History of the Labrador Retriever
By Adam Pounders | Submitted On August 27, 2011
The Labrador retriever's origin goes way back in history to the late 1700's when they were used as working dogs in Newfoundland, Canada. There were 2 classes of the breed which were known as Greater or Lesser St John's Water Dogs. The Greater Newfoundland was a large dog with a long thick black coat while the Lesser of the breed was smaller and had a glossy black coat. Both had double layers, which in effect, acted as a waterproofing keeping the cold waters away from their skin. They worked as teams pulling carts loaded with fish helping to retrieve any fish escaping the nets and were trained to jump into the icy waters of the Labrador sea to help pull in the nets. These friendly dogs, especially the smaller of the breed loved to play with the fishermen's children even after an entire exhausting day's work and were recognized for their playful ways and their faithfulness.
Labrador retrievers were introduced into England in the 1800s being imported on the ships coming from Labrador to Poole, where they quickly became favorites of the estate owners and gentry because of their loyalty, dedication and willingness to work and hunt. The 3rd Earl of Malmesbury who bred them for his love of duck shooting, wrote in 1887 to a friend about his dogs calling them Labradors as that was where they originated from, and that is how the Labrador was named.
He kept his breed pure, but others interbred with other types of dogs trained to retrieve such as spaniels or setters so as to introduce those particular traits. These dogs had long, short or curly coats but the strong Labrador genes always became most prominent, and the origin of Labrador retrievers was established. The breed was recognized as a true breed by the English Kennel Club in 1903. The American Kennel Club followed suit in 1917 when they recognized the dog with Labrador retriever origin as a true breed. The geologist Joseph Beete Jukes noted that they paddled their webbed feet in water to entice fish even though not trained to do so. This maybe why they have such a love for fish in their food and particularly love to swim, especially in the sea even if it is covered in ice.
Dogs of the Labrador retriever origin were originally all black, but gradually other colors appeared, these were culled at first but now there are three standard colors of the breed. Black, solid black all over, chocolate, medium to dark brown and yellow which can be light cream, even white to a dark 'fox red'. The Labrador retrievers are extremely friendly, faithful dog which is why they are well-accepted as a family dog. They are fantastic with children, so gentle they can keep an egg in the mouth without cracking it. They absolutely love to play and you will tire long before they will. Their willingness to learn makes them particularly trainable which is why dogs of Labrador retriever origin are chosen and make excellent guide dogs. Their persistence in sniffing out a fragrance make them the obvious choice as sniffer police dogs and though not the best guard dogs they will yell at anything unfamiliar to them so make you aware of any unwanted activity around your home.
Adam Pounders has been raising Labrador retrievers for half his life. From training a new born puppy to helping an 'Old Lady' up the stairs. These experiences have made him a valuable resource here at the Training Labs Staff.
The Training Labs Staff at [http://traininglabradorretrievers.net] have a combined total of 20 years experience at training Labrador retrievers. They are accumulating product reviews and additional training material for you to use with your Lab at [http://traininglabradorretrievers.net] now!
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