A forgotten influence

Little has been written about the flatcoat retriever’s role in shaping the gene pool of our modern-day labradors

- David Tomlinson

MOST PEOPLE IN THE working gundog world know something of the history of the labrador, of how fishermen’s dogs, originally from Newfoundland, were selectively bred by the 3rd Earl of Malmesbury and the 5th and 6th Dukes of Buccleuch to produce the dogs we know and love today. History records that some early labradors were crossed with flatcoat retrievers, but the significant early breeders of labradors strove to keep them pure.

A letter written in 1887 by the Earl of Malmesbury records “I have kept the breed as pure as I could from the first I had at Poole”. He was particularly keen to retain two of the lab’s special traits: the water-repellant coat and the so-called otter tail.

It wasn’t until 1903 that the Kennel Club finally recognised the labrador as a breed in its own right. This meant that labrador puppies could be registered with the club for the first time, as could any puppies that looked like labradors, despite the fact that their sire or dam might have been a flatcoat retriever. This was a practice that continued for many years, but little has ever been written about it, and the flatcoat’s role in shaping the modern labrador receives little attention by modern historians.

I am indebted to reader Richard Edwards (a labrador enthusiast and expert on the breed) for drawing my attention to the fact that in the early years of the past century, many of the labradors competing in trials probably weren’t as pure-bred as you might expect, as out-crossing with flatcoats was common.