breed nomenclature — Fédération Cynologique Internationale
https://www.fci.be/en/nomenclature/CURLY-COATED-RETRIEVER-110.html
Kennel club · accessed 2026-10-14 · Country of origin Great Britain; Group 8, section "Retrievers"; accepted 1954.
Text is written by World Breeds from the references above; it does not reproduce registry descriptions. Location note: An English breed; the sources name no single place, so the marker is the United Kingdom's reference point.
