Labrador Retriever
Originally bred for sport and hunting, the Labrador has gained much popularity as a companion dog due to its friendly and playful nature.
Genus, Species & Subspecies – Canis lupus familiaris
Common Names – Labrador Retriever, Labrador, Lab
Labs are affectionate, friendly, playful dogs that are typically good with children and other dogs. They are often eager to please, with a high energy level, requiring regular exercise and stimulation.
Lab litters can contain five to ten pups. A dog’s first litters will usually be smaller than the average, with later litters containing more pups.
Labrador retrievers are medium to large dogs, measuring up to two feet to the top of the shoulders, and weighing up to 80 pounds. They have short coats that can be black, yellow (light brown) or chocolate (dark brown).
They are muscular dogs with strong jaws and wide heads. They are known for their expressive faces with prominent eyebrows and friendly eyes.
The Lab’s origins date back to the 1830s. Water dogs from Newfoundland, Canada were brought to Britain and bred with hunting dogs to create a what we know as the Labrador retriever. The name of the breed refers to the Labrador region of Newfoundland.
In addition to sporting, hunting, and companionship, Labradors are used in a wide range of fields to perform various duties due to their high level of trainability.
They are used as service dogs, providing assistance to the disabled. They are also used as search and rescue dogs, helping locate trapped and missing individuals. They have been used as detection dogs by military and law enforcement agencies, sniffing out everything from arms and ammunition to explosives to counterfeit DVDs .
As of 2022, the Labrador retriever is #2 on the American Kennel Club’s list of the most popular dog breeds in the United States. It had held the top spot for many years, but was overtaken in 2022 by the French Bulldog.