Labrador Retrievers are athletic, versatile and beloved, and for good reason.
According to the American Kennel Club, the Labrador Retriever is the most popular breed in America according to 2017 statistics, and has worn that honor for five straight years.
According to the AKC Breed Standard, the Lab “is a strongly-built, medium-sized dog” with “sound, athletic, well-balanced conformation,” equally adept at retrieving game and fowl under hunting conditions, competing in the show ring and serving as the family companion.
The Lab comes in three primary coat colors: black, chocolate and yellow.
Females typically stand about 21.5-23.5 inches at the withers (shoulders) and weigh 55-70 pounds, while males generally stand around 22.5-24.5 inches at the withers and weigh from 65-80 pounds.
Friendly and at ease with people, Labrador Retrievers are not the first choice for guard dogs, though the could perform the task as part of a team with another dog. They also could chew obsessively if not provided with enough exercise and stimulation.
As a retriever, they make excellent hunting dogs, especially for duck hunters, and do well at the sports of agility, diving, flyball and flying disc.
As a breed, Labs are prone to overeating and obesity, elbow and hip dysplasia and eye problems.
The breed originated from the Canadian province of Newfoundland from a now-extinct breed called the St. John’s Water Dog, which gave rise to the modern Labrador by English breeders around the 1880’s.
The first yellow Lab was born in 1899, and The Kennel Club of England recognized the breed in 1903. The chocolate Lab emerged in the 1930’s.
While the AKC first recognized the breed in 1917, Labs first came to the attention of the general public through a 1928 profile in the American Kennel Gazette, and quickly rose to such prominence that the first dog to appear on the cover of Life magazine was a black Lab in the December 12, 1938 issue.
Labs have appeared onscreen in numerous TV shows, including Family Guy, Downton Abbey, Lost, Paw Patrol, Scrubs and Sesame Street.
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