dog breeds: the labrador retriever

dog breeds: the labrador retriever

Labrador Retriever Dog
Image Credit: Wikipedia

labradors 101:

the labrador retriever is probably the most popular dog in the world today. labradors (or simply "labs") rank as the number one most registered dog in Canada, UK, and the US.

these dogs are known for their kindness, gentleness, compassion, loyalty, and trainability or willingness to learn, obey, and please. their "retriever" name indicates that they are the type of dogs that are great at assisting hunters in finding and retrieving game (that's why they are also called or categorized as "gun dogs" also "sporting dogs"). they are easily trained to retrieve birds, foal, or other game and to hand them to their masters without damage. another thing that makes labradors such great hunting companions is because they are soft mouthed. they can carry retrieved objects in their mouth without biting hard into and damaging it.

labrador retrievers are also good assistance dogs (dogs that are trained to help or assist persons with disability.) they are either trained by their handlers (with the help of a professional trainer) to become guide dogs (for blind or visually impaired persons), signal dogs or hearing dogs (for the deaf or people with hard hearing), or as service dogs (working dogs used either as medical alert dogs, seizure alert dogs, psychiatric service dogs, or mobility assistance dogs).

labradors are also among the best choice of the police, military, or other official groups for dogs serving as detection dogs and rescue dogs.

they are even great swimmers and divers. labradors are uniquely characterized by their webbed paws that help them swim with ease. (it's believed that they were originally bred to have webbed paws for the purpose of helping fishermen retrieve nets). aside from swimming, labradors also love to play catch or fetch, making them great family pets, especially for families with children.

their colors vary from black, yellow (ranging from pale cream to fox red), and chocolate, and they can live up to ten to thirteen years.