Labrador Retriever Information and Pictures, Labs

	Custom Search

Dog Breed Info Center(R)

Rescue a Labrador Retriever
Labrador Retriever Puppies for Sale

Labrador Retriever

(Black Labrador Retriever) (Yellow Labrador Retriever) (Chocolate Labrador Retriever) (Silver Labrador Retriever) (Lab)

"Othello (black 19-month-old Lab) and Hamlet (chocolate 17-month-old Lab) live in the city with mom, but they love to drive out to the country and visit their cousin Jake (yellow 20-month-old Lab). They are all avid swimmers, but when the water isn't available they like the cool concrete during the hot summer months."

Find a Labrador Retriever Breeder Place an Ad
Rescue a Labrador Retriever List Your Rescue
Pronunciation	LAB-ruh-dor ree-TREE-vur
Description	There are two types of Labradors, the English Labrador and the American Labrador. The English bred Lab comes from English bred stock. Its general appearance is different than the American bred Lab. The English bred Labs are heavier, thicker and blockier. The American bred Lab comes from American bred stock and is tall and lanky. The double coat is smooth and does not have any waves. Coat colors come in solid black, yellow or chocolate. There is also said to be a rare silver or gray color that is referred to by the AKC as a shade of chocolate. This color is controversial and some claim it is a Weimaraner cross, while others say it is a true mutation. The head of the Labrador is broad with a moderate stop. The nose is thick, black on black and yellow dogs and brown on chocolate dogs. The nose color often fades and is not considered a fault in the show ring. The teeth should meet in a scissors or level bite. The muzzle is fairly wide. The neck is proportionately wide and powerful. The body is slightly longer than tall. The short, hard coat is easy to care for and water-resistant. The medium-sized eyes are set well apart. Eye color should be brown in yellow and black dogs and hazel or brown in chocolate dogs. Some Labs can also have green or greenish-yellow eyes. In silver dogs the eye color is usually gray. The eye rims are black in yellow and black dogs and brown in chocolate dogs. The ears are medium in size, hanging down and pendant in shape. The otter tail is thick at the base, gradually tapering towards the tip. It is completely covered with short hair, with no feathering. The feet are strong and compact with webbed feet which aid the dog in swimming.
Temperament	One of the most popular breeds in the USA, the Labrador Retriever is loyal, loving, affectionate and patient, making a great family dog. Highly intelligent, good-natured, very willing and eager to please, it is among the top choices for service dog work. Labs love to play, especially in water, never wanting to pass up the opportunity for a good swim. These lively dogs have an excellent, reliable temperament and are friendly, superb with children and equable with other dogs. They crave human leadership and need to feel as though they are part of the family. Labs are easily trained. Some may be reserved with strangers unless very well socialized, preferably while they are still puppies. Adult Labs are very strong; train them while they are puppies to heel on the leash, and not to bolt out doorways and gateways before the humans. These dogs are watchdogs, not guard dogs, although some have been known to guard. They can become destructive if the humans are not 100% pack leader and/or if they do not receive enough mental and physical exercise, and left too much to their own devices. Show lines are generally heavier and easier going than field lines. Field lines tend to be very energetic and will easily become high strung without enough exercise. Labs bred from English lines (English Labs) are more calm and laid back than Labradors bred from American lines. English Labs mature quicker than the American type.
Height, Weight	Height: Males 22 - 24 inches (56 - 61cm) Females 21 - 23 inches (53 - 58 cm) Weight: Males 60 - 75 pounds (27 - 34 kg) Females 55 - 70 pounds (25 - 32 kg) Some males can grow to 100 pounds (45 kg) or more.
Health Problems	Prone to hip and elbow dysplasia, PRA, mast cell tumors and eye disorders.
Living Conditions	Labrador Retrievers will do okay in an apartment if sufficiently exercised. They are moderately active indoors and will do best with at least an average-sized yard.
Exercise	Labrador Retrievers are energetic dogs, delighted to work and play hard. They need to be taken on a daily, brisk, long walk, jog or run alongside you when you bicycle. While out on the walk the dog must be made to heel beside or behind the person holding the lead, as in a dog's mind the leader leads the way, and that leader needs to be the human. They will be in their glory if you give them a job to do. Gain weight easily, do not over feed.
Life Expectancy	About 10-12 years
Grooming	The smooth, short-haired, double coat is easy to groom. Comb and brush regularly with a firm, bristle brush, paying attention to the undercoat. Bathe or dry shampoo only when necessary. These dogs are average shedders.
Origin	Once known as the "St John's Dogs," the Labrador Retriever is one of the most popular breeds in the United States. The Lab is native to Newfoundland, where it worked side by side with fishermen catching fish that came loose from the lines and trained to jump into the icy waters to help pull in the nets. Specimens were brought to England in the 1800s by English ships coming from Labrador. The breed was crossed with setters, spaniels and other types of retrievers to improve its instincts as a hunter. The Labrador is highly trainable and is not only popular as a family companion but also excels in: hunting, tracking, retrieving, watchdog, police work, narcotics detection, guide for the blind, service dog for the disabled, search and rescue, sledding, carting, agility, field trial competitor and competitive obedience.
Group	Gun Dog, AKC Sporting
Recognition	CKC, FCI, AKC, UKC, KCGB, CKC, ANKC, NKC, NZKC, CCR, APRI, ACR, DRA, NAPR

CKC = Continental Kennel Club
FCI = F�d�ration Cynologique Internationale
AKC = American Kennel Club
UKC = United Kennel Club
KCGB = Kennel Club of Great Britain
CKC = Canadian Kennel Club
ANKC = Australian National Kennel Club
NKC = National Kennel Club
NZKC = New Zealand Kennel Club
CCR = Canadian Canine Registry
APRI = American Pet Registry, Inc.
ACR = American Canine Registry
DRA = Dog Registry of America, Inc.
NAPR = North American Purebred Registry, Inc.

Jake the 20-month-old yellow Lab, Hamlet the 17-month-old chocolate Lab and Othello the 19-month-old black Lab

________________________________________

Henry the Yellow Labrador Retriever at 1 year and 9 months

Henry the yellow English Labrador Retriever at 1 year and 9 months, bred by Wintergate Labradors (See more of Henry)

________________________________________

"Mocha (90 lbs.), our 2-year-old female chocolate Lab and Gracie (23 lbs.), our 4-month-old female silver Lab—I have never seen two dogs more alike, they are truly best friends. I had heard people say if you have a good dog and you get a puppy, the older one will play a big part in training the new pup; I now know that is true. They are a huge part of our family and we couldn't imagine life without them."

________________________________________

This is Oscar the black American Labrador Retriever at 2 years old. He is waiting for his owner to throw him the ball. Notice how his tail is up. That indicates that he is in an excited state of mind. Oscar gets a lot of excited physical exercise playing ball. This type of exercise tires out the body, but keeps the mind in high excitement mode. A pack walk is also needed to exercise and calm the mind.

________________________________________

Adult rescue yellow Labrador Retriever

________________________________________

Zeke the chocolate Labrador Retriever at 13 years old

Zeke the chocolate Labrador Retriever at 13 years old—"Friend to all. Never met a stranger. Possibly one of the most traveled dogs in the US (or in the top 1%). Miss him dearly."

________________________________________

Bauer, the Yellow Lab at 3 months old

"This is my puppy Bauer at 3 months old. He is a purebred yellow Labrador Retriever from Heather Hollow Farm Labradors in Hardwick, VT. He likes to sleep a lot and play tug-of-war. He also likes to dig up the yard which mommy and daddy aren't too happy about :-). He loves walks and playing with other dogs. He's a very smart pup and learns very fast. He's practically potty trained—we use the ring the bell on the door system—and he sleeps through the night. He LOVES his crate and will go in by himself when he needs some alone time. He also likes to cuddle on your lap, which could pose a problem when he's 80 lbs. one day :-)"

________________________________________

Photo courtesy of Endless Mt. Labradors

________________________________________

"Molly Girl at 2 months—Molly is every bit chocolate Lab, but with none of the horror stories I was warned of! She is not super high energy, probably due in part to the daily exercise I make sure she gets. She is eager to please and extremely loyal. She greets everyone with a wag of the tail and loves to be loved on! As with any dog, consistency is important when training, and thanks to that, and dog parks, Molly is the perfect dog:)"

________________________________________

Seamus Hickey

________________________________________

Ripley, the Silver Labrador Retriever at 11 Months Old.

Ripley the silver Labrador Retriever at 11 months old

________________________________________

Silver Labrador Retriever - Photo Courtesy of Crist Culo Kennels.

Silver Labrador Retriever, photo courtesy of Crist Culo Kennels

________________________________________

Tai, the Chocolate Lab at 1 year old

Tai the chocolate Lab at 1 year old

________________________________________

Three adorable puppies showing the three Labrador colors, photo courtesy of Mirage Labrador Retrievers

________________________________________

Dozer the black Labrador Retriever at 1 1/2 years old.

"This is our newly adopted black Lab named Dozer. He is one and a half years old in this picture and we adopted him from the pound. Like most Labs he loves the water (as you can see in the picture); in fact, he loves it a little too much. We need to work with him on not obsessing over the water so much, but he is so eager to please that it shouldn't be too hard. We take him on two walks a day with him carrying a doggy backpack, one being a three-mile walk with at least a half hour of swimming. I watch the Dog Whisperer all the time so I know that with following his methods and with Dozer being so eager to please that whatever issues he has we will be able to improve them."

Dozer the black Labrador Retriever at 1 1/2 years old.

Dozer the black Labrador Retriever at 1 1/2 years old

"This is Bruno (his ears are folded back because he just got done with a big run). He is one of our three dogs. Bruno gets to play daily with a Great Dane and a Lab mix that we also have. I wanted to share some information with you about Bruno because we believe that he has a very special personality."

"We watch The Dog Whisperer frequently, and we know what he means when he says to pick the pup out of the litter that is the most laid back. Most people go and pick out a dog based on their playful attitude because if a pup runs up to them they think the pup "chose them" when really it is just probably going to be a more challenging, hyper pup. We know this information now, but we did not know it when we went to get Bruno (or when we picked out our first two dogs), however he was the last male puppy left so we did not have a choice. I asked my husband why he thought Bruno was the last male left out of the litter and we later realized it was probably because he did not come leaping and bounding up to the other callers. The people that owned the pups had to go pick him up and bring him to us because he just sat at a distance observing the activity. When we first brought him home he went and sat in the corner all by himself after allowing the other dogs to greet him. We thought it was because he was so young and he was in a new environment. As the weeks passed Bruno was easily housetrained, never chewed anything up, and never "got in our face" for attention as the other dogs that we have liked to do. To this day if he wants attention he will just come and lie at our feet or sit by our side calmly. If we do not acknowledge his presence he will go lie by the door. When we took Bruno for his first set of shots, the vet said that he was extremely calm for a Lab puppy and said that he "was 1 in 100." Bruno will be 1 year old in January and we still have one of the best behaved dogs in the world with him."

"Every day all three of our dogs get walked (with the exception of extremely cold days here in PA). We also have a fenced-in yard where they do all the free playing they want to do. Bruno's balanced energy has been a blessing to the entire family. Bruno is a true testimony to Cesar's method of picking the most laid-back puppy in the litter."

"Cappy is a 17-month-old purebred Labrador Retriever. Cappy is an all-around great companion and fun dog. His favorite activities include car rides, swimming, fetch, meeting new people and playing with his big sister, a black Lab."

"Seen below is Cappy doing what he loves…visiting a local coffee shop where he got to sit in the owner’s hot rod. Cappy loves the coffee shop but I think it’s partially due to him getting a biscuit when he frequents the shop."

________________________________________