Dogs

Labrador Retriever

Introduction

The Labrador Retriever, also known as the Small Water Dog, the Lesser Newfoundland, the St. John’s Dog, the Lesser St. John’s Dog, the Short-coated St. John’s Dog, the Labrador and simply the Lab, did not originate from Labrador but rather from Newfoundland, Canada, where it was used to help fishermen haul their fish-filled nets ashore. Later, it also was used as a gun dog to retrieve waterfowl as well as upland game. Labradors are known for their soft mouths, which enable them to retrieve birds and other game without marks or other damage. The Labrador Retriever was recognized by the American Kennel Club in 1917, as a member of the Sporting Group.

Pet owners of the Labrador need to be aware of the high energy levels of this breed. The Labrador needs plenty of exercise and playtime or it will become bored and destructive. Pet owners should be prepared to spend plenty of time with their Labradors as these smart dogs love to learn new tricks and commands for mental stimulation. This breed should not be left alone for long periods of time as they bond very closely with their family members

History

The Labrador’s ancestors date back to 17th century Canada. During the 18th century, the Canadian water dogs differentiated into what we now know as the Newfoundland, the Landseer, the Flat-Coated Retriever, the Chesapeake Bay Retriever and the Labrador Retriever. In the early 1800s, a number of travelers to Newfoundland reported seeing a variety of small black water dogs helping local fishermen haul in their nets. In 1822, one visitor noted: “The dogs are admirably trained as retrievers in fowling, and are otherwise useful… The smooth or short-haired dog is preferred because in frosty weather the long-haired kind become encumbered with ice on coming out of the water.” The second Earl of Malmesbury supposedly saw one of these water dogs on a fishing boat and arranged to have more of them imported to his English estate, where he established the first breeding kennel dedicated to perfecting them as gun dogs and retrievers.

Throughout the 1800s, Canadian fishermen found a profitable market and sold an increasing number of their fishing dogs to English gentry. In 1930, a noted British sportsman, Colonel Hawker, commented on the ordinary Newfoundland as being “very large, strong of limb, rough hair, and carrying his tail high.” He also remarked on the St. John’s breed of water dog – now known as the Labrador Retriever – as being “by far the best for any kind of shooting. He is generally black and no bigger than a pointer, very fine in legs, with short, smooth hair, and does not carry his tail so much curled as the other; is extremely quick running, swimming and fighting…and their sense of smell is hardly to be credited…” The breed was not originally called the Labrador in England. The origin of the modern name dates to a letter written in 1887 by the Earl of Malmesbury, in which he said: “We always call mine Labrador dogs, and I have kept the breed as pure as I could from first I had from Poole, at that time carrying on a brisk trade with Newfoundland. The real breed may be known by its close coat which turns the water off like oil and, above all, a tail like an otter.”

The Labrador eventually lost popularity in its native Newfoundland due to a heavy dog tax stemming from the Newfoundland Sheep Act. Late in the 19th century, strict British quarantine laws virtually stopped all importation of dogs into England. A period of nonselective cross-breeding with other retrievers ensued (the Curly-Coated Retriever, the Flat-Coated Retriever and the Tweed Water Spaniel have been most frequently mentioned). While the Labrador characteristics predominated, the offspring of those breedings became even more valuable than their predecessors, having a keener nose and an even more delightful disposition. Finally, breed fanciers wrote a standard for the Labrador. The studbook of the Duke of Buccleuch’s Labrador Retrievers identifies the pedigrees of the two dogs most responsible for the modern Lab: Peter of Faskally (owned by Mr. A. C. Butter) and Flapper (owned by Major Portal). Their pedigrees go back to 1878.