Labrador Retriever Training Secrets

APPEARANCE
The Labrador Retriever is a dog with a strong and medium build. It has an athletic well-muscled get up – with no excess fat. This get up enables it to function for long hours under tough conditions. Its stable temperament makes it an ideal family dog. Its mental characteristics and physical features make it a winner in the show rings too. A distinguishing feature about the Lab is its tail. Best described as an “otter” tail, this tail is thick at the base and gradually tapers towards the tip. It is of medium length – no longer than the hock. It follows the top-line of the dog when at rest and in motion. It gives the Lab a beautiful flowing line that starts from the top his head to the tip of his lovely tail. Another distinguishing feature about the Lab is its beautiful coat. You can only gape in open-mouthed wonder at Mother Nature’s generosity in her creations. The Lab’s fur coat is so unique to the conditions that it originally lived in! The Lab is endowed with a short and dense water repellent coat. This gives a rather hard feel

BRIEF HISTORICAL SUMMARY: It is popularly thought that
the Labrador Retriever originated on the coast of Newfoundland
where fishermen were seen to use a dog of similar appearance to
retrieve fish. An excellent water dog, his weather-resistant coat and
unique tail, likened to that of an otter because of its shape,
emphasise this trait.
Comparatively speaking, the Labrador is not a very old breed, its
breed club having been formed in 1916 and the Yellow Labrador
Club having been founded in 1925. It was in field trialling that the
Labrador found early fame, having been originally introduced to
these shores in the late 1800s by Col Peter Hawker and the Earl of
Malmesbury. It was a dog called Malmesbury Tramp which was
described by Lorna, Countess Howe as one of the ‘tap roots’ of the
modern Labrador.
GENERAL APPEARANCE: Strongly built, short-coupled, very
active; (which precludes excessive body weight or substance)
broad in skull; broad and deep through chest and ribs; broad and
strong over loins and hindquarters.
BEHAVIOUR AND TEMPERAMENT: Good-tempered, very
agile. Excellent nose, soft mouth; keen lover of water. Adaptable,
devoted companion.
Intelligent, keen and biddable, with a strong will to please. Kindly
nature, with no trace of aggression or undue shyness.
FCI-St. N° 122 / 12.01.2011
3
HEAD
CRANIAL REGION:
Skull: Broad. Clean-cut without fleshy cheeks.
Stop: Defined.
FACIAL REGION:
Nose: Wide, nostrils well developed.
Muzzle: Powerful, not snipy.
Jaws / Teeth: Jaws of medium length, jaws and teeth strong with a
perfect, regular and complete scissor bite, i.e. upper teeth closely
overlapping lower teeth and set square to the jaws.
Eyes: Medium size, expressing intelligence and good temper; brown
or hazel.
Ears: Not large or heavy, hanging close to head and set rather far
back.

NECK: Clean, strong, powerful, set into well placed shoulders.
BODY:
Topline: Level.
Loin: Wide, short-coupled and strong.
Chest: Of good width and depth, with well sprung barrel ribs – this
effect not to be produced by carrying excessive weight.
TAIL: Distinctive feature, very thick towards base, gradually
tapering towards tip, medium length, free from feathering, but
clothed thickly all round with short, thick, dense coat, thus giving
“rounded” appearance described as “Otter” tail. May be carried
gaily, but should not curl over back.
LIMBS
FOREQUARTERS:
General appearance: Forelegs straight from elbow to ground when
viewed from either front or side.

Shoulder: Long and sloping. READ MORE