An Interpretation of the

Canadian Kennel Club

LABRADOR RETRIEVER STANDARD

by the

LABRADOR RETRIEVER CLUB OF CANADA

An Interpretation of the

Canadian Kennel Club

LABRADOR RETRIEVER STANDARD

by the

LABRADOR RETRIEVER CLUB OF CANADA

Developed by

M Judith Hunt, Windanna Kennels Perm. Reg.Laurie Thomson, Redbae Labradors, Reg.

Dr. Michael Woods, Waterdog Kennels Perm. Reg.

Illustrated and Formatted byShannon Ford, DeWinton, Alberta

©2001 The Labrador Retriever Club of CanadaAny reproduction from it in whole or in part are forbidden

without written approval from the Labrador Retriever Club of Canada

Some of this commentary is copyrightedmaterial used with permission of Dr. Michael Woods.

LABRADOR RETRIEVER CLUB OF CANADASTANDARD INTERPRETATION

The Labrador Retriever has steadily become one of the world’s most popular breeds.This popularity has been attained not only because of the breed’s primary function as aremarkable retriever, but also because of its sound temperament, trainability andversatility. Labradors are widely used as seeing eye dogs, as assistants for thedisabled, as search and rescue dogs, in bomb and drug detection work, huntingcompanions, therapy dogs and as beloved family companions.

In order that this breed can be appreciated for all its wonderful attributes, the LabradorRetriever Club of Canada has created this interpretation of the standard, primarily toassist judges in evaluating the breed but also to provide information for breeders andall Labrador enthusiasts. This interpretation will help to underline the essentialcharacteristics of the Labrador without which any individual dog is not representative ofthe breed and does not possess breed “type.”

While it is critical that the Labrador be “sound,”evaluation of the breed solely on thisfactor is incorrect and detrimental. No true evaluation of the breed can take placewithout a thorough knowledge of breed “type”: those defining characteristics whichdistinguish the Labrador from all other breeds and help it accomplish its work as anincomparable retriever.

While judges, breeders and exhibitors must always evaluate individual dogs againstthe breed standard, it is equally obvious that no standard is absolutely perfect or totallycomprehensive. This is true of the Canadian Kennel Club Labrador Retriever Standardwhich, for example, makes no reference to the breed’s double coat, or undercoat, anessential characteristic of the breed. The standard is equally vague about suchessentials as the proportion of skull to muzzle, the proportion of body length to height,and the proportion of leg length to depth of body. The old cliche that “standards arewritten for those who already know the breed” is certainly true of our standard.

The purpose of this interpretation is not to rewrite or replace the standard but to clarifyand supplement the standard with knowledge that has developed over the decadeswithin the Labrador Retriever community about essential breed characteristics. Anytrue evaluation of the Labrador must move beyond the sound, showy, “generic” dog toan understanding and appreciation of those qualities which typify the breed anddistinguish it from all others.

Without Labrador type there is no Labrador

Soundness is critical; showmanship an added bonus.

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Origin and Development

The Labrador Retriever originated on the island of Newfoundland rather thanin Labrador. The appellation, Labrador, was used to distinguish him from hislarger cousin the Newfoundland. At various times, the breed was known asthe Lesser Newfoundland, the St. John’s Newfoundland and the St. John’sWaterdog.

During the nineteenth century, visitors to Newfoundland frequently wrote ofthe short haired dogs that were admirable retrievers and these dogs wereimported into England by returning fishermen. The dogs, originally used bylocal wildfowlers, eventually came to the attention of aristocratic sportsmenimpressed by the dogs’ ability in the field. These aristocrats used importeddogs from Newfoundland to establish the foundation kennels of the breed.

These early protectors of the breed constantly insisted that they “kept thebreed pure” and that stories that the Labrador was created by outcrosseswere “mythical and absurd” and “ridiculous.” Dogs imported in the late1800’s were described as “practically identical in type to the English Labra-dor of today.” Importation continued into the 1930’s, long after the breedwas recognized by The Kennel Club (England) in 1903, and these dogs weredescribed as “the type sought for in size, colour of eye, shape and texture ofcoat.”

By this date, there were few dogs left in Newfoundland since restrictive doglaws, passed to further sheep breeding, led to the virtual decimation of thebreed, but a few pockets of “pure” waterdogs continued to exist in isolatedNewfoundland communities until the 1970’s. Photographs of these laterimports and of the waterdog in Newfoundland are identical to the dogs thathad been bred in England for generations, proof that the early breeders didindeed keep their lines pure. Written and photographic records indisputablyevidence that the Labrador originated and developed as a recognizable breedin Newfoundland and was preserved in England, after restrictive dog legisla-tion decimated the breed in its homeland.

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GENERAL APPEARANCE

The general appearance of the Labrador should be that of a strongly built, short-coupledvery active dog. He should be fairly wide over the loins, and strong and muscular in thehindquarters. The coat should be close, short, dense and free from feather.

CommentaryThe opening section of the standardemphasizes those qualities which makethe Labrador what it is: a powerful,rugged , athletic retriever. Any evalua-tion of the Labrador must be done withthe dog’s function as a working retrieverforemost in mind. Working Conditionshould not be confused with “Field TrialCondition”. The Labrador is a strong,stocky, powerful dog but he must not becloddy or cumbersome. Neither must hebe weedy or racy. Moderation should bethe key when considering the LabradorRetriever. The breed should display notonly power but agility and athleticism, assuggested by the word “active”, andshould not only be powerful enough toretrieve heavy game, but agile enough tocapture game that is only wounded.Labradors should be able to retrieve alarge goose or run down a woundedpheasant. Labradors should be capableof a days work which requires agility,strength and stamina. But it must beremembered that the breed’s work is not

that of a setter or spaniel. Although someLabradors are used to flush uplandgame, their primary function is to re-trieve, which requires athleticism and thepower necessary for short, intense burstsof speed --note the standard’s emphasison strongly built, short coupled, andmuscular hindquarters.

The other emphasis in this section is oncorrect, close, dense, free from feathercoat, a necessity for a dog who must beout in all types of foul weather and whomust often wait quietly in wet or freezingconditions for the next retrieve. A poorquality coat would fail to protect the dogagainst the elements.

Although the standard does not specifi-cally give the proportions for the breed’soutline, the general appearance shouldbe that of a slightly off-square dog ratherthan rectangular. Distance from withersto elbow should approximate distancefrom elbow to ground.

For the purposes of clarity, the textfrom the Standard is in bold type,and the Commentary is in italics.

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SIZE

Approximate weights of dogs and bitches in working conditionDogs: 60 to 75 pounds (27 - 34 kg); bitches 55 to 70 pounds (25 - 32 kg).Height at shoulders--Dogs: 22-1/2 to 24-1/2 (57 - 62 cm) inches; bitches: 21-1/2 to 23-1/2 inches (54 - 60 cm).

Commentary:Size in Labradors has recently become acontentious issue. Obviously, Labradorswithin the standard’s range are accept-able. Animals outside these ranges mayeither lack the power and strength or theagility to do the work required of thebreed. In practice, many breeders strive

for a medium sized dog that possessesboth power and athleticism. To meetthese requirements the Labrador must bein firm, fit condition, not fat and flabby,nor thin and racey. It should be notedthat today’s Labrador, in show condition,may carry more weight than described inthe official standard, provided it is wellmuscled and not fat.

SKULLwide, clean cut,parallel planewith muzzle

EXPRESSIONkind, gentle

STOPmoderate

MUZZLEstrong, deepapproximatelysame lengthas skull:almost square

LEGSgood bone: elbow toground equalselbow to withers

CHEST deep to elbow

BACKstraight, level

COATdouble, hard

LOINshort, wide

TAILotter,straightoff back

HINDQUARTERmuscular, greatpower

RIBSwell sprung

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Commentary:The outer coat is close, short and denseand has a “hard” feeling, yet not asharsh as a terrier coat. There is often aslight wave down the back in good tex-tured coats. The coat should look healthybut not shiny, rather it has a matt finish.Shiny coats are often single coats with noundercoat. The Canadian standardmakes no mention of undercoat; this is aserious omission. There should be a softdense water-resistant undercoat thatprovides protection from water, cold, andrough terrain. Depending on climate,time of year, and oestrus, the coat mightbe thinner and have less undercoat. Butthere should always be some undercoatpresent and the outer coat should giveevidence of a good hard texture.The Labrador’s coat blunts the anglesand hollows of the dog and gives thetypical rounded appearance of the breedwhich should be created from coat rather

than from fat. Wooly coats, soft coats,lack of hard texture, and single coatswithout undercoat should be severelypenalized as these coats are not suitablefor a working Labrador. There are fewhunting experiences as pathetic as sittingin a waterfowl blind with a sodden,freezing Labrador who is miserablebecause his coat offers no protectionfrom the elements.

The Labrador is a natural dog and thereshould be no trimming, scissoring orsculpting of the coat other than to trimthe hair between the pads and remove thecorkscrew hair from the tail, if desired.Sprays and other artificial enhancementsof coat also have no place in the breedand should be looked upon unfavourably.The Labrador should be shown in a cleanand natural condition and should becapable, if having the proper coat, ofdoing a mornings work in the field and be

COAT AND COLOUR

The coat is another very distinctive feature, it should be short, very dense and withoutwave, and should give a fairly hard feeling to the hand. The colours are black, yellow,or chocolate and are evaluated as follows:(a) Blacks: all black, with a small white spot on chest permissible. Eyes to be of me-dium size, expressing intelligence and good temper, preferably brown or hazel, althoughblack or yellow is permissible.(b) Yellows: Yellows may vary in colour from fox-red to light cream with variations inthe shading of the coat on ears, the underparts of the dog, or beneath the tail. A smallwhite spot on chest is permissible. Eye colouring and expression should be the same asthat of the blacks, with black or dark brown eye rims. The nose should also be black ordark brown, although ‘fading’ to pink in winter weather is not serious. A ‘Dudley’nose (pink without pigmentation), should be penalized.(c) Chocolates: Shades ranging from light sedge to chocolate. A small white spot onchest is permissible. Eyes to be light brown to clear yellow. Nose and eye-rim pig-mentation dark brown or liver coloured. ‘Fading’ to pink in winter weather notserious. ‘Dudley’ nose should be penalized.

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in the conformation ring in the afternoonwithout any preparation other than agood combing or brushing.

In the Labrador, all three colours haveequal value. Each Labrador should beheld to the same standard of perfectionregardless of its colour. When judgingthe Labrador, colour must not be aconsideration. In some geographic loca-tions or at certain times, one colour maybe superior, but this is only a localizedoccurrence and is not true of the breed asa whole. In all colours a small white spoton the chest is permissible, but mostbreeders would prefer not to have such aspot. On occasion white hairs may befound between the pads, on the stomachand groin, and under the guard hair nearthe base of the tail. Not usually visible,these white hairs should not be consid-ered faults.

In yellows, the colour may vary from foxred to almost white. Again no shade ismore acceptable than another. There are

also shadings in individual coats with theears, hocks and back being usually adarker shade and underparts and back ofhind legs being lighter. Some yellowshave a mask of darker yellow hair aroundthe muzzle sometimes reaching up as faras the brows. If this gives a hard, atypicallook and ruins expression, it should bepenalized. Yellows with bad coats tend tohave soft, fluffy coats with plenty ofundercoat but no hard guard hair. Occa-sionally blacks with poor coats tend tohave single, shiny coats with no under-coat.

Black and chocolate coats are particu-larly affected by the sun. Black coats willtypically take on a brown cast and choco-late will look very faded and patchy.Coats with brindle or tan markings aretotally unacceptable and should be soseverely penalized as to be unworthy ofan award. Some Labradors havecow-licks which should only be consid-ered faults if they interfere with expres-sion.

HEAD

The skull should be wide, giving brain room; there should be a slight stop, i.e. the browshould be slightly pronounced, so that the skull is not absolutely in a straight line withthe nose. The head should be clean-cut and free from fleshy cheeks. The jaws shouldbe long and powerful and free from snipiness; the nose should be wide and the nostrilswell developed. Teeth should be strong and regular, with a level mouth. The earsshould hang moderately close to the head, rather far back, should be set somewhat lowand not be large and heavy. The eyes should be of medium size, expressing great intel-ligence and good temper, and can be brown, yellow or black, but brown or black ispreferred.

expression which should be typical of thebreed can not be overemphasized. Ahard, mean look is abhorrent. The head

CommentaryLabrador expression is an essential ofthe breed. The gentle and intelligent

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should possess both strength and a gentleexpression which reflect the character ofthe breed. The head is wide and strongbut without exaggeration, clean cut andwithout wrinkle. The head is at its widestbetween the ears and tapers only slightlyto the eyes, and must not give the appear-ance of being wedge shaped. The skullmay show some median line which disap-pears as it moves towards the back skull.The occipital bone is not conspicuous inmature dogs, although puppies under ayear can often exhibit pronounced occipi-tal “bumps” that hopefully will break asthey mature.

A fault frequently seen today is the ex-tremely undesirable overdone Rottweilerlook: great, huge heads with overdevel-oped cheek muscles, hard expressionsand over developed stops. The stopshould be easily discernable but moder-ate. Brow ridges help in defining thestop. Insufficient stop is often seen inassociation with wedge shaped heads andtoo obliquely set eyes which impart anundesired “foxy”expression.

The skull and foreface should be onparallel planes and of approximatelyequal length. Small, toy-like, snipeymuzzles are very incorrect since theyrender dogs incapable of properly re-trieving game. The bridge of the muzzleshould be straight. The muzzle is slightlydeeper from stop to underjaw than it isfrom nose to underjaw. In other words,when viewed from the side the muzzletapers very slightly from stop to tip. Themuzzle should be strong and appearalmost square, with good underjaw. Itshould not be long and narrow nor shortand stubby.

Lips should be tight and clean cut withsufficient padding to fill out the forefaceand create a strong appearance to themuzzle. Lips should not be pendulous,although there are often slight flews.There should be only a little wrinkle atthe corner of the mouth.

The nose should be wide and the nostrilswell developed for scenting power. Inblack and yellow dogs the nose should beblack (the Canadian Standard also al-lows yellows to have dark brown nosepigment and eye rims, although mostbreeders do not prefer this pigmentation).In chocolates pigmentation should bebrown. Nose colour in yellows will fre-quently fade, particularly in winter, andshould not be faulted. Noses withoutpigment are a fault. Also, as yellowsmature, frequently the nose pigment fadesbut the eye rims will remain dark. This isnot be be confused with lack of pigment.In the revised American Kennel ClubStandard (March, 1994) noses withoutpigment (pink noses) are a disqualifica-tion.

Eyes should reflect kindness and intelli-gence. They are of medium size, set wellapart, and neither protruding or deep set.Eyes are set straight, not obliquely. Theyhave sometimes been described as “dia-mond shaped”, not round. Eye rimsshould be tight to protect against debriswhen the dog is working. No white shouldbe visible when the dog is looking for-ward. In blacks and yellows the preferredcolour is brown, sometimes described asdark hazel or the colour of burnt sugar.Yellow eyes are very objectionable asthey create a hard, staring expression.The British have always detested blackeyes and now the Americans have listed

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black eyes as undesirable. Black eyes,however, have a much less detrimentalaffect on expression than do yellow“headlight” eyes. Chocolates’ eyes willusually be lighter than blacks or yellows,a hazel colour, but they should not beyellow or staring. Eye rims are black inblacks, black or dark brown in yellows,and brown in chocolates. Chiseling ofthe bony structure under the eyes adds toexpression and the appeal of the head.

Ears hang close to the head and are notso large as to appear houndy or so smallas to seem out of proportion to the head.They are medium sized, set well back onthe skull, and should be carried close tothe head reaching about to the bottom ofthe jaw line. They will reach to the insidecorner of the eye when pulled forward.When the dog is alert, the inside cornerof the top fold of the ears will breakalmost even with the top of the skull andthe fold will have a slightly downwardangle. The fold of the ear should notbreak above the skull and should notsquare off the head as in a Rottweiler orBullmastiff.

Teeth are described in the standard asstrong and regular with a level mouth.Most breeders have taken “level mouth”to mean a scissors bite. Although a levelbite is acceptable it is not preferred. Thestandard says nothing about undershot,overshot, or misaligned teeth, but thesehave always been considered by breedersas serious faults in a retriever. Missingteeth are also not mentioned in the stand-ard. It is not uncommon to see one or twomissing premolars in Labradors. In thepast this has not been considered by mostbreeders to be a serious fault, but Cana-dian breeders and judges are becomingmore concerned about missing teeth,particularly if this involves more than oneor two premolars. Full dentition is pre-ferred. However, as in all things relatedto the Labrador, the yardstick should behow this will affect work in the field. Theexperience of most hunters is that one ortwo missing premolars does not affectretrieving ability.

Whiskers need not be cut, but may be ifso desired.

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Correct parallel planes

IncorrectCoarse Head with

dewlap, flews and highear set

IncorrectSnipey Muzzle,

small ear,divergent planes

IncorrectLong Head,Large ear

Mature Yellow Dog Mature Yellow Bitch

Mature Black Dog Mature Black Bitch

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Mature Chocolate Dog Mature Chocolate Bitch

FOREQUARTERS

The shoulders should be long and sloping. The legs must be straight from the shouldersto the ground, and the feet compact with toes well arched, and pads well developed.

CommentaryIdeally the shoulders are well laid backand form an angle of approximately 90degrees with the upper arm which isapproximately the same length as theshoulder blade. Straight shoulders andshort upper arms are faults too prevalentin the breed. The lack of reach whichthese cause and the resulting short,choppy, “hackney” gait is not conduciveto a hard days work. Also considered aserious fault are Labradors which are“loaded” in the shoulders with heavybunched muscles that restrict movement.

Front legs are well boned, strong andstraight. Too much bone is as undesirableas too little. Bone should be heavy but

certainly not massive. Massive bone maybe seen in association with the overdoneRottweiler look mentioned previously.Legs should be well under the body andperpendicular to the ground. Elbowsshould be held close to the body andshould appear to be directly under thewithers. A plumb-line dropped from thewithers should fall just behind the dog’selbow. Tied in elbows or “being out atthe elbows” should be severely penalizedbecause of their contribution to impropergait. Distance from withers to elbowshould be approximately equal to thedistance from elbow to ground. Shortlegged, out of balance Labradors are toocommon and are not typical, neither are“leggy” specimens lacking in depth of

Commentary:The neck should be of medium length,strong and clean, enabling the dog tocarry heavy game. It should balance thedog and have a moderate arch which

flows smoothly into the shoulders withouta “break” or roll of flesh. The neckshould not be “stuffy”, neither should itbe overly long and weak. There should beno excess skin (dewlap) on the throat.

NECK

The neck should be medium length, powerful and not throaty.

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body.

Pasterns should be short and strong andshould slope slightly from the perpen-dicular line of the leg. There should be nonarrowing of the bone in the pastern.

Feet should be compact with well-archedtoes and webbing between the toes. Thefeet are neither hare nor cat feet, since

neither could withstand the type of workin the water and the field that Labradorsperform. Pads should be thick and strong.Dew claws may be removed. Splayedfeet, hare feet, feet turning in or out arevery serious faults.

11

Model foot, Side Model Foot, Front Hare Foot

Cat FootSplay FootFlat FootDown in Pastern

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BODY

The chest must be of good width and depth, the ribs well sprung and the loins wide andstrong, stifles well turned, and the hindquarters well developed and of great power.

This greater spring of rib produces awide, strong back that does not narrowappreciably through the loin. Thereshould be no noticeable appearance of awaist on a mature dog when viewed fromabove. The loins should be short, strongand wide. The ribs run well back, and theLabrador is more short coupled thatother retriever breeds. The back is leveland there is no slope to the loin. The backshould not be slack, roached or swayed.Soft, dipped, top lines are all too commonin the breed. Bitches will be a littlelonger cast than males.

The underline has a very slight curvefrom the bottom of the chest to the loin,but there should be no apparent tuck up,particularly in a mature dog. Sometimesimmature bitches in particular will havea tuck up but this should disappear asthey mature and have a litter.

CommentaryThe forechest is well developed, but theprosternum is not exaggerated. The chestis of medium width and should not bepinched or narrow. Neither should it givethe wide appearance of a bulldog typefront. The chest should taper between theforelegs which permits unrestrictedforeleg movement. In mature dogs thechest will usually reach to the elbows andwill be approximately the width of aman’s hand between the forelegs.

There is a greater spring of ribs in thebreed than in other retrievers, but theribs should not be completely barrelshaped. The ribs spring from the back-bone like the staves in a barrel but thenshould narrow to a “keel” where theymeet the breast bone. In cross section theribs would look more round than oval asthey spring from the spine. Slab sided orbarrel-shaped Labradors are very unde-sirable.

Correct IncorrectClose,

Elbows InToed Out

IncorrectWide

IncorrectElbowed Out

Toed In

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Soft Back, Long Back,Over Angulated

Hindquarters

13

Overbuilt, Stuffy Neckwith Roll at Withers.Gay Tail with Plume

Roach Back,Sloping Croup, Thin

Tail

Normal Slab Sided Overbuilt,Stuffy

Model Profile

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Correct IncorrectClose, Weak

IncorrectCow-Hocked

IncorrectBowed

est terrain. There should be a stronglymuscled second thigh. The hocks shouldbe well bent but short and strong. Cowhocks or sickle hocks are to be penalized.Viewed from the rear, the hind legs arestraight and parallel with good bone andapparent muscle. When viewed fromabove the Labrador should look slightlywider in the rear than the front becauseof the muscling in the rear. “Banana”rears, hindquarters with good turn ofstifle but no second thigh or muscle, aresometimes seen in the breed, although notas frequently as they once were. Balanceis essential in a dog required to workhard.

HINDQUARTERS

Stifles well turned, and the hindquarters well developed and of great power. The hocksshould be well bent, and the dog must neither be cowhocked nor be too wide behind; infact, he must stand and move true all around on legs and feet. Legs should be of me-dium length, showing good bone and muscle, but not so short as to be out of balancewith rest of body. In fact, a dog well balanced in all points is preferable to one withoutstanding good qualities and defects.

Commentary:The Labrador has a well turned, moder-ate stifle, and over angulation should beavoided, as should a straight, weak rearassembly. Do not reward angulation,such as found in an Irish Setter, which isover angulation in a Labrador. Too muchrear angulation inhibits drive by creatingimbalance between the front and the rearand produces a sloping topline not typi-cal of the breed and too little rear angu-lation results in lack of drive. The toesshould be only slightly behind the point ofrump when the dog is standing. Thehindquarters should give the impressionof tremendous power which will propelthe dog through water or over the rough-

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TAIL

The tail is a distinctive feature of the breed; it should be very thick towards the base,gradually tapering towards the tip, of medium length, should be free from any feather-ing, and should be clothed thickly all round with the Labrador’s short, thick, densecoat, thus giving that peculiar ‘rounded’ appearance which has been described as the‘otter’ tail. The tail may be carried gaily but should not curl over the back.

CommentaryThe Labrador’s otter tail is unique to thebreed. The base is very thick and hasbeen compared to the thickness of aman’s wrist. The tail tapers to a point;the corkscrew of hair that often appearsat the end may be removed for neatness,if desired. The thickness and roundappearance of the tail are the result ofthe Labrador’s coat. Dogs with atypicalcoats will not have a correct otter tail.Tails are free of feathering, although“bushy” tails with quite long hair on theunderside are seen all too frequently. Thetail follows the topline, which is straight,and the tail is an extension of the spine.The Labrador tail comes straight off thetopline since there is no slope of thecroup as in the Golden Retriever. The tail

can be carried gaily but should not curlover the back or be carried straight up.The tail should be carried either straightout, or at no more than 30 degrees fromthe horizontal. Curled or overly curvedtails detract from the balance of the dog.Long thin tails are serious faults, butshort, out of balance tails which look likethey have been stuck onto the end of thedog are equally faulty. Docking or anyalteration of the natural carriage of thetail should be severely penalized. In theAmerican standard such alterations are adisqualification. The tail should reach tothe hock, although there is no need tocheck the tail length by bringing it downto the hock. Rather look for the tail thatbalances the dog.

GAIT

Movement should be free and effortless. The forelegs should be strong, straight andtrue, and correctly placed. Watching a dog move towards one, there should be no signsof elbows being out in front, but neatly held to the body with legs not too close together,and moving straight forward without pacing or weaving. Upon viewing the dog fromthe rear, one should get the impression that the hind legs, which should be well muscledand not cow-hocked, move as nearly parallel as possible, with hocks doing their fullshare of work and flexing well, thus giving the appearance of power and strength.

CommentaryMovement in the Labrador should besound, strong, and powerful. The

Labrador is a dog that must be able towork in the field, but its work is not thatof a setter or pointer. The Labrador

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should have good reach and powerfuldrive, but it is not correct for the Labra-dor to have the extended reach of asetter. The Labrador should be thought ofas a Quarter horse: able to work all dayat a normal pace and capable of suddenbursts of speed. Movement should be freeand effortless and short, choppy, ineffi-cient movement should be severely penal-ized, but do not expect a Labrador to

race around the ring like a setter. Anymovement which interferes with perform-ance, such as side-winding, hackney-likegait, paddling, crossing over, closebehind or weaving should be severelypenalized as inappropriate for a workingdog. At faster speeds the Labrador willtend to converge toward the center ofgravity, but should not single track.

Tendency to converge at faster speeds

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Good Extension Front and Rear

Pace Lack of Extension Front and Rear

Temperament Commentary: Tempera-ment is not directly mentioned in thestandard, yet it is as important a part ofthe breed as the “otter” tail, double coat,or retrieving instinct. The standard doesindirectly indicate some aspects of tem-perament when it states that the eyesshould express “great intelligence andgood temper” and the skull should have“brain room”. The Standard calls forintelligence and good temper, but doesnot define what good temper is in thebreed. Over time, breeders have come todefine “good temper” in a Labrador asmarked by a kindly, outgoing, tractablenature. A Labrador should be friendly,confident, eager to please, adaptable,“non-aggressive”, and trainable. Cer-tain characteristics might not be able tobe fully evaluated in the breed ring;however, the friendly, confident, outgoingnature of the breed should be evident.Mature animals who exhibit shyness or

FAULTS

Dudley nose (pink without pigmentation).

There are no disqualifications noted in the Canadian Standard for Labrador Retrievers.

aggression should be severely penalized.Male dogs might be on less than friendlyterms with other males but there should beno evidence of a desire to attack otheranimals in the ring.In his 1933 book on the Labrador, LeslieSprake listed the common faults inherentin the breed: “heavy shoulders andclumpy neck, a dipped back, and asomewhat short muzzle.” These are someof the major faults that still appear in thebreed. But, Sprake also noted, “theamiable, dignified and perseveringdisposition” of the breed which,fortunately, is the case today. Earlywriters on the breed frequently use theword, “sagacious” (intelligent, wise,sound in mind) to describe the Labrador’scharacter. It is this soundness of mind thatmakes the Labrador such a trainableretriever and wonderful companion.Without Labrador temperament; there isno Labrador.

ESSENTIAL CONSIDERATIONS IN EVALUATING THE LABRADOR RETRIEVER

1. A POWERFUL, ATHLETIC, WORKING RETRIEVER

2. OUTLINE: SLIGHTLY OFF-SQUARE, COMPACT, POWERFUL

3. COAT: DOUBLE, HARD OUTER, DENSE SOFT UNDERCOAT

4. HEAD: STRONG, CLEAN, GENTLE EXPRESSION

5. TAIL: OTTER, ROUND, THICK, STRAIGHT, EXTENSION OF SPINE, CARRIED LEVEL OR SLIGHTLY RAISED

6 . MOVEMENT: SOUND, POWERFUL

7. TEMPERAMENT: CONFIDENT, OUTGOING, FRIENDLY

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© 2001 LABRADOR RETRIEVER CLUB OF CANADA