- Black or liver
About the Curly Coated Retriever
Origin: Great Britain
- Typical life span
- 10-12 years
- Size
- Large — from its typical weight
- Weight
- 27-43 kg
- Height
- Male
- 64-69 cm
- Female
- 58-64 cm
- FCI status
- Recognised by FCI
- FCI group
- Retrievers - Flushing Dogs - Water Dogs
- Origin
- Great Britain
- Also called
- Cobrador de Pelo Rizado
- Known hereditary risks
- 7 documented conditions, with the test for each
About
What is a Curly Coated Retriever?
Large, elegant retriever and one of the oldest retriever breeds, distinguished by its distinctive tight, water-resistant curly coat and confident, athletic temperament
Curly Coated Retriever history and origins
One of the oldest retriever breeds, developed in England during the 18th-19th century from English Water Spaniel, St. John's Newfoundland, and Poodle ancestry, prized by gamekeepers for waterfowl hunting versatility
Curly Coated Retriever appearance and size
Males typically stand 64-69 cm at the shoulder and females 58-64 cm.
What the breed standard says
- Bred for
- Retriever
- Behaviour and temperament
“Intelligent, steady, reliable. Bold, friendly, self confident and independent. May seem aloof”
Quoted from FCI standard n°110. It describes the breed the registry recognises, not any individual animal.
Breed reference from The Dog API.
Characteristics
- Size
- Large
- Exercise needsRead from what the breed was bred to do, in the registry’s own words: “Retriever” That is a working purpose, not a measured exercise requirement — an individual dog’s needs depend on its age, health and household.
- 4 of 5
- Easy to train
- —
- Amount of shedding
- 1 of 5
- Grooming needs
- 2 of 5
- Good with children
- —
- Cost to keep
- —
- Tolerates being alone
- —
- Intelligence
- —
- Health of breed
- 7 conditions documented
Pros & cons
Pros & cons for the Curly Coated Retriever
What you get with the Curly Coated Retriever
- Purpose stated in the standard: “Retriever”
- The standard describes the breed as: “Intelligent, steady, reliable. Bold, friendly, self confident and independent. May seem aloof”
- Low grooming needs, fitting for a busy owner — the coat is “Body coat a thick mass of small tight, crisp curls lying close to skin, extending from…”
What you are taking on
- 3 serious inherited conditions are documented, mainly in brain & nerves and hormones & metabolism. The health guide tab has the test to ask for on each.
Drawn from sources rather than written as an opinion — cited health research, the registry’s own standard, and peer-reviewed longevity. FCI breed standard; Glycogen storage disease type IIIa in curly-coated retrievers, PubMed. One breeder’s animals can differ from any of it, and an empty column means we hold nothing for that side rather than that there is nothing to say.
Characteristics
FCI standard · Curly Coated Retriever
Coat and colour
As the FCI standard sets it out. Every line below is the standard’s own wording.
Coat
Body coat a thick mass of small tight, crisp curls lying close to skin, extending from occiput to tip of tail
without undercoat or bare patches.
Elsewhere smooth hair
Colour
- Preferred
- Permissible
- Undesirable
- Disqualifying
Preferred, permissible, undesirable and disqualifying are FCI’s own words about the breed. They describe what the standard asks for — not an assessment of any individual dog, and not ours.
Shortened from FCI standard n°110 — each label is the standard’s own wording with the verdict lifted into the tag beside it. Read the full clause at source.
What the breed standard says
- Size
- “Ideal height at withers: Dogs: 69 cm. Bitches: 64 cm”
- FCI distinguishes an ideal from what is permitted.
Quoted from FCI standard n°110. It describes the breed the registry recognises, not any individual animal.
Breed-level information from The Dog API. It describes the Curly Coated Retriever in general; any individual animal can differ.
Health guide
Health & screening guide for the Curly Coated Retriever
Known hereditary risks for the Curly Coated Retriever breed, and the specific documentation to request from any breeder before paying a deposit. A responsible breeder will have these readily available; deflection is a red flag.
7 conditions documentedThis is breed-level literature, not veterinary advice about an individual animal — your vet knows the animal.
Health checklist (PDF)Heart & circulation
Congenital heart disease
Monitor
Structural heart defects present from birth. Cardiac certification is part of the breed's recommended CHIC testing panel, though no single named defect dominates the available material for this breed.
What to ask for
Echocardiogram from a board-certified veterinary cardiologist (OFA cardiac certification) on both parents
Hormones & metabolism
Glycogen storage disease IIIa (GSD IIIa)
Serious
A metabolic disorder identified specifically in this breed, caused by deficiency of an enzyme needed to break down stored glycogen. Affected dogs seem normal as puppies but develop exercise intolerance, lethargy and collapse as adults, usually progressing towards liver problems.
What to ask for
DNA test for the AGL gene mutation on both parents
Bones & joints
Hip dysplasia
Monitor
Malformation of the hip joint that can progress to osteoarthritis. Screening is part of the breed's recommended CHIC testing panel.
What to ask for
Hip evaluation from OFA or PennHIP on both parents
Elbow dysplasia
Monitor
Developmental abnormalities of the elbow joint causing pain and a predisposition to arthritis. Screening is part of the breed's recommended CHIC testing panel.
What to ask for
Elbow evaluation from OFA on both parents
Brain & nerves
Exercise-induced collapse (EIC)
Serious
Collapse with hindquarter weakness or wobbliness after intense, excited exercise. Reported carrier and affected rates in this breed (around 40% carriers, 18% affected) are markedly higher than in Labradors, where the same mutation was first described.
What to ask for
DNA test for the DNM1 gene mutation on both parents
Epilepsy
Monitor
Recurrent seizures with no identifiable structural or metabolic cause. The breed club maintains a dedicated epilepsy database, but no causative gene or DNA test has been found in this breed.
What to ask for
No validated screening or DNA test exists. Ask whether the sire, dam or their close relatives have a seizure history
Digestion & liver
Gastric dilatation-volvulus (bloat/GDV)
Serious
A life-threatening emergency in which the stomach fills with gas and twists, cutting off its own blood supply. The breed's own international owner survey estimated a 7% lifetime prevalence with a 34% fatality rate once it happens, and found having a first-degree relative that had bloated was the clearest predictor.
What to ask for
No screening or DNA test exists. Ask whether the sire, dam or their first-degree relatives have ever bloated, and discuss preventive gastropexy with a vet
How long the Curly Coated Retriever lives, in the records
Median survival 12.2 years
95% confidence interval 11.2–12.8 years, from 66 recorded deaths among 153 dogs
Mortality hazard 0.96 (0.75, 1.22) relative to crossbred dogs, whose median is 12.0 years.
Measured in the United Kingdom from 584,734 dogs. Median survival is not a prediction for an individual dog.
McMillan, K.M., Bielby, J., Williams, C.L., Upjohn, M.M., Casey, R.A. & Christley, R.M. (2024) Longevity of companion dog breeds: those at risk from early death. Scientific Reports 14, 531.
Gallery
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Puppies
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