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Labrador Retriever Facts Life Expectancy: 15 years Size: 21-23in Noise: Fairly Quiet Common Health Problems: Elbow disease, eye problems, hip dysplasia, weight gain Breed Recognized By: AKC, CKC, FCI, KC Alternate Names: Lab Friendliness | Friendly to strangers and children, can be overwhelming to small animals | Grooming | Low maintenance | Energy | High, requires 60 minutes of exercise per day or more | Trainability | Highly trainable and eager to please | The Labrador retriever is native to Newfoundland and was later relocated to Labrador off the coast of Canada. Originally bred to retrieve fishing nets, the Labrador’s love of water, strong retrieving instinct, and desire to serve her master quickly led to the breed’s use as a gun dog. Today, the Labrador is often used to hunt waterfowl, as a service or therapy dog, and as a loyal family pet. The friendliness of the Labrador is legendary. Aggressive Labradors are rare and usually only occur in instances of abuse. Prized as a family dog, the Labrador is an excellent playmate to children, although Labrador puppies can overwhelm a small child with their boisterous play. While most Labradors are friendly to other animals, their desire to play might overwhelm small family pets like cats or rabbits. The Labrador’s coat comes in three colors, black, yellow, and chocolate. All three variations have the same care needs. The Labrador has a soft undercoat that protects it from cold and a coarse, slightly oily outer coat that helps shed water and protects the Labrador from cold weather and scratchy brush. A light daily brushing is all that is required to maintain the Labrador’s coat. Labradors can be bathed as needed, but excessive baths should be avoided. The Labrador is an extremely energetic dog, especially as a puppy and requires a minimum of 1 hour of daily exercise. Labradors, with their boundless endurance make excellent hiking or running partners. Labradors that don’t receive enough exercise will find ways to expend their energy, often with destructive behavior. Sedentary Labradors are also prone to weight gain which can aggravate joints already prone to disease. The Labrador is a very trainable dog that will do anything to please its master. If you have never trained a dog before, a Labrador will make a willing and patient partner while you learn. The combination of the Labrador’s gentleness, intelligence, and desire to serve make it an excellent service dog.
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