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The general appearance of the Labrador should be that of a strongly built and a very active dog. He should be fairly wide over the loins and strong and muscular in the hindquarters. The coat should be close, short, dense and free from feather.

The skull should be wide, giving brain room; there should be a slight stop, the brow should be slightly pronounced so that the skull is not absolutely in a straight line with the nose. The head should be clean-cut and free from fleshy cheeks. The jaws should be long and powerful; the nose should be wide and the nostrils are well developed. Teeth should be strong and regular.

The ears should hang moderately close to the head, rather far back, should be set somewhat low and not be large and heavy. The eyes should be of a medium size, expressing great intelligence and good temper, and can be brown, yellow or black, but brown or black is preferred.

The neck should be medium length, powerful and not throaty. The shoulders should be long and sloping. The chest must be of good width and depth, the ribs are well sprung and the loins wide and strong, stifles are well turned, and the hindquarters are well developed and of great power.

The legs must be straight from the shoulder to ground, and the feet compact with toes well arched, and pads well developed; the hocks should be well bent, and the dog must neither be cow hocked nor be too wide behind; he must stand and move true all round on legs and feet. Legs should be of medium length, showing good bone and muscle, but not so short as to be out of balance with rest of body.

The tail is a distinctive feature of the breed; it should be very thick towards the base, gradually tapering towards the tip, of medium length, should be free from any feathering, and should be clothed thickly all round with the Labrador’s short, thick, dense coat, thus giving the peculiar “rounded” appearance which has been described as the “otter” tail. The tail may be carried gaily but should not curl over the back.

The coat is another very distinctive feature; it should be short, very dense and without wave, and should give a fairly hard feeling to the hand.

Movement should be free and effortless. The forelegs should be strong and true, and correctly placed. Watching a dog move towards one, there should be no signs of elbows being out in front, but neatly held to the body with legs not too close together, and moving straight forward without pacing or weaving. When viewing the dog from the rear, you should get the impression that the hind legs, which should be well muscled and not cow hocked, move as nearly parallel as possible, with hocks doing their full share of work and flexing well, thus giving the appearance of power and strength.

Showing Your Lab: The AKC Standard “Look” For The Labrador Retriever courtesy Dog Articles.

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For anyone who’s considering getting a dog, please do your research first. Consider the care and maintenance involved in the breed you are wanting and whether or not you are able, willing to keep up with care for, train, seek medical attention for, grooming of and training of that breed. If you cannot or will not be able to meet the needs of the dog, perhaps another more maintenance free pet would be more suited for you, ie, a goldfish or a pet rock. The goldfish, you only need to throw food at and change the tank once in a while, the pet rock you only need to talk to.

Try this: pinch two pieces of skin close to one another on your neck, now take those pieces of skin and pull them tight together. How does that feel? Now imagine walking around with your skin pulled tight like that. That’s what a matt does and feels like to a dog, sometimes multiplied several times. This doesn’t allow the skin to breathe and can cause rashes and even tear the skin. If you already have a dog that needs grooming, brush it regularly. If it’s a coat that becomes matted, this will keep most of the matts away. If it becomes too matted, don’t try to cut them out yourself unless you know how to do it right.

Take it to a groomer and not after you’ve been attempting to groom it yourself. Ever let your hair go nearly a year before washing or brushing it and then spend six hours trying to detangle the mess without trimming out the tangles. That’s what happens to a long haired dog that’s not maintained and it doesn’t feel any better (probably worse) to the dog who has a groomer tugging and pulling at mats that an owner doesn’t want, to have a haircut. Now try this: Pound nails into your shoe so that they stick up into your foot, then walk around on them. Not comfortable? That’s how it feels to a dog that has toenails curled around and digging into the pads of their feet. Their toes will also become splayed apart and they will get painful joint problems throughout their legs. Ever get fleas in your hair? Now imagine yourself covered from head to toe with fleas biting at you.

Does it sound pleasant? It’s not to a dog either, in fact it causes rashes, sores and infections and disease. Have you ever seen a child who’s who was deemed unmanageable and has been bounced from one foster home to another because? That’s what it’s like for the dog that doesn’t get proper training and the owner gives him up and then he may see another couple of homes in their life or get euthanized in a shelter because he got out of hand. That holds true not only for the large breed, but also the small one. Misbehavior is not cute. People need a limited and balanced diet and exercise, so does an overweight dog.

Feeding an overweight dog table scraps and junk food, is stealing away part of that dogs’ life. It really does shorten their life, as they need care just like you or I do. Have you seen a child who is so scared and shy that they want to always hide or can’t get along with other children? Usually they haven’t been away from mom and dad or don’t have friends to play with and they may have issues later on. Having a dog and never allowing it the opportunity to look at, see or play with another dog or getting it out around other people from the time it is young is depriving it of much needed socialization. That dog will likely have either fearful or aggressive issues.

In my profession as a dog resort owner and dog groomer, these are just examples of situations I’ve encountered, from dogs in dire need of care from owners being too busy, not thinking about it, work and chasing their kids around. While these may be legit excuses, please keep in mind that your dog may be enduring daily suffering because of it. If you love your dog, the best way to show it is by helping him to live a long, happy and healthy life and he in turn will be your best friend for the duration of his life.

Dog Maintenance courtesy of Dog Articles.

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