Chatham Hill RetrieversTM
Pocono Mountains, Pennsylvania
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Mission Statement
Mission Statement on Flat Coated Retrievers:
“We get it”. We understand that our ancestors went through great efforts to create each of the breeds we acknowledge today. And we know that the methods used for the creation of the working breeds took the best traits from several dogs over several generations. The key to success was to breed the healthiest specimens to improve upon the following generations. This was easy to do when the registries were open and allowed for cross breeding to maintain a varied and healthy gene pool. After the registries closed it was the beginning of the decline of genetic diversity.
In the case of Flat Coated Retrievers Genetic diversity has been decimated to the point where many genetic disorders that were never associated with the breed are now becoming more prevalent. The average lifespan is becoming shorter and cancer is on the rise. Our goal is to improve the genetic diversity by doing what our ancestors did to create the many dogs we know today.
Our plan involves different approaches to help achieve the desire diversity:
• First we’re out crossing our Flatties with similar breeds with a goal similar to our ancestors of creating a better dog from the combination and ultimately over time, back crossing the results into the FCR lines.
• Second we’re introducing the Yellow gene back into the FCR lines directly to put back the missing 30% that many breeders cull away from. Based on color alone, many Yellow flatcoats are killed or spayed/neutered to prevent the breeding of an otherwise healthy dog based on color alone.
• Finally, but most importantly, we will breed for health concerns above all else and put these concerns before the cosmetic concerns found in the majority of show minded breeders. Our goal is to receive a call in 16 years from our clients proudly telling us about the long healthy life their dog lived.
Mission Statement on Chatham Hill RetrieversTM:
Retrievers have always been known for their kind, biddable gentle nature and strong family bond. The working instinct of the Flat-Coated Retriever (FCR) coupled with its calmness when indoors provides an exceptional companion for the family and a dog ready to turn it on for the hunter.
The shortcoming for many with a family dog in mind is typically the size of the dog. Whereas, the FCR is a formula for a great family companion it falls short of the mark in most cases based on its size alone. The main fear from many FCR breeders is that a family with small children and one of these dogs that can grow as big as 70Lbs or more is a recipe for disaster.
American Cocker Spaniels are sporting dogs with even proportion just like the larger retrievers and in areas where the genetic diversity is weak in one breed it can find some merit from mixing with the other. In many cases the diversity created by mixing breeds with similar proportions will yield a healthier result in their offspring and add desired traits from both breeds into the mix.
Our Goal is to use our out cross to create a healthier dog and ultimately use the exceptional results from future litters to add some much needed genetic diversity into the FCR breed. With only a few hundred dogs registered annually; the diversity for the FCR can’t recover from the decades of line-breeding that have brought the gene pool to where it is now. Other breeds like Goldens, Labrador and Cocker Spaniels have gone through their time of popularity and over breeding to where their populations alone give them a better fighting chance to breed for a better dog without having to outcross. But, for a rare breed like the FCR out crossing may be the only way to reverse the damage that has been done. Again, just like with our Flatcoats, our main concern and goal with our Chatties is to breed for a healthier long living specimen that will ultimately give back to the FCR some much needed genetic diversity.
“We get it”. We understand that our ancestors went through great efforts to create each of the breeds we acknowledge today. And we know that the methods used for the creation of the working breeds took the best traits from several dogs over several generations. The key to success was to breed the healthiest specimens to improve upon the following generations. This was easy to do when the registries were open and allowed for cross breeding to maintain a varied and healthy gene pool. After the registries closed it was the beginning of the decline of genetic diversity.
In the case of Flat Coated Retrievers Genetic diversity has been decimated to the point where many genetic disorders that were never associated with the breed are now becoming more prevalent. The average lifespan is becoming shorter and cancer is on the rise. Our goal is to improve the genetic diversity by doing what our ancestors did to create the many dogs we know today.
Our plan involves different approaches to help achieve the desire diversity:
• First we’re out crossing our Flatties with similar breeds with a goal similar to our ancestors of creating a better dog from the combination and ultimately over time, back crossing the results into the FCR lines.
• Second we’re introducing the Yellow gene back into the FCR lines directly to put back the missing 30% that many breeders cull away from. Based on color alone, many Yellow flatcoats are killed or spayed/neutered to prevent the breeding of an otherwise healthy dog based on color alone.
• Finally, but most importantly, we will breed for health concerns above all else and put these concerns before the cosmetic concerns found in the majority of show minded breeders. Our goal is to receive a call in 16 years from our clients proudly telling us about the long healthy life their dog lived.
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Mission Statement on Chatham Hill RetrieversTM:
Retrievers have always been known for their kind, biddable gentle nature and strong family bond. The working instinct of the Flat-Coated Retriever (FCR) coupled with its calmness when indoors provides an exceptional companion for the family and a dog ready to turn it on for the hunter.
The shortcoming for many with a family dog in mind is typically the size of the dog. Whereas, the FCR is a formula for a great family companion it falls short of the mark in most cases based on its size alone. The main fear from many FCR breeders is that a family with small children and one of these dogs that can grow as big as 70Lbs or more is a recipe for disaster.
American Cocker Spaniels are sporting dogs with even proportion just like the larger retrievers and in areas where the genetic diversity is weak in one breed it can find some merit from mixing with the other. In many cases the diversity created by mixing breeds with similar proportions will yield a healthier result in their offspring and add desired traits from both breeds into the mix.
Our Goal is to use our out cross to create a healthier dog and ultimately use the exceptional results from future litters to add some much needed genetic diversity into the FCR breed. With only a few hundred dogs registered annually; the diversity for the FCR can’t recover from the decades of line-breeding that have brought the gene pool to where it is now. Other breeds like Goldens, Labrador and Cocker Spaniels have gone through their time of popularity and over breeding to where their populations alone give them a better fighting chance to breed for a better dog without having to outcross. But, for a rare breed like the FCR out crossing may be the only way to reverse the damage that has been done. Again, just like with our Flatcoats, our main concern and goal with our Chatties is to breed for a healthier long living specimen that will ultimately give back to the FCR some much needed genetic diversity.
