Ch. Karakul Black Rain JH WC ("Reno"), one of Jim and Paula Crosby's curly-coats.

This is not to say that the breed doesn't have a quirk or two. Mary Veitch said, "While the curly requires little formal training to make a good upland bird hunter and retriever, they tend to be aloof and independent. They can take fair corrections but it takes them some time to recover from a hard correction. Their aloofness can lead to a dog that's very soft or sensitive to hard corrections. [Curly-coats] are easily bored by drills. You have to keep things interesting or they get stale."

Sue Shaw added that it seems you have to earn the respect and confidence of a curly before you can start training them and have them listen to you. "They are very intelligent dogs and would very much rather do things their own way. Once they do respect you, they usually give in and do it your way. While that process can take a long time, if you are persistent, it comes out beautifully in the end.

"Training my dog Jade was challenging when she was young. We had battle after battle. But I had faith that she could do the work and we ultimately had many fun and successful years running hunt tests at the master level."

One particularly unusual aspect of the breed, according to Jim Crosby, is that somewhere between the ages of 10 and 12 months, everything goes south in training. "I don't know what it is or why it happens but somewhere around the 10-to-12-month age, they quit. It is like they hit a wall. Some stay in this state for only a couple of weeks while others are gone for as long as six months.

HR WR Chocca-Shaw's Brinstone JH WC WCQ ("Rain") demonstrates that waterfowl are also an important part of a curly-coat's world.

"This is an extremely frustrating period for a dog trainer. In these situations, the natural first response is to increase the force or the pressure. Except that's exactly the wrong thing to do. In fact, there's only one thing you can do and that's wait. Wait until they get over it. You don't have a bad dog and it hasn't lost its mind. Eventually, if you just stop with them, they'll come out the other side.

"Typically this 'shut down' lasts a month or two. I take mine out to the field and simply let them play during this period. Every now and then, I throw a bumper to see if they've come out of the funk. When they do come out, they're just as they were before they hit that wall."

Training The Curly-Coat
How easy or difficult is it to train a curly? It depends upon what you are trying to get them to do and how you go about getting them to do it. "This is a breed that is sometimes too smart for its own good," said Crosby. "You can do the same drill 150 times with a Lab and they'll do it the same way every time. That does not work with a curly. They can be extremely creative and they do not take well to repetitive training. They are independent and independent thinkers that will pick and choose who they associate with.

"Of course, this makes sense. The Brits needed a dog that was not a robot. They needed one that could adapt quickly to changing circumstances--in other words, a dog that could think on its feet. They can find a way through just about anything they put their minds to. Also, they will quit if you exceed the threshold of what they are ready to accept. They get their feelings hurt very easily and you absolutely cannot bully them.

"Force-fetching does not work well with a curly. If you inflict pain, they resent being treated that way. They are not particularly good 'collar' dogs. You have to be willing to negotiate with them but they are generally willing to do things your way if you can make the case for them. You have to have a sense of humor to train them or you'll be slitting your wrists or considering canine homicide. But they are wonderful dogs. You just have to be able to laugh at yourself when you are working with them."