46 Your Dog March 2020New
series
The French Bulldog knocked the
Labrador of the top spot in 2018,
but in 2019 the Lab was the most
popular UK dog breed again.DID YOU KNOW?ALL ABOUT
breeds
Our new series looks at some of our most
popular — and unusual — breeds and asks
owners: ‘What are they really like to live
with?’ Julie Hill starts with the Labrador.
A i rm favourite
LABRADOR FACT FILE
With thanks to David Coode, of
Warringah Labradors, chairman of The
Labrador Retriever Club.● Life expectancy: 12 to 14 years
on average.
● Price: It does vary quite signii cantly.
You can pick one up for as little as £450,
but there will have been little or no
health testing on the parents.
A Labrador with fully health-tested
parents would be approximately £1,000.
● Size (at withers): Dogs: 56 – 57cm;
bitches: 55 – 56cm.
● Weight: Dogs: 35 – 38kg; bitches: 32- 35 kg.
● Coat care: Regular brushing and
swimming helps keep it clean.
● Health status: Well bred ones have
very few health issues.
● Character: Great lovers of food;
af ectionate, enthusiastic.
● Trainability: Very biddable and easily
trained; it is usually the owners who are
the problem, not the dog!
● Exercise requirements: Daily
walking and basic obedience keeps
the dog happy.
L
abradors are ubiquitous — for 30
years, almost uninterrupted, they’ve been
the most popular breed in the UK.
And it’s not diffi cult to see why they have
such a well-established place in the hearts of
the nation’s dog lovers. Whether it’s assisting
people with disabilities, participating in
outdoor pursuits, or snuggling up beside us
on the sofa, the Labrador puts his heart and
soul into it.
But did you know that this familiar breed
started life as a fi sherman’s dog? On the
east coast of Canada, in the early 18th
century, there were two breeds: the larger
Newfoundland and the smaller St John’s
dog, who willingly assisted the fi shermen in
their work.“In 1885, a law was passed that led to the
destruction of practically all Labradors in
order to promote the breeding of sheep in
the Newfoundland area.
“Not too long after that, quarantine laws
were introduced in England, which made
importation next to impossible,” explained
David. “So, although the Labrador originated
in Canada, the breed was moulded, refi ned,
and promoted by British landowners in the
nineteenth century.
“The Labrador is essentially a working
dog, who has now become a fi rm favourite
as companion, family pet, assistance, and
rescue dog in addition to his origins as
a working retriever.”
With his short coat, good nature, and
willing temperament, the breed is assured
a popular future. However, all dogs are
individuals; Labradors don’t come out of
a box as the perfect dog. As youngsters,
their enthusiasm can be a challenge, and
they defi nitely have a sense of humour
— although sometimes the joke’s on you!
Here, and over the page, we speak to two
owners to discover what it’s like living with
a Labrador.Who doesn’t love a Labrador?David Coode, chairman
of The Labrador
Retriever Club.Images: Warringah Labradors.According to David Coode, chairman of the
The Labrador Retriever Club, when fi shermen
brought these early Labradors to England,
the news of their retrieving ability had spread,
and wealthy landowners decided to see if
they would make suitable gundogs.
Thanks to their biddable nature, and ability
to work as well in the water as on land, the
breed took root and fl ourished.46-49 YD Breeds Labs Mar20 CS NF(SW)ok.indd 46 23/01/2020 14:53