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The Labrador Retriever ("Labrador" or "Lab" for short), is one of several kinds of retriever, and is the most popular breed of dog (by registered ownership) in both the United States and the United Kingdom. The breed is exceptionally friendly, intelligent, and good natured, making them excellent companions and working dogs. Labrador Retrievers are known to be one of the fastest learning breeds of dog and respond well to praise.
The Labrador is considered the most popular breed of dog (by registered ownership) in the world, and is by a large margin the most popular breed by registration in the United States (since 1991) the United Kingdom, Poland, and several other countries. It is also the most popular breed of assistance dog in the United States, Australia, and many other countries, as well as being widely used by police and other official bodies for their detection and working abilities.
They are exceptionally affable, gentle, intelligent, energetic and good natured, making them both excellent companions and working dogs. Although somewhat boisterous if untrained, Labrador Retrievers respond well to praise and positive attention, and are considerably "food and fun" oriented. These dogs are as well loyal and great with little children. They may be used in shows. With training, the Lab is one of the most dependable, obedient and multi-talented breeds in the world.
Labradors are a well-balanced and versatile breed, adaptable to a wide range of functions as well as making very good pets. As a rule they are not excessively prone to being territorial, pining, insecure, aggressive, destructive, hypersensitive, or other difficult traits which sometimes manifest in a variety of breeds, and as the name suggests, they are excellent retrievers.
As an extension of this, they instinctively enjoy holding objects and even hands or arms in their mouths, which they can do with great gentleness (a Labrador can carry an egg in its mouth without breaking it). They are also known to have a very soft feel to the mouth, as a result of being bred to retrieve game such as waterfowl. They are prone to chewing objects (though they can be trained out of this behavior). The Labrador Retriever's coat repels water to some extent, thus facilitating the extensive use of the dog in waterfowl hunting.
Labradors have a reputation as a very mellow breed and an excellent family dog (including a good reputation with children of all ages and other animals), but some lines (particularly those that have continued to be bred specifically for their skills at working in the field rather than for their appearance) are particularly fast and athletic. Their fun-loving boisterousness 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.
Labradors mature at around three years of age; before this time they can have a significant degree of puppyish energy, often mislabeled as being hyperactive. Because of their enthusiasm, leash-training early on is suggested to prevent pulling when full-grown. Labs often enjoy retrieving a ball endlessly and other forms of activity (such as agility, frisbee, or flyball). They are considerably "food and fun" oriented, very trainable, and open-minded to new things, and thrive on human attention, affection and interaction, of which they find it difficult to get enough. Reflecting their retrieving bloodlines, almost every Lab loves playing in water or swimming.
Although they will sometimes bark at noise, especially a degree of "alarm barking" when there is noise from unseen sources, Labs are not on the whole noisy or territorial, and are often very easygoing and trusting with strangers, and therefore are not usually suitable as guard dogs.
Labradors have a well-known reputation for appetite, and some individuals may be highly indiscriminate, eating digestible and non-food objects alike. They are persuasive and persistent in requesting food. For this reason, the Lab owner must carefully control his/her dog's food intake to avoid obesity and its associated health problems (see below). The steady temperament of Labs and their ability to learn make them an ideal breed for search and rescue, detection, and therapy work. Their primary working role in the field continues to be that of a hunting retriever.
Appearance: Labradors are relatively large with males
typically weighing 27 to 36 kg (60 to 80 lb) and females 23 to
32 kg (45 to 70 lb). They are energetic, outgoing dogs. Their
coats are short and smooth, and can be black, yellow, or brown
(called "chocolate") in color, in that order of
frequency. Puppies of all colors can potentially occur in the
same litter. The color is determined primarily by two genes.
The first gene (the B locus) determines the density of the
coat's pigment granules: dense granules result in a black
coat, sparse ones give a chocolate coat.
The second (E) locus determines whether the pigment is
produced at all. A dog with the recessive e allele will
produce little pigment and will be yellow regardless of its
genotype at the B locus. Variations in numerous other genes
control the subtler details of the coat's coloration, which in
yellow labs varies from white to light gold to a fox red.
Yellow labs can have black or pink noses; chocolate and black
labs's noses match the coat color. A very light color
sometimes called 'silver' is not officially recognized, but is
sought by some owners and therefore unusually light colored
yellow and chocolate labs may be described this way by
unscrupulous breeders.
As with some other breeds, the English and the American
lines differ slightly. Labs are bred in England as a medium
size dog, shorter and stockier with fuller faces than their
American counterparts which are bred as a larger dog. No
distinction is made by the AKC, but the two classifications
come from different breeding. Australian stock also exists;
though not seen in the west, they are common in Asia.
The breed tends to shed hair regularly throughout the year.
Lab hair is usually fairly short and straight, and the tail
quite broad and strong. The otter-like tail and webbed toes of
the Labrador Retriever make them excellent swimmers. Their
interwoven coat is also relatively waterproof, providing more
assistance for swimming. The tail acts as a rudder for
changing directions.
Many people unfamiliar with retrievers find that the Lab is
quite similar to the Golden Retriever in size, general shape,
and general color, especially when young and especially to
those Goldens with lighter coats. Their personalities are also
quite similar, with both breeds being intelligent, friendly,
receptive to praise and easy to train. The most obvious
difference is the short straight coat of the Labrador
Retriever (the Golden has long wavy fur) and the Lab's thick,
otter-like tail compared to the Golden's plumed tail.
History: The Labrador is believed to have originated
on the island of Newfoundland, now part of the province of
Newfoundland and Labrador, Canada. It is thought to have
descended from the St. John's Water Dog (no longer in
existence), a crossbreed of native water dogs and the
Newfoundland to which the Labrador is closely related. The
name Labrador was given to this dog by the Earl of Malmesbury
and other breeders in England in order to differentiate them
from the Newfoundland dog.
The Labrador Retriever was originally called the lesser
Newfoundland or the St. John's dog. Other origins suggested
for the name include the Spanish or Portuguese word for
workers, "labradores", and the village of Castro
Laboreiro in Portugal whose herding and guard dogs bear a
"striking resemblance" to Labradors.
Many fishermen originally used the Lab to assist in
bringing nets to shore; the dog would grab the floating corks
on the ends of the nets and pull them to shore.
The first known written reference to the Labrador is in
1814 in "Instructions to Young Sportsmen". In 1823
sporting artist Edwin Landseer painted a black dog with white
markings titled "Cora. A Labrador Bitch," by which
time it appears the breed was already firmly established, with
several of the nobility either owning or breeding them by the
end of that century. The first Yellow Lab on record, named Ben
of Hyde, was born in 1899.
The modern Labrador Retriever is among the oldest of the
modern "recognized" breeds; according to the
American Kennel Club, pedigrees exist back to 1878. The Kennel
Club recognized the Lab in 1903. The first registration of
Labradors by the AKC was in 1917; many English dogs were
imported post World War I and these formed the foundation of
the American variety.
Temperament and activities: Labradors are a
well-balanced and remarkably versatile breed, adaptable to a
wide range of functions as well as making very good pets. They
are easily trained and are a very obedient breed. They are
loyal companions that share the love you give to them. They
are very friendly dogs and are great with children.
As a rule they are not excessively prone to territorialism,
pining, insecurity, aggression, destructiveness,
hypersensitivity, or other difficult traits which manifest in
a variety of breeds, and as the name suggests, they are
excellent retrievers. As an extension of this, they
instinctively enjoy holding objects and even hands or arms in
their mouths, which they can do with great gentleness. They
are, however, prone to chewing objects (though they can easily
be trained out of this behavior). The Labrador Retriever's
coat repels water to some extent, thus facilitating the
extensive use of the dog in waterfowl hunting.
Labradors have a reputation as a very mellow breed and an
excellent family dog (including a good reputation with
children of all ages), but some lines (particularly those that
have continued to be bred specifically for their skills at
working in the field rather than for their appearance) are
particularly fast and athletic. Their fun-loving
boisterousness and lack of fear can result in mischief, and
may require training and firm handling at times to ensure it
does not get out of hand. Most Labs enjoy retrieving a ball
endlessly and other forms of activity (such as dog agility or
flyball), are considerably "food and fun" oriented,
very trainable and open-minded to new things, and thrive on
human attention and interaction, which they find hard to get
enough of. Reflecting their retrieving bloodlines, almost
every Lab loves playing in water or swimming.
Many Labs are notorious "chowhounds"; they will
eat anything that isn't nailed down, and are experts at
manipulating soft-hearted humans into giving them treats/extra
food/table scraps/etc. The Lab owner must carefully control
his/her dog's food intake to avoid obesity and its associated
health problems. The steady temperament of Labs and their
ability to learn quickly make them an ideal breed for
assistance dogs.
Health: Labrador life expectancy is generally 12 to
13 years, and it is a healthy breed with relatively few major
problems. Common Lab health issues are:
Labs are somewhat prone to hip dysplasia, especially the
larger dogs, though not as much as some other breeds. Hip
scores are recommended before breeding.
Labs are sometimes prone to ear infection, because their
floppy ears trap warm moist air. This is easy to control,
but needs regular checking to ensure that a problem is not
building up unseen. A healthy Lab ear should look clean
and light pink (almost white) inside. Darker pink (or
inflamed red), or brownish deposits, are a symptom of ear
infection. The usual treatment is regular cleaning daily
or twice daily (being careful not to force dirt into the
sensitive inner ear) and sometimes medication (ear drops)
for major cases. As a preventative measure, some owners
clip the hair carefully around the ear and under the flap,
to encourage better air flow.
Labs are often overfed and are allowed to become
overweight, due to their blatant enjoyment of treats,
hearty appetites, and endearing behavior towards people. A
healthy Lab should keep a very slight hourglass waist and
be fit and lithe, rather than fat or heavy-set. Excessive
weight is strongly implicated as a risk factor in the
later development of hip dysplasia and diabetes, and also
can contribute to general reduced health when older.
Arthritis is commonplace in older, overweight labs.
A Labrador that undertakes significant swimming without
building up can develop a swelling or apparent kink known
as swimtail. This can be easily treated by a veterinary
clinic and tail rest.
Many times Labs also suffer from the risk of knee
problems. A luxating patella is a common occurrence in the
knee where the leg is often bow shaped.
Puppy mills and dog theft:
Because the Labrador is such a popular breed, they are
often reared in puppy mills where the people responsible
care primarily for profit, and not for the dog's well
being.
Labs and Lab owners also commonly fall victim to dog
theft, where any purebred-looking Labradors may be sold to
puppy mills or unknowing prospective owners for a high
profit to the thief. Microchipping for Labradors—as for
any dog—increases the possiblity of finding lost or
stolen dogs, because the microchip cannot be easily
removed like a collar and dog tags.
Labrador variants:
Although kennel clubs and registries recognize the
Labrador in variations of only three colors—black,
yellow, and chocolate—some breeders sell light-colored
yellow Labrador puppies as a "white" labrador,
the dark yellow Labrador puppies as "fox red,"
or chocolates possessing the dilution factor as
"silver Labradors". The "silver" color
is nonstandard and would disqualify them as show dogs.
However, the "fox red" and so-called
"white" labs (more properly referred to as
"cream" by the AKC) are perfectly acceptable
shades for a Yellow lab in the show ring. See the AKC
website for a more complete discussion of Yellow
Labradors. The dog's color does not affect its behavior or
health and many people own "silver" labs as
companion dogs.
Black labs have dominated the field trial and hunt test
scene (Fergus, 2002). Because the lighter variants are a
recessive trait, breeding for a litter of yellow or
chocolate pups requires mating two dogs with those traits.
This means that dogs from these litters were selected for
traits other than nose, biddability, intelligence, and
hunting desire (Fergus, 2002). Because even a pairing of
black labs may produce chocolate or yellow offspring, this
rule does not hold 100% of the time. Even so, many serious
field trialers and hunters prefer black labradors over the
other variants to increase the odds of solid hunting genes
(Fergus, 2002).
In addition to color variations, differences in the
physical build of the dog have arisen as a result of
specialized breeding. Distinct lines are bred for specific
purposes. Dogs bred for field trials tend to be lighter in
limb and often lack the very large, square head, shorter
legs, and heavier bodies seen in the show ring.
Differences tend to occur as dogs bred for hunting and
field-trial work are selected first for working ability,
whereas dogs bred to compete for show championships are
selected for what judges look for in the show ring. In
fact, breeders and owners sometimes distinguish the
"working" Labrador from the "show"
Labrador, given the marked differences in their physical
characteristics. The majority of dogs bred are generally
some where between what is displayed in the
"show" Labrador and what is seen in the
"working" Labrador.
The Labradoodle is a common mixed-breed dog that
combines a Labrador with a Poodle.
Famous Labs:
Harvey - Sam Carr's Labrador Retriever. According to
David Berkowitz, Carr was a "high demon" who
sent his "evil" labrador retriever to command
Berkowitz to kill. He would later shoot the dog following
one of his murders, but it survived.
Buddy, U.S. President Bill Clinton's Labrador.
Seamus, Clinton's other pet Labrador he received for
Father's Day
Vincent from Lost, played by the famous dog Madison
Marley, "The World's Worst Dog" featured in
journalist John Grogan's book Marley & Me
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