General
Appearance:
The general appearance of
the Labrador should be that of a strongly built,
short-coupled
very active dog. He should be fairly wide over the loins, and
strong and muscular in the
hindquarters. The coat should be close, short, dense and free
from feather.
Size:
Approximate weights of
dogs and bitches in working condition;
Dogs: 60-75 lb (27-34 kg);
and
Bitches: 55-70 lb (25-32
kg).
Height at
shoulders:
Dogs: 22 ½ - 24
½ in (57-62 cm); and
Bitches: 21 ½ - 23
½ in (54-60 cm).
Coat and
Color
The coat is another very
distinctive feature, it should be short, very dense and
without
wave, and should give a fairly hard feeling to the hand. The
colors are black, yellow or
chocolate and are evaluated as follows:
Blacks:
All black, with a small
white spot on the chest permissible. Eyes to be of medium
size,
expressing intelligence and good temper, preferably brown or
hazel, although black or
yellow is permissible.
Yellows:
Yellows may vary in color
from fox-red to light cream with variations in the shading of
the
coat on ears, the underparts of the dog, or beneath the tail. A
small white spot on chest is
permissible. Eye coloring and expression should be the same as
that of the blacks, with
black or dark brown eye rims. The nose should also be black or
dark brown, although
"fading" to pink in the winter weather is not serious.
A "Dudley" nose (pink without
pigmentation) should be penalized.
Chocolates:
Shades range from light
sedge to chocolate. A small white spot on the chest is
permissible.
Eyes to be light brown to clear yellow. Nose and eye rim
pigmentation dark brown or liver
colored. "Fading" to pink in the winter weather is not
serious. "Dudley" nose should be
penalized.
Head:
The skull should be wide,
giving brain room; there should be a slight stop, i.e., the
brow
should be slightly pronounced, so that the skull is not
absolutely in a straight line with the
nose. The head should be clean-cut and free from fleshy cheeks.
The jaws should be long
and powerful and free from snipiness; the nose should be wide and
the nostrils well
developed. Teeth should be strong and regular, with a level
mouth. The eyes should be of
medium size, expressing great intelligence and good temper, and
can be brown, yellow or
black, but brown or black is preferred. The ears should hang
moderately close to the head,
rather far back, should be set somewhat low, and not be large and
heavy.
Neck:
The neck should be medium
length, powerful and not throaty.
Forequarters:
The shoulders should be
long and sloping. The legs must be straight from the shoulders
to
the ground, and the feet compact with toes well arched, and pads
well developed.
Body:
The chest must be of good
width and depth, the ribs well sprung and the loins wide and
strong, stifles well turned, and the hindquarters well developed
and of great power.
Hindquarters:
Stifles well turned, and
the hindquarters well developed and of great power. The hocks
should be well bent, and the dog must neither be cow-hocked nor
be too wide behind; in
fact, he must stand and move true all around on legs and feet.
Legs should be of medium
length, showing good bone and muscle, but not so short as to be
out of balance with rest of
the body. In fact, a dog well balanced in all points is
preferable to one with outstanding
good qualities and defects.
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 feathering,
and should be clothed thickly all round with the Labrador's
short, thick, dense coat, 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.
Gait:
Movement should be free
and effortless. The forelegs should be strong, straight and
true,
and correctly placed. Watching a dog move towards one, there
should be no signs of
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 from the rear,
one should get the impression that the hind legs, which should be
well muscled and not
cow-hocked, move as nearly parallel as possible, with hocks doing
their full share of work
and flexing well, thus giving the appearance of power and
strength.
© 2003 - ALRC All rights
reserved