Welcome to The Labrador Club

History of the Labrador

The ancestry of the Labrador has not been positively determined; Pyreneans, Huskies, Mastiffs, and many others have been suggested as the progenitors of the breed. What is certain is that Labradors were a recognisable breed in Newfoundland (Canada) in the late 18^th Century.

The cod-fishermen of Newfoundland used their dogs for a variety of purposes. The dogs were expected to carry ropes from boats to the shore and were required to retrieve any fish which escaped from the confines of the net. Herein lies the importance of the first existence of the Labrador’s keen instinct to retrieve, the necessity of the strong “otter tail”, and the purpose of the undercoat.

Dogs were also expected to pull sledges of firewood, fish etc. over land. They were consequently bred to maintain a strong compact build, as well as to possess a willingness to please their owners.

The breed came to be called Labrador, to distinguish them from the Newfoundland breed, which is a taller and much longer-coated dog. Some Labradors were imported into England in the 1830’s and by 1880 breeding strains had been established to preserve the Labrador’s valuable characteristics. The Labrador owners of the world are indebted to early work accomplished by these breeders.

The Labrador was recognised by the English Kennel Club in 1904 and the first Labrador Club was established in 1916. Labradors have subsequently been recognised throughout the world and have become one of the most popular breeds. The dogs had been used as ‘’shooting dogs’’ from early in their English history, hence the stress which is placed in the standard of the breed on their gundog characteristics. There has, in all countries, been some breeding discrimination between those who breed to the ‘’standard’’ conformation and those who stress the field characteristics of scenting and retrieving.

The most common colour of the early Labradors was black. Yellow dogs did appear in litters but were regarded with suspicion and were for the most part put down. In 1924, a Yellow Labrador Club was established in Britain, and yellow is now a firmly established colour of the breed. Yellow as used to define a Labrador colour, varies from cream through to fox red. Chocolate was established later, and there are now several chocolate champions.

The Labrador’s willingness to form a strong bond of love and loyalty with its owner has been a major factor in the growth of popularity of the breed. They are used as guide dogs for the blind, as police tracking dogs, for drug detection work with the Customs Department, as pets and companions, for gun and field activities, for obedience work and many other purposes.