To me the Curly-Coated Retriever is one of the more surprising looking retriever breeds.

I never expected the tight rings of curls across the entire body of the dog. Especially such a large dog.

And it is really set of by how abruptly the curls cease right at the margins of the dogs face. The Curly-Coated Retriever has fur on its face that is short, straight, and flat. Unlike many other breeds where the features of the fur that covers the body is continued onto the face.

The contrast in the pattern of the fur on the dogs body versus the face makes it look like the dog is wearing a costume.

The Curly-Coated Retriever is the breed of retriever that I have had the fewest opportunities to photograph. I have just over 100 photos of them. Dog breeds I photograph more regularly have nearly 1,000 photos in my archives.

Despite having a unique look the Curly-Coated Retriever has that one characteristic that all retrievers seem to have and that is amazing eyes.

Photo details: Nikon D300S. Nikon 300mm f/4. Focal length 420mm. ISO 400. 1/800 sec. f/5.6.