Labrador Retriever Dog Breed Video

A terrific family dog and a sterling hunting companion, it’s no surprise that America’s most popular breed is the Labrador Retriever. The Lab is part of the Retriever family of work dogs and hails from the Canadian peninsula of Labrador where it was bred as a retriever for hunters and fishers. Like the best employees, don’t expect a Lab to call in sick. The breed usually maintains robust health and thrives on action. Medium sized, Labs can grow to between 55 and 80 pounds. They have compact bodies, broad heads, dark eyes and medium length, strong tails.

Their single color, medium length coats come in chocolate, black, or yellow and are made for harsh weather. The coats easily shed water and provide significant warmth, which means Labs are comfortable in the cold but can get overheated in the height of summer. A lab’s coat is easy to groom and sheds most heavily in the transition seasons of spring and fall. Brushing the coat often can prevent the hair from colonizing the house.

Whatever season it is, Labs are naturally happy and love to make friends. But as puppies, this joie de vivre can make them underestimate danger so keep a watchful eye. All considered, labs are an easy breed to train. They’re also balls of energy and require lots of exercise – two long fast walks and a few intense play sessions every day will keep them smiling. Without structured exercise, a lab might zealously dig holes in the yard.

So keep in mind, labs are medium to large, pretty easy to groom, pretty easy to train, need a lot of exercise, tend to stay healthy, and make great family dogs (if you can tolerate a few mud prints in the house). But who can get mad at this face?