Labrador Retriever – Excellent Upland Game Hunting Companion Dog

The Labrador Retriever or ‘Labrador’ is a retriever gundog type and the most famous dog breed in Canada, UK, and the USA.

Size and Weight

Labrador Retriever is a medium-to-large sized dog. The males have a typical weight between 29 to 36 kg (65 to 80 lb) and females between 25 to 32 kg (55 to 70 lb).

Types and Appearance

Common characteristics of Labrador retrievers, with exception of color, are the consequence of breeding to produce a working retriever. As with some other breeds, the Conformation (typically ‘Show’, ‘English’ or ‘Bench) and the Field (typically ‘Working’ or ‘American’) lines vary, even though both lines are produced in both countries. Generally, the conformation Labradors tend to be bred as medium-sized dogs, shorter and stronger with fuller faces and a considerable soother nature than their Field counterparts, which are frequently bred as taller, lighter-framed dogs, with marginally less broad faces and a slightly longer nose. However, Field Labradors should still be comparative and fit within AKC standards. With Field Labradors, very long noses, thin heads, long legs, and lanky frames are not considered standard.

These two types are informal and not organized or standardized; no difference is made by the American Kennel Club or other clubs, but these types come from dissimilar breeding lines. Australian stock also exists; though not seen in the West, they are common in Asia. Labrador Retrievers are also very good with children.

Colors

Labrador Retrievers have recorded in three colors: black (solid black), yellow (cream to fox red), and chocolate (medium-to-dark brown). Many Labradors have sold as silver pure-bred, but the purity of those lineages is currently disputed by breed specialists including breed clubs and breed councils. Some leading kennel clubs of the world permit silver Labradors to be listed, but not as silver.

Sometimes, Labradors produce slighter white fur on their chest, paws, or tail, and rarely pedigree Labs display bridling stripes or tan points like as Rottweiler. These markings are ineligibility for show-dogs but don’t have any bearing on dog's temperament or ability to be a good working or pet dog.

Temperament

American Kennel Club defines the Labrador's temperament as a kind, pleasant, outgoing and tractable nature. Labradors’ sense of smell lets them to home in on almost any scent and follow the path of its source. They usually stay on the scent until they find it. Navy, Military, and Police forces use Labradors as detection dogs to search and hold the smugglers, thieves, terrorists and black marketers. They are known to have a very soft feel to the mouth, as a result of being bred to retrieve game such as waterfowl.

Labradors are well-known as excellent family dogs for their even-tempered nature. They are good with children and other pets. Some Labradors are particularly fast and athletic; those have constantly bred for their skills at working in the field. Their fun-loving rowdiness and lack of fear may require training and firm handling at times to ensure it does not get out of hand. An uncontrolled adult can be quite problematic. Females may be slightly more independent than males. The Labradors get matured at around 3 years of age.

Even though Labradors will occasionally bark at noise particularly noise from an unseen source, Labradors are habitually not noisy or territorial. They are often very tolerant and trusting with strangers and therefore are not suitable as guard-dogs.

Labradors are very inquisitive and probing; and they love company, following both people and interesting scents for food, attention, and novelty value. Labrador Retrievers are very intelligent and capable of strong single-mindedness and attention if motivated or their interest is caught.

The sound temperament and capability to learn to make Labradors a perfect breed for search and rescue, discovery, and therapy work. Labradors are a very intelligent breed and they are ranked #7 in Stanley Coren's The Intelligence of Dogs. American Kennel Club defines the breed as an ideal family and sporting dog.

Use as Working Dogs

Labradors are more intelligent with good work ethics and temperaments. Their common working characteristics include hunting, finding and detection, disabled-assistance, pulling carts, and therapy work. About 60 to 70% of all guide-dogs used in Canada are Labradors, while other shared breeds are Golden Retrievers and German Shepherds. Labrador Retrievers have demonstrated a high success rate at becoming guide dogs.

Labradors are strong and untiring swimmers renowned for their ability to tolerate the coldest of water for a long time. Their capability to work along with hunters while looking for birds to fall from the sky, noticing where they land, and then using their exceptional nose to find and retrieve dead or injured birds, has made them the king of waterfowl retrievers. Labradors are also used for pointing and flushing, and make outstanding moorland game hunting companions.

Labradors are used in water rescue for lifesaving. It continues in that role today, along with the Lionburger, Newfoundland and Golden Retriever dogs; they are used at the Italian School of Canine Lifeguard.

History of Subtypes

Labradors are often classified in two ways: English Labs or American Labs. The variances are principally behavioral, though there are dissimilarities in appearance as well. Behaviorally, English Labs tend to be more easily trainable, and are often deliberated better for inexperienced owners to keep as pets or hunting companions. American Labs tend to be more enthusiastic and, having been bred to compete in field trials, are appropriate for professional owners with more experience and time to devote to training.

Yellow and chocolate pups would rarely appear, until finally getting acceptance in the 20^th century. The first documented Yellow Labrador was Ben of Hyde, bred in 1899, and Chocolate Labradors became more reputable in the 1930s.

Yellow Labradors

From the beginning to the mid of 20^th century, Labradors of a shade (now called ‘yellow’) were, in fact, a dark, almost butterscotch color. The shade was known as ‘Golden’ until required to be altered by the Kennel Club of UK, on the grounds that ‘Gold’ was not, in fact, a color. Over the 20^th century a preference for far lighter shades of yellow through to cream prevailed; until today most yellow Labradors are of this shade. Fawn is also a common color in yellow lab type.

Chocolate Labradors

Jack Vanderwyk traces the origins of all Chocolate Labradors registered on the Labrador Net database (about 34,000 Labradors of all shades) to 8 original lineages. However, the shade was not seen as a distinct color until the 20^th century; before then, such dogs can be found but were not listed. A degree of hybridizing with a Flat coat or Chesapeake Bay Retrievers was also recognized in the early 20^th century, prior to recognition. Chocolate Labradors were also well-known in the early 20^th century at the kennels of Earl of Fever-sham, and Lady Ward of Chiltonfoliat.

Also see:  Beautiful Pictures of Labrador Retriever Puppies