Buyer question
How long does a Flat-Coated Retriever live?
Our Animal Library gives the Flat-Coated Retriever a lifespan of 8–10 years.
Source: the Flat-Coated Retriever page in the Everybarn Animal Library. Flat-Coated Retriever in the Animal Library
The detail
A British retriever bred to fetch game on land and water, the Flat-Coat stays playful and puppyish well into middle age. Cheerful, optimistic and devoted to its people, it needs daily exercise and company, and the breed carries a high cancer risk.
- Best fit
- Active families, retriever work
- Temperament
- Exuberant, sociable, bright
What to weigh
Flat-Coats mature slowly and stay bouncy for years. Cancer, especially histiocytic sarcoma, shortens many lives, so the average lifespan is shorter than other retrievers of the same size.