Hey AKC: Here is a Second Lesson on Curly Coated Retriever History

The second dog show in London lasted a whopping six days. In those six days in April 1864, 933 dogs were exhibited.

In 1860, a group of sportsmen organized the first dog show in Birmingham, England. Only pointers and setters were exhibited in that show but the next show included other breeds, including curly coated retrievers.

Although the curly and wavy coated retrievers were shown together at that show under the generic classification "Retrievers", we know some were curly coated retrievers by their names and the names of their owners, which were listed in the catalog and later in the UK Kennel Club's first stud book.

By the 1864 London dog show, the curly and wavy coats were separated. Here is the listing for the curly coated dogs exhibited at the 1864 show.

The listing of the four curly coated retrievers entered at the 1864 London dog show. This listing is from the UK Kennel Club's first stud book.

Here is proof that by 1864, curly coated retrievers were considered an established breed. The dog "Tip" who took first place was born in 1861 and sired by a dog named Fag. We know this because Tip is listed in the first Kennel Club stud book. The second place dog, "Neptune", is one of a couple of curly coated retrievers from the 1860s named Neptune. In the bitch classes, "Rose" and "Mab" are two examples of several bitches carrying those names. Using the stud book listings, we can find a curly coat named "Mab", who was born in 1863, and it is probable the bitch exhibited at London was this bitch. Purebred dogs, especially those who also served as bird dogs, were very valuable commodities and were frequently sold and resold.

In the April, 2019 article "7 Fun Facts About the Curly Coated Retriever", the AKC claimed the curly coat wasn't purebred until the 1900s but we know better. The curly coated retriever is one of the oldest purebred dogs and was recognized as a purebred long before the Labrador and golden retriever breeds.

Perhaps the AKC doesn't want to rely on the English Kennel Club records and only recognizes dogs as purebred when they are listed in the AKC's own stud books. Well, lo and behold! Guess what? Back in 1888, the AKC listed two curly coated retrievers in their OWN stud book.

Let's look at a listing of a registered dog published in the AKC's own 1888 stud book.