Parilak

This article is about the dog breed. For the song by AKB48, see Labrador Retriever (song).
“Chocolate Lab” redirects here. For the record label, see Chocolate Lab Records.
Labrador Retriever
Yellow Labrador Retriever
Other names
Labrador
Common nicknames
Lab
Origin
United Kingdom & Canada[1]
Foundation stock
St. John’s water dog
[hide]Traits
Weight
Male
65–80 lb (29–36 kg)[2]

Female
55–70 lb (25–32 kg)[2]
Colour
Black, chocolate, or yellow (ranges from pale yellow (nearly white) to fox red)
Litter size
5–10 puppies (avg: 7.6)[3]
Life span
12–13 years[4]
[hide]Classification / standards
FCI
Group 8, Section 1 Retrievers #122
standard
AKC
Sporting
standard
ANKC
Group 3 (Gundogs)
standard
CKC
Group 1 – Sporting
standard
KC (UK)
Gundog
standard
NZKC
Gundogs
standard
UKC
Gun Dog
standard
Notes
Provincial mammal of Labrador
Domestic dog (Canis lupus familiaris)
The Labrador Retriever, or just Labrador, is a type of retriever-gun dog.[5] The Labrador is one of the most popular breeds of dog[6] in Canada,[7] the United Kingdom[8] and the United States.[9][10]

A favourite disability assistance breed in many countries, Labradors are frequently trained to aid the blind, those who have autism, to act as a therapy dog, or to perform screening and detection work for law enforcement and other official agencies.[9] Additionally, they are prized as sporting and hunting dogs.[11]

A few kennels breeding their ancestors, the St. John’s water dog, were in England. At the same time, a combination of the sheep protection policy in Newfoundland and rabies quarantine in the United Kingdom, led to the gradual demise of the St. John’s water dog in Canada.[12]

In the 1830s, the 10th Earl of Home and his nephews the 5th Duke of Buccleuch and Lord John Scott,[13][14] had imported progenitors of the breed from Newfoundland to Europe for use as gundogs. Another early advocate of these Newfoundland dogs, or Labrador Retrievers as they later became known, was the 2nd Earl of Malmesburywho bred them for their expertise in waterfowling.[13][14]