If you are new to our pages, you won’t know a few things that veteran readers already know about us: We often take a circuitous route to get to the point;  We have a fondness for trivia (hence the reason for frequent circuitous routes), and we love odd, archaic, unique, and esoteric terms with regards to purebred dogs.  In this post, we spare you the journey by getting straight to the point with what might be one of our favorite finds of caninological terms: flatcatcher. 

But it is not a word that has collected dust over the years. And – if you are a fancier (that is, someone involved in breeding and/or showing dogs) –  it is a word you never knew you needed because you’ve probably seen a flatcatcher in the ring and thought of a dozen words to describe the dog when one word would have done: flatcatcher.

Flatcatcher is old British slang constructed from two words that in the 19th century had different meanings than they do today: Back then, flat also referred to a dupe or a fool, while catcher was literally a person who deceived or swindled the public. It was seen in print as early as 1821, but we don’t know if the general public used the term before equestrians used it, or the other way around, but in the equine world, a flatcatcher was a horse that looked superb but wasn’t.

Dog fanciers borrowed the word to describe much the same thing: A show dog that was all flash but incorrect in structure or type. Either the dog was skillfully handled and presented by someone who knew how to disguise faults, or the dog had impressive movement that was incorrect for its breed.  Judges and writers used it as a cautionary word against losing breed type…

…..and they still do. In a 2023 issue of Dog News, writer Andrew Brace wrote a piece entitled, “Beware the Flatcatcher!” Tom Horner, the highly influential British dog judge, breeder, journalist, author, and educator, used the term in several critiques and articles, including “Take Them Round, Please: The Art of Judging Dogs.“ In 1976, Anne Roslin-Williams published “Flatcatcher,” issued by Batsford, London. This work is still well regarded among the dog fancy for its insight into show culture and terminology, though it’s hard to find. The term even appears in the Kennel Club’s Glossary of Canine Terminology, and while it is referenced as being “an old word rarely heard these days,” we think it should be resurrected if for no other reason than to pay homage to earlier fanciers.

Besides, it’s a good word, a succinct critique of flash over substance. And we bet most fanciers have seen a “flatcatcher” at one time or another.

Our image isn’t intended to pick on this breed or suggest that he is a “flatcatcher,” but to show a gaiting dog in a show ring. It is by © Raywoo/Dreamstime