The Lab is another kind of retriever – a type of gun dog. These dogs have webbed paws for swimming, making them very useful for retrieving their prey. Formerly known as Lesser Newfoundland, this breed is by far the most popular breed of dog in the world, particularly in Canada, United States and United Kingdom. It is also the most popular breed of assistance dog in these countries, especially the police.

The Labrador has its origin from the island of Newfoundland, which is now part of the province of Newfoundland and Labrador, Canada. The breed transpired over time from the St John’s Water Dog through ad-hoc breeding by early settlers in the mid to late 16^th century. The Labrador is closely related to the Newfoundland dog because they have the same ancestry.

Labradors come in 2 types of breeding lines, although the classification is informal and not standardised. The Conformation line tends to be bred as medium-sized dogs, shorter and stockier with fuller faces and to some extent calmer nature. The Field version has a tendency to be taller, lighter-framed dogs, with slightly less broad faces and a slightly longer nose. Labradors are more likely to shed twice a year, or regularly throughout the year for those in the temperate climates. The otter-like tail and webbed toes of the Labrador make them outstanding swimmers. Their entwined coat is also somewhat waterproof, giving it more support for swimming.

Labradors are a sturdy, friendly and adaptable breed, suitable for a broad range of functions, other than making great pets for the mankind. Generally, Labs are not known to be territorial, pining, insecure or aggressive and destructive.

Like the Golden Retrievers, Labradors make very good retrievers. They automatically enjoy holding something in their mouths, and with great gentleness. They are also known to have a very soft feel to the mouth, as a result of being bred to retrieve game such as waterfowl. The Labrador’s coat wards off water to a certain extent, making it an ideal dog for waterfowl hunting.

While some Labradors make excellent companions for the family, some lines are particularly fast and athletic. Because of their over-the-top attitude and lack of fear, early training and firm handling is very necessary to ensure that it does not get out of hand. Labradors usually mature around the age of three and before this time, they will have a certain degree of puppiness in them. Labs are often very relentless in retrieving objects such as a ball, a Frisbee or a flyball. They are generally very calm and credulous with strangers, and thus are not suitable as guard dogs.