We have owned 3 beautiful Flat Coats, and I am very keen to get another. We still have a 3yr old male, Jasper, who we rescued from a pound.
Whilst physically they grow quickly to near full size, they retain puppy-like behavioural characteristics well into middle age.
They are highly intelligent and training is easy, however it is difficult to do group obedience training, as all they want to do is socialise.
They are obsessively food focussed, which can make some aspects of reward based training easier, but if you don’t watch their diet and exercise they can easily put on weight.
They are brilliant with children, and with their blunt teeth and soft mouths couldn’t hurt someone even if they wanted to.
As pups, they do tend to mouth a lot, but they grow out of this.
They are more “alert” than Goldies, and so make a good watch dog, as they will bark at strangers or strange cars.
Their coat is actually very manageable. The feathers under their ears tend to knot if not brushed regularly, but generally once a week will suffice for a pet. There is a marked difference in coats between different breeders/ bloodlines/ imports, and this is the cause of much debate.
The ‘e’ chromosomes have mostly been bred out of Flatties, so most will carry only ‘EE’. Black is the dominant colour, and a “bb” will be "Liver" (As per the standard) (or sometimes chocolate.) Tradional bloodlines still contain A and C alleles that cause Red colouration, which can cause the “Liver” colour, and some of the Blacks to have red tinges to their tail and feathers. However some breeders have reduced this, leading to the chocolat brown colouring (and further debate.)
In my search for another flattie, I have come across two WA youngsters who both showed aggression, which I regard as being completely out of character for this breed.
If anyone can recommend a good breeder in WA, I would be most interested.
Alternatively, if anyone knows of an older or rescue bitch available, please let me know.
