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Michigan's First UKC Labrador Club |
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Michigan's First UKC Labrador Club |
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United Kennel Club Standard
LABRADOR RETRIEVER
The ancestor of the Labrador
Retriever was the St. John's Retriever, a smaller version of
the Newfoundland. These dogs were brought to England, probably
on fishing boats. Gamekeepers crossed these Canadian imports
with various breeds of gun dogs, always striving to improve
the breed's hunting and retrieving instincts. By the middle
of the 19th century, the Labrador's characteristic water-resistant
coat and otter tail were already apparent. By the late 1880s,
the breed was sufficiently distinctive that "Labrador Retriever"
became the generally accepted name of the breed. Originally
black in color, the first recorded yellow Labrador appeared
in a litter born in 1899. Chocolates were also recorded at about
the same time, but never achieved the same level of popularity
as the blacks and yellows. Originally bred to retrieve from
water, the modern Labrador Retriever has proven to be one of
the most versatile breeds, excelling in hunt tests and field
trials, in obedience and agility events, and also as service
dogs. General Appearance The Labrador Retriever is a
medium-sized, short-coupled, powerfully-built dog with a short,
dense, water-resistant coat; small, drop ears; and a short,
thick otter-like tail carried level with the back or with a
slight upward curve. The length of body is equal to or only
slightly longer than the height at the withers, and the distance
from the elbows to the ground is equal to one-half the height
at the withers. The Labrador Retriever is a dog without exaggeration,
so light, weedy dogs; tall, leggy dogs; long, low-stationed
dogs; and cloddy, lumbering dogs are to be equally penalized.
The Labrador Retriever should be evaluated as a working gun
dog, and exaggerations or faults should be penalized in proportion
to how much they interfere with the dog's ability to work. The Labrador Retriever is an
enthusiastic hunter with a good nose and a soft mouth. They
excel in all performance activities. Another essential characteristic
of the Labrador Retriever is the short, dense, double coat that
protects the dog when retrieving from water. The short, "otter"
tail is another distinctive feature of this breed. Labrador
Retrievers are noted for their excellent temperaments. This
breed is friendly, outgoing and eager to please. They are extremely
intelligent and easily trained to perform a variety of complex
tasks. Disqualifications: Aggressiveness toward humans or other dogs. Head The head is proportionate to
the size of the dog, clean-cut, and without exaggeration of
any sort. When viewed from the side, the skull and muzzle are
approximately equal in length, and joined by a moderate stop
that is defined, in part, by the moderately well-defined supraorbital
arches over the eyes. SKULL - The skull is broad, but without exaggeration. There may be a slight median furrow between the eyes at the forehead, and the occipital bone is not conspicuous. Cheeks are clean. MUZZLE - In profile, the muzzle is powerful. The bridge of the muzzle is straight and on a parallel plane with the top line of the skull. Viewed from the top or the side, the muzzle is slightly deeper and wider at the stop than at the tip. Lips fall away in a curve toward the throat, and are neither pendulous nor squared off. Removal of whiskers is permitted but not preferred. Faults: Snipey muzzle; muzzle too long and narrow or too short and stubby. TEETH - The Labrador Retriever has a complete set of evenly spaced, white teeth meeting in a scissors bite. Faults: Level bite. Serious Fault: Overshot or undershot bite, misaligned teeth; missing molars or premolars. NOSE - The nose leather is black on black and yellow dogs, and liver on chocolate dogs. A slight fading of nose pigment is not a fault. Nostrils must be large and open. Disqualifications: Nose completely unpigmented. EYES - The eyes are medium sized and somewhat triangular in appearance, but never so much as to give a hard expression. Eye color is brown in black and yellow dogs, and brown or hazel in chocolates. Eyelids are close fitting, and eye rims match nose pigment. Expression is kindly and intelligent. Faults: Yellow eyes; eyes too dark; eyes too small or too round and prominent; eyes set too close together; eyes protruding or too deep set; any feature that detracts from the correct Labrador expression. Disqualification: Absence of pigmentation in eye rims. EARS - The ears are drop, triangular in shape, and rather short, with the front edges attached well behind and just above the eyes. When pulled forward, the tip of the ear should just cover the eye. The ear leather is pliable. When alert, the ears are drawn up and forward, with the inner edges of the ears close to the cheeks. Fault: Large ears; heavy ear leather. Neck The neck is of sufficient length
to allow the dog to carry retrieved game with ease, and powerful,
but not throaty. The neck is clean and blends smoothly into
well laid back shoulders. Forequarters Shoulders are smoothly muscled.
The shoulder blades are long and well laid back with the upper
tips fairly close together at the withers. The upper arm appears
to be equal in length to the shoulder blade and joins it at
an apparent right angle. The elbows are close to the body and
set directly under the withers. The forelegs are straight, strong
and sturdy in bone, with strong, short, slightly sloping pasterns.
Serious fault: Legs too short and heavy boned. Body A properly proportioned Labrador
Retriever is square or just slightly longer (measured from prosternum
to point of buttocks) than tall (measured from the withers to
the ground), and length of the front leg (measured from point
of elbow to the ground) is approximately equal to one-half of
the dog's height. Whether the dog is standing or moving, the
line of the back is strong and level from the withers to the
slightly sloping croup. The loin is short, muscular and deep,
with little or no tuck-up in a mature dog. The ribs extend well
back and are well sprung out from the spine, forming a broad,
strong back, then curving down and inward to form a deep body.
The brisket extends to the elbow. Viewed from the front, the
chest between the forelegs is well filled and of moderate width
to allow for efficient movement and stamina. Viewed from the
side, the forechest is well developed but not exaggerated. Hindquarters The hindquarters are broad and
muscular. In profile, the croup slopes slightly. The angulation
of the hindquarters is in balance with the angulation of the
forequarters. The stifles are well bent, and the hocks are well
let down. When the dog is standing, the rear toes are just slightly
behind the point of buttocks. Viewed from the side, the short,
strong rear pasterns are perpendicular to the ground and, viewed
from the rear, parallel to one another. Feet Good feet are essential for
a working retriever. The feet are of medium size, round and
compact with well-arched toes and thick, elastic pads. Dewclaws
may be removed. Tail The tail is a distinctive feature
of the breed. It is a natural extension of the topline, very
thick and muscular at the base and tapering to the tip. A tail
of the correct length extends no longer than the hock. The tail
is covered with the same thick, dense coat as the body, but
never feathered. It is the heavy coat that gives the tail its
resemblance to an otter's tail. When the dog is relaxed, the
tail hangs down naturally. When the dog is moving or alert,
the tail may be carried level with the back or only slightly
above level. The tail should never curl over the back or be
carried between the legs. Dogs with docked tails or tails that
have been altered to affect natural length or carriage shall
be severely penalized in conformation events. Disqualifications: Tail docked; alteration of the natural length or carriage of the tail. Dogs with docked or altered tails resulting from injuries in the field shall be eligible for registration and performance events but ineligible for conformation events. Coat The Labrador Retriever has a
short, dense, water-repellent double coat. The outer coat lies
close to the body and is straight, although a slight wave down
the back is permissible. The coat texture is firm and resilient,
neither coarse nor silky. Undercoat is soft and dense. Color Color may be solid black, any
solid shade of yellow from red to pale cream, or any solid shade
of chocolate. Yellow dogs may have variations in shading on
the ears, back and underside of the dog. A small white spot
on the chest is permissible but not preferred. White hairs from
aging or scarring should not be penalized. Size and Weight Standard height for mature males
is 22½ to 24½ inches and for mature females, 21½
to 23½ inches. A correctly built Labrador Retriever male
in working condition should weigh between 65 and 80 pounds and
a female should weigh between 55 and 70 pounds. Gait When trotting, the gait is effortless,
smooth, powerful and well coordinated, showing good but not
exaggerated reach in front and drive behind. When moving, the
dog's head moves forward so that the head, backline, and tail
are nearly even. The backline remains level with only a slight
flexing to indicate suppleness. Viewed from any position, legs
turn neither in nor out, nor do feet cross or interfere with
each other. As speed increases, feet tend to converge toward
center line of balance. It is recom-mended that dogs be shown
on a loose lead and moved at a moderate speed to reflect true
gait. Disqualifications Unilateral or bilateral cryptorchid.
Viciousness or extreme shyness. Aggressiveness toward humans
or other dogs. Nose completely unpigmented. Absence of pigmentation
in eye rims. Tail docked. Alteration of the natural length or
carriage of the tail. Dogs with docked or altered tails resulting
from injuries in the field shall be eligible for registration
and performance events but ineligible for conformation events.
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