Labrador Retriever

The Labrador Retriever is a British gun dog and one of the most commonly kept breeds across the Western world — an even-tempered working retriever that became a family staple.

History

It was developed in the United Kingdom from the St. John's water dogs shipped over from Newfoundland, and named after the Labrador region those dogs came through rather than where the breed was finished. Its job was to retrieve shot game to hand, over land and out of cold water.

Temperament

The breed is known for a friendly, biddable, people-oriented nature and a soft mouth — the working traits that also make it easy company. It is energetic and famously food-motivated, which is part of why it trains so readily.

Care and training

A Labrador needs real daily exercise and something to do with its head; an under-worked one invents its own entertainment. The short, dense double coat sheds steadily and asks for little beyond regular brushing.

Health

Like many popular breeds it carries known tendencies — hip and elbow dysplasia among them — and its appetite makes creeping weight easy to miss. These are breed-typical patterns, not a verdict on any one dog; the measured ranges for the breed are in the panel.