The breeds · gun dog · retrieving

AKC Sporting · UKC Gun Dog · FCI standard 121

Flat-Coated Retriever.

Versatile family companion hunting retriever: keen and birdy, flushing within gun range, and a determined, resourceful retriever on land and water.

Breed sets the odds. The parents set the dog. Every number here shows its source, its spread and how sure we are. Nothing on this page is a prediction about one dog.

11.7YRMedian lifespan11.5 to 11.9, measured on real dogs.

24 / 23INHeightdogs 23.75, bitches 22.75. An ideal from the standard, not a range.

55–80LBWeight, all linesbreed dogs 70 lb (60 to 80); breed bitches 62.5 lb (55 to 70).

2.5+ HRSExercise, every dayMore than 2 hours per day. The constraint most homes get wrong.

The body

What the breed is built like. Registry standards give an ideal, not a range.

Height at the shoulder

dogs 23.8 in (23 to 24.5) · bitches 22.8 in (22 to 23.5)

Breed clubAKC breed standard, 1990

Center is the midpoint of the standard's preferred range. RKC: 22-23 in (56-58 cm).

Weight

dogs 70 lb (60 to 80) · bitches 62.5 lb (55 to 70)

Breed clubThe Royal Kennel Club

From the RKC standard; the AKC standard gives no weight. Center is the midpoint.

Coat

Moderate length, density and fullness with a high lustre; ideally straight and flat-lying, slight wave permissible; thickly feathered ears, front, chest, back of forelegs, thighs and underside of tail when in full coat; mane on the neck; shown as natural as possible; solid black or solid liver

Breed clubAKC breed standard, 1990

Shedding

Shedding 3 of 5 (AKC breed page trait score)

Breed clubAKC

AKC breed page trait score, 1 to 5: a breed-club tendency, never a measurement.

Heat tolerance

3 of 5 · Medium-length coat: moderate length, density and fullness, flat-lying, with thick feathering on ears, chest, legs, thighs and tail and a mane over the neck and shoulders; the RKC standard calls it dense, of fine to medium texture (neither standard describes an undercoat)

DerivedAKC breed standard, 1990

Derived (3 = medium coat with insulation; the standard asks for sufficient texture, length and fullness for adequate insulation).

How long they live, and what they cost

Measured on real dogs, with the sample and the spread. Never a guess.

Median lifespan

11.7 years (11.5 to 11.9)

MeasuredMcMillan KM, 2024

Not among the 18 breeds in Teng et al. 2022, so no life_expectancy_yr partner is recorded. The RKC breed page bands lifespan as 'under 10 years' (rkc_breed), which disagrees with this measured median; the measured figure leads.

The dog at home

What the breed asks of a day. The first thing most homes get wrong.

Exercise need

More than 2 hours per day

Breed clubThe Royal Kennel Club

RKC band mapped: more than 2 hours = 150.

Exercise need

More than 2 hours per day

Breed clubThe Royal Kennel Club

Energy

5 of 5

Breed clubAKC

AKC breed page trait score, 1 to 5: a breed-club tendency, never a measurement.

Grooming load

3 of 5 · More than once a week (RKC grooming band); coat length medium; sheds

Breed clubThe Royal Kennel Club

RKC band mapped: more than once a week = 3.

Grooming

More than once a week

Breed clubThe Royal Kennel Club

The work

What it was built to do in the field, and what a test or trial asks of it.

Role

Versatile family companion hunting retriever: keen and birdy, flushing within gun range, and a determined, resourceful retriever on land and water

Breed clubAKC breed standard, 1990

FCRSA's Code of Ethics states the aim of a multi-purpose, practical working animal possessing hardiness, longevity and the character of the breed (fcrsa_ethics).

Primary game

Upland game and waterfowl alike; the standard asks for a head able to retrieve a large pheasant, duck or hare with ease

Breed clubAKC breed standard, 1990

The standard names no single primary bird; it stresses adaptability across upland game and waterfowl.

Range

Close: flushes within gun range; as a non-slip retriever, test retrieves should not normally exceed 100 yards (Junior, Senior) or 150 yards (Master) under AKC rules

Breed clubAKC breed standard, 1990

Distances from akc_rht.

Search pattern

Hunts with self-reliance, flushing within gun range, then retrieves

Breed clubAKC breed standard, 1990

Unusual among retriever standards in describing a flushing role as well as retrieving.

Field trial standard

AKC retriever hunting tests score four abilities 0-10: marking (memory), style, perseverance/courage/hunting, and trainability (steadiness, control, response, delivery); dogs must perform equally well on land and in water; Senior and Master dogs run blind retrieves and honor another dog's retrieve

Breed clubAKC, 2025

Retriever rules are shared by every eligible retriever breed.

Water work

Retrievers shall perform equally well on the land and in the water and are tested on both at every level; the breed standard calls for a determined retriever on land and water

Breed clubAKC, 2025

Cold water

3 of 5 · The standard asks for a coat of sufficient texture, length and fullness to insulate against all types of weather, water and ground cover, on a determined retriever on land and water; it does not name ice work

DerivedAKC breed standard, 1990

Derived from coat plus water work. Across the retriever entries: 3 where the standard asks for insulation and water work but names neither an undercoat nor cold (Flat-Coat); 4 where it names a water-resistant undercoat (Labrador, Golden); 5 where it names ice work (Chesapeake).

How common the problems are

Evaluated dogs skew toward breeding stock; the numbers are still the best there are.

Hip dysplasia

3.9% · 3.9% dysplastic of 7,720 OFA hip evaluations on record (all data through Oct 2026; OFA hip registry dates from 1974); 95.7% normal (23.4% excellent, 63.4% good, 8.8% fair); breed rank 194

MeasuredOrthopedic Foundation for Animals

Voluntary registry: Hou et al. 2013 (hou_2013) document that OFA submissions under-report affected dogs, so true prevalence is higher. Evaluated dogs skew toward breeding stock.

Elbow dysplasia

0.8% · 0.8% abnormal of 4,244 OFA elbow evaluations on record (grade 1 0.7%, grade 2 0.1%); breed rank 148

MeasuredOrthopedic Foundation for Animals

Same voluntary-registry caveat as hips.

Most common disorders

Cancer dominates: in a UK cohort of 174 Flat-Coated Retrievers followed 1996-2007, 42% died of confirmed neoplasia and a further 11.6% of unconfirmed tumours; soft tissue sarcoma, especially histiocytic sarcoma, was the predominant type (44% of neoplasms). Median age at death 9 yr for dogs with tumours (8 for sarcoma) vs 12 yr for non-neoplastic deaths.

StudiedDobson J, 2009

The parent club's health statement agrees: higher than normal incidence of cancer, specifically soft tissue sarcomas such as hemangiosarcoma, lymphoma and malignant histiocytosis (fcrsa_stmt). The statement requires documented clearances for hip dysplasia and patellar abnormalities and regular eye clearances.

akc bands

AKC breed page trait scores (1-5): Energy Level 5; Mental Stimulation Needs 4; Trainability Level 5; Barking Level 3; Watchdog/Protective Nature 3; Good With Young Children 5; Openness To Strangers 5; Good With Other Dogs 5; Shedding Level 3; Coat Grooming Frequency 2; Drooling Level 2; Affectionate With Family 5; Playfulness Level 5; Adaptability Level 5.

Breed clubAKC

Fourteen AKC bands in one row; the selector reads each by name. Breed-club ratings: a tendency, never a measurement.

What to ask a breeder for

The health clearances the breed’s own club and registry name. Reference only: what to ask for, never a statement about any dog’s health.

USCHIC recommended set: patella, hip and ophthalmologist evaluation (no elbow or DNA requirement listed)OFA/CHIC · American Kennel Club, Sporting Group health testing requirements (CHIC)
USEye exam by an ACVO diplomate within 12 months before breeding, both parentsACVO/OFA · Flat-Coated Retriever Society of America, Code of Ethics, revised November 2, 2025
USPatella evaluation at 12 months or olderOFA · Flat-Coated Retriever Society of America, Code of Ethics, revised November 2, 2025
USHip evaluation (OFA at 24 months or older; PennHIP at 12 months or older)OFA or PennHIP · Flat-Coated Retriever Society of America, Code of Ethics, revised November 2, 2025

UKElbow scoring (best practice)BVA/KC · The Royal Kennel Club, Retriever (Flat Coated) breed page: breed characteristics and health schemes
UKHip scoring (best practice)BVA/KC · The Royal Kennel Club, Retriever (Flat Coated) breed page: breed characteristics and health schemes
UKEye testing including gonioscopy for PLA (good practice)BVA/KC/ISDS · The Royal Kennel Club, Retriever (Flat Coated) breed page: breed characteristics and health schemes

No KENAI kennel lists the Flat-Coated Retriever yet. If you breed them, list your kennel free: it shows on this page and in the hunting dog breed finder, under every handler whose answers land on the breed.

How to read this page

Every value carries a label. Measured means peer-reviewed data on many dogs. Studied means peer-reviewed, smaller or indirect. Breed club means a club or registry states it. Editorial means expert opinion with no measurement behind it. Where two good sources disagree, both are shown and neither is averaged.

Published when the entry rests on the best information available from no fewer than three independent sources, checked by a second pass that did not write it. 10 sources on this page. Found something wrong? Tell us and the correction is logged with its date.

Also called: Flat-Coat, Flatcoat, FCR

Every breed, read the same way.

The breed index grows as entries clear the standard. Gun dogs first.

All published breeds

Your flat-coated retriever, on the record.

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