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LargeSporting Group

Curly-Coated Retriever

The Curly-Coated Retriever is one of the oldest retriever breeds, dating from late-18th-century England.

Calculate Curly-Coated Retriever age
Lifespan12.2 yrrange 11–13
SizeLargeSporting Group
Weight60–95 lb27.2–43.1 kg
Senior at6 yrgeriatric at 10

Gallery (3)

About

About the Curly-Coated Retriever

The Curly-Coated Retriever is one of the oldest retriever breeds, dating from late-18th-century England. Its tight all-over curl pre-dates the modern Flat-Coated, Golden, and Labrador silhouettes and remains its most distinctive trait.

Aging

How Curly-Coated Retrievers age

RVC VetCompass reports a median lifespan of 12.2 years (n=218). The small UK sample size limits precision, but hemangiosarcoma and epilepsy track at elevated rates in breed-club longevity surveys; cataracts appear in roughly 3.8% of OFA screens.

Lifespan deep-divePublished breed median: 12.2 yrSenior careSenior at 6 · geriatric at 10Common health issues6 tracked conditions
Physical

Physical characteristics

Weight
60–95 lb(27.2–43.1 kg)
Height
23–27 in(58.4–68.6 cm)
Coat type
Curly
Colors
BlackLiver
Temperament

Temperament

How Curly-Coated Retrievers tend to show up around their people, other dogs, and the world.

confidentproudintelligentindependent
  • Energy
  • Trainability
  • Good with kids
  • Good with other dogs
  • Shedding
Health

Common health issues

Full health profile
  • Moderatetypical onset ~2 yr

    Exercise-Induced Collapse

    Description and veterinary guidance for Exercise-Induced Collapse land in Phase 4. Prevalence and onset-age figures above are drawn from https://ofa.org/diseases/disease-statistics/.

  • Low prevalencetypical onset ~7 yr

    Cataracts

    Description and veterinary guidance for Cataracts land in Phase 4. Prevalence and onset-age figures above are drawn from https://ofa.org/diseases/disease-statistics/.

  • Low prevalencetypical onset ~1 yr

    Congenital Cardiac Defect

    Description and veterinary guidance for Congenital Cardiac Defect land in Phase 4. Prevalence and onset-age figures above are drawn from https://ofa.org/diseases/disease-statistics/.

Exercise
60min
per day

About 60 minutes of activity per day keeps a Curly-Coated Retriever physically and mentally satisfied. Split it between a structured walk and free play.

Related

Related breeds

Breeds with a similar size and group profile, for readers comparing options.

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References

Sources

Lifespan and health figures on this page are drawn from the peer-reviewed and organizational sources below.

  1. AKC breed standardAmerican Kennel Club breed page

    Breed size, weight range, height, AKC group, origin, coat type, and temperament baseline.

  2. McMillan et al. 2024Longevity of companion dog breeds: those at risk from early death

    Multi-source UK companion-dog study. See the lifespan page for the matched statistic and its limitations.