“Power without lumber and raciness without weediness.” 

Let’s pick this phrase apart. We all know what “power” means. In the world of dogs, “lumber” suggests weight and thickness, while “raciness” speaks to a streamlined, refined, and elegant form. “Weediness,” however, always refers to an inadequately boned, lightly framed dog (just think of the scrawny, leggy weeds trying to grow between the plants you really want).  What this opening sentence tells us is that the breed it describes is strong without being so heavy as to get in the way of itself. The dog is athletic, never rangy, and has clean lines free of exaggeration. Seven well-chosen words beautifully describe what Flat Coated Retriever breeders had in mind when they wrote the words now included in the first paragraph of the breed standard.

We love it when a standard is so descriptive.

Flat Coated Retriever by LA Shepard/thedoglover
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Flat Coated Retriever, standard