I often get requests for posts.
I usually do my best to meet the request, and when I had more time on my hands, it was usually done within a week of the request.
I don’t mind doing posts that readers request.
You are the readers, and I’m not writing a diary.
However, over the years I have noticed that I do get a lot of requests for posts on the history of retrievers.
I’ve noticed that those posts tend to be popular, but they generally are only transitory.
Not only that, I have often found where I have been wrong about some of the things I’ve written, but because the post was written so long ago, I don’t have time to go back and fix it.
There are also posts I no longer stand by. Ignore all my posts that talk about the “original appearance” of golden retrievers. At the time, I was under the delusion of “original intent,” which I now believe is simply a fallacy. The original wavy-coated retriever from which golden retrievers descend varied from heavily-built and beefy to lithe and settery. The lighter built dogs did eventually win favor because they were more agile on land and faster swimmers.
Also, ignore this post on the history of water dogs. It was based solely upon various historical research that was later largely debunked through genomic studies.
I am willing to admit that I’m wrong. However, there are so many posts that it would take me several months or perhaps a year to fix all of them.
Such is the hazard of producing nonfiction at volume.
But I still do get requests about these history posts, and I’ve occasionally been asked when I was going to write a book on the history of these dogs.
The answer was always, “I don’t know.”
But I am wondering if maybe there is a market for such a book, and if there is, I think I’d like to write it.
I don’t want it to be as breed blind as Richard Wolters’s amazing (though somewhat flawed) history of the Labrador retriever.
It obviously must contain the history of Newfoundland water dogs, but I don’t want people to have a narrowly construed understanding of what this sort of dog was (or is). Wolters focused heavily on smooth-coated St. John’s water dogs in the literature, assuming that they were the only type available. They were the only that could be found in Newfoundland during most of the twentieth century.
What I found interesting is that all these Labrador retriever historians quote Lambert De Boilieu, who famous wrote:
The Labrador dog, let me remark, is a bold fellow, and, when well taught, understands, almost as well as any Christian biped, what you say to him.
Never mind the religious bigotry in the statement, but virtually every Labrador retriever history quotes it.
They seem to ignore the rest of De Boilieu’s discussion of the dog in which he talks about the long-haired ones that the British were turning into the wavy-coated retrievers:
The dogs sent to England, with rough shaggy coats, are useless on the coast; the true-bred and serviceable dog having smooth, short hair, very close and compact to the body. I sent to England a fine specimen of these, but unfortunately the vessel which bore it had the misfortune to be wrecked on the north coast of Ireland, and all hands were lost.
This is why when you read of Dr. Bond Moore’s “Labradors,” which were registered as wavy-coated retrievers, they were long-coated dogs. The golden retriever is also derived from that “bold fellow,” as are all the other large retrievers.
I call this dog a St. John’s water dog.
It is this dog that had the greatest impact on the development of retrievers, for before it became widespread, retrieving dogs were almost always either water spaniels, poodle-types, or various types of purpose-bred mongrel.
In Russia and Scandinavia, laikas and their relatives retrieved shot ducks. And still do today.
But this rugged water dog from Newfoundland had the greatest impact on the development of retrievers today.
If I were going to write about the history of the retrievers, I would have to include big section on that breed.
I have loads of material, most of which I’m not able to use even on the blog.
I could organize all of this material into a manuscript, but I don’t have a clue what to do next.
I’ll just say I’m not interested in self-publishing.
Retrievers are popular dogs. People want to read about them.
I don’t want my efforts to wind up like some poorly thought-out treatise on groundhog baiting with Jack Russells.
I want people to read this stuff.
These dogs are important to us.
I just don’t know where to start.
A book that should be written and a book that I eventually do write are two different things.
So if anyone has any ideas, please leave me comments. If you’d like to email me, please feel free to use the Contact page.
***
Bonus points if you can name the dog at the top of this post. However, if you can name him, you’ve been wasting too much time reading this blog!
“Wasting” time reading this blog? Bite your tongue!
Well I am wasting more time writing it than you are reading it…so….
I don’t consider reading this blog a waste of time :-)
Zelstone. ;)
I think that a literate, in-depth history of retrievers would be a best-seller, at least among dog people & sportsmen. And once the word gets around, among history buffs, too.
Good luck!
Great idea for a book. I don’t have a clue about getting a book published, but I’ll certainly buy it if you write it.
All I want is a chapter on Tollers. Or, at the very least, a mention as to why they do not fit in such a book (as they are primarily not derived from the St John’s dogs)
If Laikas and English rough water dogs are going to be in it, then tollers have to be. The story of duck decoys in Northern Europe is worth a mention, as well as the use of the aboriginal tolling dog in Acadia.
Write it–even if its just for your own edification. The research & organization of thoughts will in themselves increase your understanding. Once, written, let it sit for a week or two to cool. Then revisit w/ an editorial eye. Then send the results to several people you trust for editing. Once you’re thru that painful process, you can consider whether/how to publish. E-publishing sounds like your best bet. In any event, you’ll want to leave copies w/ selected family and friends.
I have most of it already drafted, but I need to rework it and organize it into coherent narrative.
Editing is a pain. I often feel it could still be better expressed and change around things, looking for different words and tones, feelings. I need fixed deadlines to stop overthinking the prose. lol
I think that a good historical analysis is useful, especially if it can tie in actual genetic information (some of which is still missing). It’s a given that any historical (or scientific) study / analysis is going to be challenged and “falsified” at some point in time, but that’s no reason not to make an effort. I don’t think Einstein could have done what he did if there had been no Newton and I don’t think that those challenging Einstein’s theories would be as able to do so if he hadn’t articulated those theories in the first place. NO historical analysis I’ve ever read was 100% accurate or without some bias, but it helps to have ones that are as honest and accurate as possible. You have accumulated a lot of data and you have a good understanding of the genetic studies — something that is missing in a lot of “dog history” books. I think Hartnagle’s “stockdog savvy” has done well, and there’s as many, if not more, possible readers interested in retrievers. Go for it.
Well-said Peg!
[…] Recommended Article FROM https://retrieverman.net/2013/06/16/a-book-that-should-be-written/ […]
Well, I’m certainly one of the folks interested in the history of the various Retrievers. You’ve done a lot of good work already at this blog, especially in demolishing persistent myths about the origins of the Retrievers. Writing a book though demands quite a lot more. It requires lots of additional historicial research. In other words, destroying the old myths is one thing, erecting a new, coherent historical narrative is another thing. But it is certainly worth the effort. Go for it!
And by the way: it’s Zelstone featuring on the picture, one of those Wavy-coated dogs in the 19th century.
Zelstone. The Wavy Haired Flattie. ;-)
And … If you write… you already have a huge built in audience….. and this audience has their own circle of friends.
Hi, i have two questions that i would like to read your opinion:
-What do you think about the infamous ‘ojeriza’ in the Fila Brasileiro? Is a real temperament characteristc or just a sign of weak nerves or poor socialization?
-And what’s up with the white colour in dogs? Some animals when tamed start to show white spots (like that russian experiment with foxes) and the bull breeds, probably the one of the overall furthest breed from the original wolfs tamed by man, and one of their main characteristics is the white colour. Do you think there is some connection between that?
Ojeriza is the result of romantic delusions by modern fanciers. The original dogs weren’t that aggressive.
As for the white color, many ideas have been suggested. I don’t think we have the definitive answer about why all domesticated animals do have individuals with white spots.
There have been many speculations, but I don’t think we know.
Could you point me where i can find more information about this with the white colour?
Also, since you said you do posts on request from readers, could you make a post about this text: http://canedapresa.forumfree.it/?t=55389328
IMO it’s an interesting topic and deserves an exclusive post to gather more opinions and generate a good discussion.
Thanks for the reply.
the Dog above could be Mr M. P Shirley MP. dog WAVY COATED RET DUSK has that look about him re: body type muzzle etc. If you do write a book please look at all information out there about all the retriever breeds. You mention bits and pieces being used for the St Johns Dog in Labrador books. I hope you will try to find all historical and present day information about all breeds if you do intend to write a Retriever book. Do you know that the Australian Murray has been verified as a distinct breed via DNA testing. It has applied to be placed on the ANKC (Aust KC) register as a sporting breed one step closer to being accepted into Gundog working tests and then into official Retrieving trialing.
Those need to be included in the regional water spaniel and curly-coated retriever varieties. There were tons of them, but many are now extinct.