Th e breed standard states: “...A Curly sometimes appears aloof or self-willed, and, as such, is often less demon- strative, particularly toward strangers, than the other retriever breeds...” Best stated by Canadian Curly adorer, Melissa Kime, “While she is not as com- fortable being at the center of attention as her Labradorable siblings, she is extremely comfortable just being. She doesn’t want a ticker tape parade thrown in her honor, but she is happy to be there at the parade. A Labrador is not happy until the soiree thrown in his honor has begun while a Curly wonders ‘why all the fuss?’
She is not disinterested, she is uncon- cerned. She is not di ffi cult to train, she is quick to bore. She is not out of the pic- ture, she is happy to be a part of the back- ground, just squeak, squeak, squeaking her tennis ball. Th ere’s nothing fancy about my Curly. She is very happy to please so long as what pleases me also happens to please her.” Field Venue Presence Th ey are eligible to participate in many hunt tests and fi eld trials through AKC, UKC, and North American Hunting Retriever Association (NAHRA). Th ey
have recently been included in not only the retriever stakes of these tests, but the spaniel hunt tests as well, celebrating their attributes as an excellent upland hunter. Th ey are in the minority of numbers at many tests, but the trend is changing, more are representing all over the US each weekend. Th e Master Hunter (MH) title is the highest level in the AKC hunt test system. For perspective, the breed has only had 11 Master Hunters in its history, but 6 of them have earned their titles in the last fi ve years with more on the way to their titles this year. Evidence of their versatility, of the 11 Master Hunt- ers, 8 are conformation show Champions
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