The Labrador Retriever is a beautiful dog that has a long history. It is believed to have its roots in the island of Newfoundland. Although not native to Newfoundland, many believe it evolved from the St. John’s Water Dogs. The Labrador retriever is a close cousin of the Newfoundland dogs which share the same ability in the water. They were named Labradors by several breeders in the United Kingdom. There are some who believe that these dogs may have actually originated from Portugal and was later spread out to Newfoundland by cross breeding with several other breeds of dogs to make them what they are today.

Standards of the Breed

The two kinds of Labrador Retrievers are classified as English Labradors and American Labradors. The English Labradors were bred from English Labrador dogs. These dogs are consistently more stocky and heavier than their American cousins. The American Labradors are slimmer and taller but not so much that you might say they are two completely different breeds.

Overall, the Labrador Retriever is a well built muscular dog that is at home in the water and out of it. Their coat is water resistant comes in basically three solid colors. The colors are black, yellow and chocolate. There are variations to these colors in a way that some Labrador dogs may have lighter or darker colors but of the same shade. Other colors than these may result in a disqualification from the show for show dogs.

The head of the Labrador is broad with a pronounced stop. The nose is thick while its hazel or brown eyes are very kind and expressive. The neck is also broad and powerful and it has hanging pendant ears that lie close to the head a little above the eye line. The most distinguishable feature of the Labrador is its tail. The tail is fairly plump and of medium length, tapering towards the end. It lies just above the hocks when it is down and acts as the dogs’ rudder when it swims in the water.

Temperament of the Labrador

The Labrador is a sweet tempered dog that is basically stable and eager to please. It has the intelligence to enable training for it to be a working dog. These dogs love to be with people and often bonds well with its human family. They are very dependable when it comes to children and often bear with the rough and tumble of the kids and other animals.