Flat out with Lizzie

With Sika returning to her owner, Ellena Swift has a new recruit — a flatcoat retriever, a breed that takes patience but can be well worth it

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We have been following Sika the cocker for a little under the first 16 months of her life. In that time she has become a balanced, all-round shooting companion. She will hunt beautifully in front, is steady to fallen game, has basic handling skills and will pick any quarry. I am very proud of her and love seeing her working for her owner. She simply needs confidence and ‘miles on the clock’.

While I will continue to work with Sika, her time with me will now become less frequent as she turns into a fantastic fully trained gundog. So I am now going to turn my attention to a new project.

I have recently taken on Lizzie, a six-month-old flatcoat retriever, who is to become a peg dog and all-rounder. While the flatcoat was the Edwardian sportsman’s dog of choice, the breed is now something of a rarity. I have seen fewer than 10 in my entire career.

They are also rare in the trialling world. I have judged a trial with one competing and only ever run against them in working tests. However, this does not mean they should be overlooked when choosing a working dog. I know of a few flatcoats in the competition world and have seen what they can do. With proper training they can truly hold their own.