Labrador Retriever: how to recognise one
Labradors are the reference point for half the dogs in any park, which is why so many mixes get called “Lab”. Upload a photo above, then check the features below.
Also known as: Labrador, Lab, Black Lab, Yellow Lab, Chocolate Lab
Drop a photo here, or tap to choose one
A clear shot of the face and body works best. JPG, PNG or HEIC.
About the Labrador Retriever
The Labrador Retriever was developed in Britain in the nineteenth century from water dogs brought over from Newfoundland, where they helped fishermen haul nets and fetch lines. It is a gundog recognised by the FCI, the Kennel Club and the AKC, and one of the most widely kept dogs in the world. Two types are common: heavier, broader show-bred dogs and lighter, leggier field-bred dogs. Both share a soft mouth, a love of water and food, and an easy, people-focused temperament that suits family life, guide-dog work and detection.
At a glance
- Type
- Pedigree breed
- Size
- Large
- Adult weight
- 25–36 kg
- Life expectancy
- 11–13 years
- Exercise
- High
How to recognise a Labrador Retriever
- Short, dense, straight coat that feels fairly hard on top, over a weather-resistant undercoat; no feathering on the ears, legs or tail.
- Three solid colours: black, yellow (from pale cream to fox red) and chocolate. A small white spot on the chest is allowed.
- The “otter tail”: very thick at the root, round, tapering to the tip and coated in short dense hair; carried level, never curled over the back.
- Broad skull with a clear stop, a muzzle of medium length and kind brown or hazel eyes.
- Ears hang close to the head and are set rather far back; they are neither long nor fringed like a spaniel’s.
- Strong, short-coupled body with a deep chest and level topline. Field-bred Labs look lighter and longer in the leg.
Photo tip. Photograph your dog standing side-on with the whole tail in view. The otter tail and the short coat on the backs of the legs separate a Lab from a Golden or flat-coat cross.
Labrador Retriever or look-alike?
Golden Retriever
A Golden has a longer, flowing coat with feathering on the ears, chest, legs and tail. A yellow Lab is short-coated everywhere, with no fringes at all.
Flat-Coated Retriever
Usually black or liver like a Lab, but the coat is longer, flat and glossy, with feathered legs and tail, and the head is longer and narrower with very little stop.
Chesapeake Bay Retriever
Brown like a chocolate Lab, but the coat is oily and wavy over the shoulders and back, and the eyes are a pale yellow or amber that stands out on a photo.
Labrador Retriever mixes
Labrador crosses are everywhere: Labradoodles, Goldadors, Boradors, Beagadors and countless rescues with “Lab” on the kennel card. The traits that survive best are the short dense coat, the thick otter tail, the broad head and the drop ears. Black is genetically dominant, so a black Lab crossed with almost any breed often throws solid black puppies, sometimes with a white chest patch. On a photo, a Lab mix usually comes back with Labrador among the closest breeds, next to whatever shaped the legs, ears or coat. A DNA test gives the actual percentages.
Health and care
- Hip and elbow dysplasia are known in the breed; ask for official hip and elbow scores on both parents. Keeping a Lab lean, from puppyhood on, takes real pressure off the joints.
- Ask the breeder for DNA results for exercise-induced collapse (EIC), PRA-prcd and centronuclear myopathy (CNM), plus a current eye examination on both parents.
- Labs are famously food-driven and gain weight easily. Weigh meals rather than free-feeding, count training treats, and use a large-breed puppy food during growth.
- Drop ears and a love of water make ear infections common, so dry the ears after swimming. As a deep-chested breed, they also do better resting quietly after a big meal.
- They need daily exercise with a job in it: retrieving, swimming, scent games. Bored young Labs chew, and swallowed socks and toy parts are a classic puppy problem.