What Is the Origin of Labrador Dogs?

The appeal of the Labrador retriever spans continents and types of owners. Popular in Great Britain, the United States and Canada, Labradors generally make excellent pets, sporting dogs, and service dogs, with their friendly temperament and ability to be trained easily. One of the breed's skills is retrieving, justifying the latter part of its name.

  1. History

    • According to the Labrador Club of Canada (LCC), early dogs that made up the breed may have come from small dogs left on Newfoundland island by European ships. These dogs developed into working stock--retrieving prey from the water for fishermen, collecting game during hunts, and hauling wood, states the LCC.

    Geography

    • The island of Newfoundland lies in Canada's most eastern region.

      The breed developed on Newfoundland and not in the mainland Labrador region. The Canadian province of Newfoundland and Labrador includes the island of Newfoundland on the eastern side of Canada in the Gulf of St. Lawrence. According to the American Kennel Club (AKC), dog taxes and quarantine law caused the breed to die out in Newfoundland.

    Separate Breed

    • Dogs taken from Newfoundland to England were the foundation for the Labrador retriever breed. The Kennel Club in England recognized the breed in 1903, Canada gave separate breed recognition in 1908, and the AKC admitted the breed in 1917. According to the AKC, the Labrador retriever stock in America includes imported British dogs.

    Fun Fact

    • Another breed, Newfoundlands, also originated on Newfoundland island. Labradors typically weigh between 55 to 75 pounds, only half the 100 to 150 pound average weight of Newfoundlands.