Country/Date of Origin: England/1800s
A water retriever with a coat to do the job. The Curly-Coated Retriever is an old breed probably created with a dash of Irish Water Spaniel, another of Poodle and possibly a bit of Newfoundland thrown in.
The Curly Coat first appeared in the show ring in England in 1860 and was being shown in the United States by 1907. Although never very popular in America where it went head to head with the Chesapeake for water work, it was and still is the water dog of choice in Australia and New Zealand.