Labrador Retriever

The main characteristics of Labradors are their coat, tail, head and temperament. They have a double coat: a soft downy undercoat that keeps them dry and warm in cold water and a hard outer coat that helps them repel water. Even though their coat is short it is very dense, Labs shed a lot of hair when they moult. Their tail, best described as an otter tail, is thick at the base and tapers to a narrower point. Their head is clean-cut and somewhat broad, with hanging ears. Their expression is alert and intelligent and conveys a kind, friendly temperament. Labradors come in three colours: black, chocolate and yellow. Yellow Labradors are often mistakenly called Golden Labradors. The term yellow refers to a range of colour from nearly white to gold to fox red.

The Lab is native to Newfoundland, where it worked side by side with fishermen catching fish that came loose from the lines and trained to jump into the icy waters to help pull in the nets. Specimens were brought to England in the 1800s by English ships coming from Labrador. The breed was crossed with setters, spaniels, and other types of retrievers to improve their instincts as a hunter. The Labrador is highly trainable and is not only popular as a family companion but also excels in: hunting, tracking, retrieving, watchdog, police work, narcotics detection, guide for the blind, service dog for the disabled, search and rescue, sledding, carting, agility, field trial competitor and competitive obedience.

Labs are loving, people-oriented dogs. They are happiest when they are with you. Labs are retrievers and will bring you things they find lying about your house and yard. They tend to be quite patient with children and wonderful family dogs. They are not guard dogs. They may bark protectively but will generally not act more aggressively. Labs are wonderful people dogs more likely to lick someone to death than hurt them. They tend to be stable, not easily upset by strange things or occurrences. They will take many things in their stride. The multipurpose abilities of the Labrador, indicated by their use as guide dogs, drug detector dogs, bomb detector dogs, etc is the best indication of their superior stability of temperament and trainability, which of course makes them the most popular family pet.

Labradors are very much "wash and wear" dogs. Their coat, being short, does not mat, however, a correct Labrador coat is very thick and dense and when they undergo their seasonal moult, they lose a lot of hair. Labrador Retrievers are energetic dogs, delighted to work and play hard. They love a brisk daily walk or jog. They will be in their glory if you give them a job to do. Gains weight easily, do not overfeed.