FTCh Flapper (Barnett's Stag x Bates Betsay)
Country of origin: United Kingdom
The first labrador to be placed at a retriever trial in 1906 (FTCh Flapper).
First Labrador to receive FTCH
KCSB 944L
CCW
Having competed in only four field trials and with his place in the breed history secure, Flapper was then retired from competition. He was to prove a most successful force as a stud dog siring over 700 puppies to some of the breed’s best bitches.
The main characteristics of the traditional Buccleuch Labrador are a good nose, a tender mouth and an intelligent and courageous temperament. Their heads are often shorter than the average Labrador, they have a thick double coat and frequently have the otter tail. The pure strain can only throw black puppies. The Buccleuchs belonged, together with the Earls of Home, to the so called northern set of Britains 19th century's priviliged hunting world, while the Malmesbury's belonged to the ?southern set?. http://labradornet.wordpress.com
In 1910 Major Portal wrote an article for The Field, giving his theories on the origins of the Labrador. It is very interesting that the article includes the Major's own description of what a Labrador should look like, (and remember, this was written a good six years before the Club produced the first official Standard). Briefly in appearance the Labrador should be a compactly built dog. Straight legs, shortish and with plenty of muscle, a deep chest, rather short neck and well set on head which should be rather broad, not pointed at nose or very little. Eyes well set and full expression and the colour of burnt sugar for choice. Ears set rather low and close to the head. The tail straight set rather low and short and rather broad at the base.? The coat short, hard and thick and wiry, no waves or curls in it.? The legs have no feather, the feet good and not splayed out?? In the same article Major Portal refers to what I take to be the chocolate colour appear in litters.? ?Several instances have occurred where the colour of the litter has varied, one or two puppies coming a brown colour, light rusty brown, the make and shape of the puppies being true Labrador and the coat perfect.? I can offer no solution for this, I know of one or two bitches which produce this colour in each litter though they are quite black and their pedigrees show no outcross.? This brown species must not be confounded with the yellow retriever of the Tweed or the Golden Retriever.? It is purely a sport in colour and offers a most excellent opportunity for those who wish to adopt the Mendelian theory of breeding and colour.?
?Medium Brown for the Chesapeake bay retriever. http://www.thelabradorretrieverclub.com/articles/Personalities%20from%20the%20Past.htm
The next item of importance that took place in 1907, was the 2nd All-Aged Stake held by the Kennel Club on November 26th & 27th. In a field of 20 runners there were fifteen Flat Coats, three Labradors, and two others. The Labradors were Mr. Portal's Flapper, The Duchess of Hamilton's Dungavel Juno, and Holland-Hibbert's Munden Single. So foul was the weather on the morning of the first day that a vote was taken of handlers and guns whether to continue after lunch - a situation known to many hardened field triallers. Fortunately, they voted to continue, which gave an historic result. Flapper was first, Juno was second and M. Single gained the fourth prize. The Labrador had arrived on the field trial scene with a vengeance. Flapper, who became a FT Champion, was handled by Maurice Portal, a man who, as Vice Chairman, was to play a major role in the direction of the Labrador Club in its formative years. This was the first time a Labrador had won a major stake. Flapper was 5 years old when he won this trial and was to continue to win further honours. He was to become a powerful stud force siring many litters. It was Flapper more than any dog to date, whose brilliant accomplishments made an enormous impression on the shooting public. More than any other dog he convinced the public of the superiority of the Labrador over the previously ubiquitous Flat Coats.
The year 1907 also saw the arrival of Capt. Glen Kidston on the field trial scene as an extraordinarily generous and popular host. Glen Kidston was a wealthy Scot, known as an outstanding shot. It is on record "that as a shooter of the driven grouse, only two men in the world, the famous Lord Ripon and Mr. Rimington-Wilson could be named as quite in the same class with him". He became deeply involved with the development of the Labrador and field trials, hosting trials and running his dogs very successfully in them, in particular his Gwendoline (Peter of Faskally ex Juniper) who won the IGL. Open and was 2nd in the Retriever Championship. Kidston's generosity led him to mount the second Championship in 1910 at his shooting in Brecon, and to finance the whole event including the giving of valuable prizes, not the least being the magnificent silver trophy, still awarded to the winner of the Championship.
But for his untimely death in 1913, he would undoubtedly have been involved in the formation of the Labrador Club in 1916. He was on terms of close friendship with many of the first committee members, and his brother-in-law, Major M. Portal D.S.O. as already mentioned, was the first Vice-Chairman. On his death one of his dogs, Snipe, went to Mrs. Quintin Dick. The report on the IGL’s trial in 1907 at Glen Kidston's shooting at Rushmore, near Salisbury makes interesting reading; among the comments of the writer was the following, "In one respect the trials have certainly done much good; they have secured the breeding of a class of dog that is not incapacitated by its formation, as the show dogs are; and, although one of these lumbering animals actually got third prize last season, he always had one or more failures at runners." Our Edwardian grandfathers, or great grandfathers, certainly did not pull their punches when reporting on what has become a long standing controversy.
The year 1908 marks the first year that a trial was held in which there were more Labradors running than Flat Coats, the previous most numerous entry, a position of dominance the Labrador was to consolidate in the next two years.
https://thelabradorretrieverclub.com/fts-past-achievements-part-i-to-1914
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