Dog breed · United Kingdom, England
The Labrador Retriever, also known simply as the Labrador or Lab, is a British breed of retriever gun dog. It was developed in the United Kingdom from St John's water dogs imported from the Colony of Newfoundland, and was named after the Labrador region in that colony. It is among the most commonly kept dogs in several countries, particularly in the Western world.
Labradors are often friendly, energetic and playful. It was bred as a sporting and hunting dog, but is widely kept as a companion dog. Though content as a companion, these dogs are intelligent and require both physical and mental stimulation. It may also be trained as a guide or assistance dog, or for rescue or therapy work.
In the 1830s the 10th Earl of Home and his nephews, the 5th Duke of Buccleuch and Lord John Scott, imported progenitors of the breed from Newfoundland to Europe for use as gun dogs. Another early advocate of these Newfoundland fishing dogs was the 2nd Earl of Malmesbury, who bred them for their expertise in waterfowling.
Characteristics: There is a great deal of variety among Labradors. The following characteristics are typical of the conformation show bred (bench-bred) lines of this breed in the United States and are based on the American Kennel Club standard. Significant differences between UK and US standards are noted.
Size: Labradors are a medium-large breed. They should be as long from the withers to the base of the tail as they are from the floor to the withers. The AKC standard includes an ideal weight for dogs of 25–[dose — ask your vet] (55–80 lb) and for bitches as 25–[dose — ask your vet] (55–70 lb). The guidelines for height vary between the AKC, which gives 55 to 62 centimetres (21.5 to 24.5 in) for dogs and 55 to 60 centimetres (21.5 to 23.5 in) for bitches, The Kennel Club which advises that dogs should be 56 to 57 centimetres (22 to 22.5 in) with bitches between 55 and 56 centimetres (21.5 and 22 in), and the FCI which quotes a range of 56 to 57 centimetres (22 to 22.5 in) for dogs with bitches ideal at 54 to 56 centimetres (21.5 to 22 in).
Coat: The Labrador Retriever's coat should be short and dense, but not wiry. The coat is water-resistant, so the dog does not get cold when taking to the water in the winter. That means that the dog naturally has a slightly dry, oily coat. Acceptable colours are black, yellow, and chocolate.
Head: The head should be broad with slightly pronounced eyebrows. The eyes should be kind and expressive. Appropriate eye colours are brown and hazel. The lining around the eyes should be black. The ears should hang close to the head and be set slightly above the eyes.
Characteristics: There is a great deal of variety among Labradors. The following characteristics are typical of the conformation show bred (bench-bred) lines of this breed in the United States and are based on the American Kennel Club standard. Significant differences between UK and US standards are noted.
Size: Labradors are a medium-large breed. They should be as long from the withers to the base of the tail as they are from the floor to the withers. The AKC standard includes an ideal weight for dogs of 25–[dose — ask your vet] (55–80 lb) and for bitches as 25–[dose — ask your vet] (55–70 lb). The guidelines for height vary between the AKC, which gives 55 to 62 centimetres (21.5 to 24.5 in) for dogs and 55 to 60 centimetres (21.5 to 23.5 in) for bitches, The Kennel Club which advises that dogs should be 56 to 57 centimetres (22 to 22.5 in) with bitches between 55 and 56 centimetres (21.5 and 22 in), and the FCI which quotes a range of 56 to 57 centimetres (22 to 22.5 in) for dogs with bitches ideal at 54 to 56 centimetres (21.5 to 22 in).
Coat: The Labrador Retriever's coat should be short and dense, but not wiry. The coat is water-resistant, so the dog does not get cold when taking to the water in the winter. That means that the dog naturally has a slightly dry, oily coat. Acceptable colours are black, yellow, and chocolate.
Head: The head should be broad with slightly pronounced eyebrows. The eyes should be kind and expressive. Appropriate eye colours are brown and hazel. The lining around the eyes should be black. The ears should hang close to the head and be set slightly above the eyes.
Health: Labrador Retrievers have a predisposition to chronic hepatitis. One UK study found a 4.14 odds ratio. Some studies report a predisposition for Labrador Retriever bitches. The reason for the predisposition is unknown. Ideas proposed include it being hereditary or environmental. The Labrador Retriever also shows a predisposition to other hepatobiliary diseases, including: reactive hepatitis, nodular hyperplasia, and gall bladder disease.
A UK study found the breed's average life expectancy to be 13.1 years. A joint study by the Royal Veterinary College study and the University of Sydney concluded that chocolate-colored Labradors have a shorter average life expectancy than other colors of Labrador (by about 10%) and are more likely to suffer some health problems. A 2024 Italian study found a life expectancy of 11 years for the breed compared to 10 years overall. A 2005 Swedish study of insurance data found that 25% of Labrador Retrievers died by the age of 10, less than the overall rate of 35% of dogs dying by the age of 10.
Labradors are somewhat prone to hip and elbow dysplasia, especially in larger dogs. Eye diseases may include progressive retinal atrophy, cataracts, corneal dystrophy and retinal dysplasia. They can suffer from exercise induced collapse, which causes hyperthermia, weakness, collapse, and disorientation after short bouts of exercise, or from obesity, which in some cases may be partly due to the absence of part or all of the proopiomelanocortin gene.
The Labrador Retriever is one of the more commonly affected breeds for progressive rod-cone degeneration. An autosomal recessive mutation in the PRCD gene is responsible for the condition in the breed.
History: The Labrador breed dates back to at least the 1830s, when St John's water dogs bred by European settlers in Newfoundland were first introduced to Britain from ships trading between Canada and Poole in Dorset. These were then bred with British hunting dogs to create what became known as the Labrador Retriever. Its early patrons included the Earl of Malmesbury, the Duke of Buccleuch, the Earl of Home and Sir John Scott. Early writers have confused the Labrador with the much larger Newfoundland and the Lesser Newfoundland, with Charles William George St John even referring to the Lesser Newfoundland as the Newfoundland. Colonel Peter Hawker describes the first Labrador as being not larger than an English Pointer, more often black than other colors, long in its head and nose with a deep chest, fine legs, and short and smooth coat, and did not carry its tail as highly as the Newfoundland. Hawker distinguishes the Newfoundland from both the "proper Labrador" and St John's breed of these dogs in the fifth edition of his book Instructions to Young Sportsmen, published in 1846.
By 1870 the name Labrador Retriever had become common in England. The liver (now usually called chocolate) Labrador emerged in the late 1800s, with liver-coloured pups documented at the Buccleuch kennels in 1892; the first yellow Labrador on record was born in 1899 (Ben of Hyde, kennels of Major C.J. Radclyffe). The breed was recognised by the Kennel Club in 1903. The first American Kennel Club (AKC) registration was in 1917.
