Labrador Retriever

Labrador Retriever, breed of dog from the gundog group. The breed originated in Newfoundland, Canada, in the 17th century and was used to drag around the fishermen’s nets; dogs were imported into Poole in England early in the 19th century and were used initially as field dogs, trained to discover and fetch killed or wounded game, principally aquatic birds or pheasants. The Earl of Malmesbury was one of the breed’s main supporters and actually named the breed the Labrador to distinguish it from the Newfoundland dogs that were also being used as retrievers. Today this multi-talented, active dog is as likely to be involved in drugs detection or in sniffing out mines and explosives in warzones. The breed is also used as a guide dog for the blind and hard of hearing. The UK Kennel Club recognized it as a separate breed in 1903 and today it is the most popular breed of dog in the country.

The Labrador Retriever is a solid-looking dog and stands between 54 and 57 cm (21 and 22 in) tall at the shoulder and weighs around 30 kg (66 lb). The dog has a short, hard, and exceedingly dense black, yellow, or chocolate-coloured coat that is almost impervious to water. It has a wide skull, medium-sized ears hanging fairly close to the head, eyes that are usually black or brown, a wide, deep chest, and straight legs. The characteristic “otter” tail of the Labrador retriever is of medium length, very thick at the base, and tapering gradually to the tip. The tail is covered thickly with the same kind of short, dense hair that is found in the coat. In modern times the breed is probably most famous for advertising toilet paper by means of the loveable Andrex™ puppies.