Swedish biotopes are different from those of the continent and the Brittish islands. Especially in the north, the major part of the country is covered with large woods. From the Scania-region in the south to the Stockholm area the big flat, farmed areas are mixed with large woods and numerous lakes. Consequently the shooting man is going for a mixed bag of game. From tradition the autumn elkshot is the big shot and the social event when countrymen gathers to meet old friends, and to fill up the deepfreeze with their "ration" of good meat. For the ordinary shot the roedeer and the hare are the main targets but there is no doubt that ducks, geese, pigeons etc are highly appreciated parts of the bag.
The primary need of the shooting man is a dog that can be used to find the game and present it to the gun. Thus dogs specialized for driving in, tracking etc have always been the first choice of the ordinary shooting man (and woman). But in the last decades interest in the working retriever has increased rapidly, mainly for two reasons.
The first reason is that shooting men have realized that the retriever is a
very useful multipurpose dog. A dog that is easy to keep with the family in
the house (where most Swedish dogs live) and that can be used as a jack of
all trade for driving in and tracking the roedeer, for following the blood
scent of a wounded elk and of course for retrieving ducks, pigeons and
hares. A dog that is a neccessity at the bigger estates in the south and
middle of Sweden which offers the traditional retriever work on reared
pheasants and partridge.
The second reason is the fact that new law states that the shooting man always
shall have access to a dog that is able to trace and/or retrieve the wounded
game. Probably no dog is better than the working retriever for this purpose.
All this asks for a very allround retriever. A dog that combines the
ability to watch quietly for the evening ducks and to go for a handled bird
150 meters across a lake with the perseverance and stamina needed to hunt
through areas of heavy reeds or rough woods unseen with little or no
interference from its handler. A dog that is willing to hunt on short
distances for driving in roedeer and hare and that is easily called back
when the game has started to move. A dog that is able to slowly follow the
scent of a wounded elk on a lead with his handler.
Field trials in general
Although the Swedish retriever trial basically is run on traditional lines
they are at the same time affected by our local shooting conditions. Due to
the relative scarcity of reared game Swedish field trials are run on cold
game. The dog is asked to go for marked birds, for handled birds as well as
to hunt for unseens on its own in covered areas on land and in water. The
water work is an important part of the trial and all basic retriever
qualities are controlled both on land and in water. Dogs are normally not
worked on a line. In the youngdog/beginner classes the dog is asked to
watch another dog at work at a part of the trial, in open and elite
classes the dog is asked to watch another dog and to work closely to it for
the purpose of controlling steadiness, the ability to keep quiet and the
social behaviour.
The dog is asked to retrieve a mixed variety of game, properly and softly. For the ordinary dog owner seagulls, crows, magpies and pigeons are relatively easy to obtain from sanitary guns and to keep in a deep freeze. These animals are also used at trials in combination with ducks, pheasants, hares etc.
A great number of trials are arranged every year. In 1995 1 770 retrievers
made 4 451 entries. Of those 814 Labradors made 2 062 entries and 607
Flatcoats made 1 525 entries.
The same year 290 Goldens, 31 Tollers, 20 Curlies and 2 Chessies were
entered. Figures from 1996 are a bit lower but the evidence is there,
interest in proper retriever work is enormous. In 1997 the Swedish Spaniel
and Retriever Club will arrange 82 field trials.
Flatcoats in particular
It is noteable that there are only about 700 - 800 Flatcoats born every
year so no breed can beat the Flatcoat when it comes to the percentage
amount of the breed beeing tested at trials.
The outstanding interest among Flatcoat owners shows every year at the
unofficial Flatcoat Championship which gathers about 150 dogs. In 1996, for the
first time, the finals on day two were run on full Field Trial
lines on partridge and ducks. When it comes to results the top working
Labradors are a bit ahead of the Flatcoat. Yet there are Flatcoats going to
the top as winners in all different classes ( youngdogs, beginners, open
and elite). A number of Flatcoats every year reach FT Championship status.
From the big pool of entered dogs there are not few showing excellent
working standards.
When it comes to breeding we suffer from the universal Flatcoatproblem which is the difficulty to reproduce high working standards from the first class dogs. The traditional ambivalence among Flatcoat breeders is between looks and brains. The great majority of breeders prioritize show qualities when it comes to the final choice of a stud dog, itīs nothing wrong with that but itīs strongly unfavourable for the working Flatcoat. Among showfocused breeders there is an unwillingness to accept the racy, medium sized working type stated in the breed standard instead of the bigger and heavier show type. This, combined with the scarcity of bloodlines consequently bred for work during generations, the incapacity to use the traditional breeding tools (that is selective breeding and linebreeding on good workers from good, even litters) counteract the development of a more even gundog.
Conditions in Sweden today are most favourable for the working Flatcoat. The ordinary dogowner can easily find grounds for training and there are training-classes arranged all over the country. Interest in retrievers among shooting men is increasing. There is a strong consensus among breeders in general that working qualities shall be maintained in the breed.
There are rules set up by the annual meeting of the Swedish Flatcoat club saying that no dog or bitch shall be recommended by the stud advisors of the club if they havenīt shown a basic standard at trials that is a second prize in youngdogs or beginners classes. There are similar rules saying that no litter will be recommended by the club if parents havenīt shown the standard stated above. There are progeny tests available to check basic working qualities in a full litter at 1 - 2 years of age. A majority of the breeders do care about working qualities when they choose a studdog and they accept the rules noted above. Among those there is a smaller group of breeders really determined to improve the working Flatcoat. The opportunities are there to establish first class working lines in Sweden. Only future can tell if we took care of that chance.
Text: Ingemar Borelius
Foto: Håkan Nilsson