Mary Allen
The Labrador Retriever is an FCI-recognized British breed of dog (FCI Group 8 Section 1 Standard No. 122). The Labrador Retriever is named after the Labrador Peninsula and its ancestors come from Canada’s east coast (see Wikipedia). The “true” Labrador was bred in England during the 19th century. The hunting dog, specially bred for the work of the shot afterward, with great retrieval and water joy, is supposed to retrieve shot game (duck, pheasant, hare). The term “retriever” comes from English and is derived from “to retrieve”. It means “to bring back”.
Black, Chocolate, or Yellow Labrador Retriever – Which Coat Color is Better?
The Labrador is now recognized in different colors. The original coat color of a Labrador was black. Due to the color yellow, which is only recessively inherited, yellow Labradors were later recognized alongside black. From 1899 onwards, yellow labradors were no longer considered a misbreed. The first brown Labrador was registered in 1964.
Black, Chocolate, or Yellow Labrador Retriever – Which Coat Color is Better?
According to the breed description, the Labrador is a medium-sized and powerfully built dog with a broad skull and a clear stop. Typical of the breed is the so-called “otter tail”, which is very thick at the base and covered with thick fur. The coat of the Labrador should be short with a good undercoat and should be fine and harsh and not wavy. A distinction is now made between a show line and a working line. Unfortunately, the show line often degenerates into a very sluggish and overfed dog, while the working line often becomes too light of the build and some appear more greyhound-like. Both extremes should not be and are not described as such in the breed standard.
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Chocolate Labrador Puppies: Breed Info
Yellow Labrador Retriever Puppy: Breed Info
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The breeding goal of retriever clubs should be to avoid and combat hereditary defects and diseases through registration and breeding guidelines. Hereditary musculoskeletal disorders such as Hip Dysplasia (HD), Elbow Dysplasia (ED) and Osteochondrosis (OCD) are common in Labradors, to name a few. Eye diseases such as PRA or HC can also occur in Labradors. Unfortunately, there are always Labradors who suffer from epilepsy. There are now an impressive number of genetic tests that can be used to rule out various diseases. The aim of this genetic test should be to avoid sick dogs and not to exclude carrier dogs from breeding. In the databases of the retriever clubs you can find health results and genetic tests of the parents. The more you know about a mating, the easier it is to rule out hereditary diseases. Unfortunately, breeding isn’t that easy, and just because the parents are healthy doesn’t mean that the offspring will be too. To achieve a wide range of health outcomes, breeders also depend on their puppy buyers. Far too often you hear that you don’t want to breed your own dog, that you want to avoid anesthesia or that you want to save money on X-rays. It would be so important to have fully evaluated litters published with all the good and bad results. This is the only way to get a meaningful picture and it should be in the interest of every dog owner to know whether their own dog is fully resilient. Likewise, the future puppy owner should question critically if he only finds good HD and ED results on a homepage and nothing at all can be found on some night breeding results.
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If you read about the nature of the Labrador in the description of the breed, then you will read the following: “The nature of a Labrador should be strong and good-natured. He should be comfortable around people and not show fear, insecurity, or aggression towards people and other animals. The willingness to work with your human should be very strong in a Labrador.”
So the jack of all trades. If you look at the different varieties of dogs, you will certainly find more good-natured, strong-minded dogs in the show line, which go through life with a stoic composure, know every compost heap in the neighborhood inside out, call everyone their friends, in return but don’t think too much of the much-vaunted “will to please” and as the owner of one, you should certainly be able to overlook one or the other with a smile. “Haste makes waste” or “in peace lies strength” is usually more the motto of the show line. In contrast to this, the working line, with a mostly very pronounced “will to please”. As a rule, it is usually much easier and faster to train because it can be motivated quickly and has more stamina. Here, however, one often finds representatives who go through life a little more shyly and insecurely. Some only find “their” people great and strangers don’t need them at all. There are also those who bark loudly to defend their house and yard or their car just because a stranger is approaching. Qualities that one would rather look for in a German shepherd.
You often hear that you would be very grateful because you either don’t want the dogs to go to everyone or you are quite happy because you live lonely and deserted. In both cases, in the show line as well as in the working line, extremes may have been described, but these exist in the breed too and one should be prepared for that. It’s just possible that no matter which line you choose, you can also get such a specimen. Just as diverse as their use is now – whether as a family dog, companion dog, hunting dog, sports dog, therapy dog, rescue dog, drug sniffer dog, etc., their appearance and character traits can be just as diverse.
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The retriever is a retriever dog that, in addition to its love of water, is also said to have a so-called “soft” mouth. This means that when hunting, he should fetch shot game into his hand without further injuries or even shaking. Since these dogs were born to carry things, they will already carry their “prey” around with them as puppies. That means that a Labrador doesn’t really care whether it’s the shoe, the remote control, the glasses, or the ball. The main thing is to catch something! As far as levy is concerned, it should be clear to his human that it is anything but natural that the Labrador would want to share his prey with him. This means that carrying is often self-rewarding for the retriever, the delivery is not mandatory. So if you don’t want your retriever running through the house with everything he finds, you must either stow away important items or provide the Labrador with enough other retrieval items. But even a retriever can be spoiled for retrieval if at first, you want to control the carrying around of objects instead of praising and exchanging with punishment.
In order to find the right type of Labrador for you, you should take a closer look at the breeder and his breeding goals in advance and critically question whether this type of dog fits into his environment – with all the advantages and disadvantages! Even an active family that does not go hunting or finds their calling in dummy sports can be super happy with a Labrador from the working line. Every Labrador wants to be busy. The trick will be to use this all-around talent appropriately, but not to overwhelm it. Even if you would like it to be: the Labrador is not a jack of all trades either. However, my personal declaration of love goes to the Labrador. In my opinion, he is one of the most versatile dogs with more advantages than disadvantages. And when he’s foolish again and has cleared the kitchen counter, you can still say: “He’s beautiful for that!”