The coat of the curly Retriever plays a very important part in his value and personality.  There are many kinds of coat, but the only true and proper one is the close-fitting “nigger curl,” of which each knot is solid and inseparable.  A coat of this quality is not capable of improvement by any method of grooming, for the simple reason that its natural condition is in itself perfect.  The little locks should be so close together as to be impervious to water, and all parts of the body should be evenly covered with them, including the tail and legs.  A bad class of coat, and one which readily yields to the faker’s art, is the thin open curl which by careful manipulation can be greatly improved.  Another bad quality of coat is one in which, upon the withers and over the loins in particular, the curls do not tighten up naturally, but are large, loose, and soft to the feel.  Regarding the dog as a whole, the following may be taken as an all-round description:—­

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GENERAL APPEARANCE—­That of a smart, active, clean-cut and alert dog, full of go and fire—­a sportsman from stem to stern.  HEAD—­Long and not weedy in the muzzle, nor thick and coarse in the skull, but tapering down and finishing with a stout broad muzzle.  SKULL—­Should be flat and moderately broad between the ears, which are rather small, and well covered with hair.  EARS—­Should lie close to the side of the head, but not dead in their carriage.  FACE—­The face should be smooth, and any indication of a forelock should be penalised.  EYE—­The eye should in all cases be dark and not too deeply set.  NECK—­Well placed in the shoulders and nicely arched, of moderate length and yet powerful and free from throatiness.  SHOULDERS—­Well laid back and as free from massiveness as possible, though there is a decided tendency in this variety to such a fault.  LEGS—­Straight and well covered with coat.  The bone should show quality and yet be fairly abundant.  FEET—­Compact and hound-like.  BODY—­Should show great power, with deep, well-rounded ribs.  As little cut-up in the flank as possible.  TAIL—­Strong at the base, set on in a line with the back and tapering to a point, the size of the curls upon it diminishing gradually to the end.  HIND-QUARTERS—­Should show great development of muscle, with bent hocks, the lower leg being strong and the hind feet compact.  Any suspicion of cow hocks should be heavily penalised.  COLOUR—­Mostly a dull black.  Some liver-coloured dogs are seen with very good coats and bodies, but their heads are generally thick and coarse, and the colour of their eyes does not always match, as it should do, with the colour of the coat.  A few dogs of this colour have achieved distinction on the show bench.

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  THE LABRADOR