The Curly-Coat is a retriever of great ability in the water and on land. He is descended from a cross between the St. John's Newfoundland (presently known as the Labrador Retriever) , the English Water Dog and the Poodle. He became extremely popular among the English land-owners of the nineteenth century and was prized as a multi-purpose hunting retriever with great perseverance on land as well as strength in the water. With the arrival of the twentieth century, the popularity of the Curly-Coat gave way to other retrieving breeds. Today it still remains popular in Australia and New Zealand. This is a dog with great power in the water when it comes to retrieving. I have personally seen a Curly -Coat that has brought in without hesitation a wounded Canada Goose, no small feat. He is a natural swimmer if introduced to the water at an early age to water play. There is not always an inherent desire to swim, at least without an introduction, because the Curly Coat has also been used for years as a hunting dog on land.