From The Complete English Shot by George T. Teasdale-Buckell (1907), not under copyright.
These dogs very much showed the Zelstone influence that once plagued the flat-coat. The coarse bone has been bred out of the flat-coat, and it was on its way of being bred out of the golden, until blockiness and lumber became popular in the eyes of the fancy.
I have more about Zelstone and why flat-coats and goldens, which are both descended from him, originally had the bone bred out of them here.
In goldens, Mrs. Charlesworth refused to breed from a heavily built dog named Noranby Tweedlum because he had too much coarse bone and was too light in color. Someone thought dogs of this type were cute in they golden, for they’ve since taken over most European show lines. However, functional conformation is closer to the modern flat-coat body type than modern the golden.
Strangely, the goldens of this time period had lighter bodies than many flat-coats.
Culham Brass, although an important founding sire of the golden, looked more like a modern flat-coat than many contemporary flat-coats.
Weren’t these referred to as the Wavy Coated Retrievers at this period in time? Or were these dogs registry stud entries at the time? It almost seems as if there was open interpretation of just what was what during this time period. I’m surprised no one took a poodle and tried to call it a Flatcoat or Golden? Or perhaps if we look a bit further….maybe someone did? ;-)
Flat-coats.
Someone in the early 1900’s or late nineteenth century tried to sell curly-coated retrievers with docked tails as standard poodles. It was a scandal.
Well, I’m so impressed with all the work you’ve put into getting this information up on this blog. I’m hooked now. And I admire your school of thought on how the breeds need to be re examined and the standards changed for the better. I’ve followed many of your recommended links and all the information about the entire Dog Show world and the conclusion is always the same……. disappointing but not surprising. Dog fanciers knock designer dog people all the time, but in reality they are just the same. Your ideas on intelligent outcrossing and and genetic variations are hitting the nail on the head for the purebred dog world. Unfortunately until the hardcore breeders with a mind towards cosmetic concerns is stopped from breeding practices with the blinders on…. you’re just going to see things get to a point where the average life expectancy continues to go down for all breeds. It was very eye opening to find ot that the percentage of genetic diversity in all pure breed dogs is so low that it is the equivalent of being on the endangered species list. Worse off than a Giant Panda.
My goals have since been influenced by your thoughts and I thank you so much for doing what you do here. Information is the key to change and unless more people actually open up their minds and look at things beyond the facade we are presented then things will only continue to get worse. I refuse to become a part of the problem. Genetic diversity is key to resolving the entire problem. I’m going to be one of the people the people turning that key to open a new door.
Thank you. And please keep blogging.
I’m glad you like the blog.