The origins of the Labrador Retriever date back to the St. Johns Water Dogs in Newfoundland. The St. John's Water Dogs were a landrace of dogs that were bred by the environment and land in Newfoundland. You can learn about landraces of dogs here.
The Greater and Lesser Newfoundland or St. John's Water Dogs were born in the same litters. These were working dogs. The Greater Newfoundland had long hair and pulled carts in the villages and the Lesser Newfoundland had a smooth coat and were put to work on fishing boats where they retrieved nets and the fish that got away. They are now extinct but they were the foundation of the Labrador Retriever, the Newfoundland and the Chesapeake Bay Retriever breeds.
The Lesser Newfoundland were so prized as retrievers they were imported to England on sailing ships and were bred to English hunting dogs to develop what we now know as the Labrador Retriever. The Kennel Club (England) recognized the Labrador in 1903 and the American Kennel Club in 1917.
The original Labradors where black but in 1899, “Ben of Hyde” was the first recorded yellow lab. The original yellow labs where actually what we would refer to as Fox Red today. The desire for lighter shades developed many different shades of yellow. Then in 1892, two “liver colored” puppies were produced by the Earl of Buccleuch in England.
The breed standard for color according to the Labrador Retriever Club states the following:
The Kennel Club in England (where the beed was developed and finished) states the following:
"The only correct colours are wholly black, yellow and liver/chocolate. Yellows range from light cream to fox red, livers/chocolates range from light to dark. Small white spot on chest and the rear of front pasterns permissible. Any other colour or combination of colours not permitted."
It has been over 100 years since the breed standards were written and the stud books were closed. How has the Labrador Retriever evolved since the early 1900's? Genetically, Labradors all over the world are the same. However, Labradors in America and the UK have evolved down several different paths. This article specifically addresses the differences between field bred Labradors on both sides of the pond.
American Field Labradors:
Like most things in America, American sportsmen and competitors wanted a bigger, faster and more driven dog with longer legs, larger muzzle and zero quit. In theory, that’s a good idea but in the wrong hands; it’s can be a disaster.
When looking at American Field Trial Pedigrees, you will see stacked pedigrees full of FC (Field Champion), NFC (National Field Champion), and QA2 (Qualified All Age) titled dogs. The alphabet soup behind or in front of a dogs registered name are field trial titles and awards. Dogs in these pedigrees where bred specifically for Field Trials and in my opinion, they are too hyper and have too much go to be good hunting dogs. Some pro trainers can get good results but for the average person, field trial stock is often more dog than everyday people want or can manage. Obviously, there are exceptions to the rule, but in general this is true.
I do not run Field Trials, but I do run Hunt Tests. I estimate that approximately 70% of the dogs running Field Trials and Hunt Tests lack the control needed to be all around great hunting dogs. Dogs out of pedigrees in American Field Labradors have been bred to be high drive and all go. However, high drive and all go often results in an unpleasant experience for the handler. We often see dogs at Hunt Tests and Field Trials barking and being unruly. This is not behavior I tolerate in my blind and neither should you. The fear that your dog will break out in front of the gun or bark because another dog is getting a bird doesn't lend itself to safety or a pleasant experience in the field.
The British Labrador
Not much has changed for British Labradors since the stud books closed in 1903. Physically, the British Labrador is a slightly stocky dog with a large head, a muscular appearance and a shorter muzzle. The dog was bred for its game finding ability, confident and calm demeanor and its ability to not disturb game in the filed. These dogs were selectively bred for their ability to turn on and off the drive as well as remain quiet in competition and hunting scenarios. The British Labrador was and is bred to be a dog you can live, hunt and compete with.
A look at the differences
It is my belief that genetics and training both play a part in the distinct behavioral differences between British and American field Labradors. On both sides of the pond, they selectively breed for specific temperaments in Labrador Retrievers. They just aren't breeding for the same characteristics. That is why we see such stark differences in behavior.
Many years of selective breeding has resulted in pedigrees and dogs that are trainable and a pleasure to live and work with. When choosing a British Field Labrador, look for FTCH (Field Trial Champion), or FTW (Field Trial Winner) in the pedigree to better your chances of obtaining a puppy who is calm, quiet and effective in the filed. In order to achieve the FTCH or FTW titles, the dog must have excellent game finding ability, must be calm, sit steady at the line and they must be silent. During a British or Irish Field Trial, the slightest whine will disqualify your dog. In a 16 dog trial, the dogs are required to sit off lead for long periods of time while birds rain from the sky. The dogs are required to be calm, to stay and to remain quiet. If you want a dog with these characteristics you must breed dogs who also have them. That is what selective breeding is all about.
American training methods focus on marking and introducing game and guns to dogs in early puppyhood. This creates a dog that wants to retrieve for themselves. British methods focus on bonding, obedience especially off lead healing and steadiness before marking. Also the dogs do a lot of memory retrieves and learn to handle on T pattern or a 3 card trick as it is referred to before any complex marks. An ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure.
What is Pressure?
Pressure is a correction we issue to a dog when they do an undesirable behavior. Dogs must learn to accept correction and to turn off pressure or corrections. It is our job as trainers to teach dogs what is expected of them and to teach them how to comply with correction thus turning off the pressure to get the desired response. It is the foundation of retriever training.
There are different types of pressure in dog training that range from pinch collars to ecollar use. The ecollar has made it possible to control your dog remotely and this has produced many titled dogs. However, I believe breeding dogs that can take and turn off large amounts of pressure has done a lot of damage to the breed. This is evidenced by the discrepancy between the breed standard's temperament and the temperament of most American Field Labradors. The breed standard for temperament per The Labrador Retriever Club in The United States reads as follows:
The breed standard says Labradors should be kind, outgoing, tractable, eager to please, non-aggressive, gentle, intelligent and adaptable. Dogs that are selectively bred to withstand high amounts of pressure with high drive do not fit the breed standard. This point could be argued; American Field Labradors are all those things but they also can be anxious, too driven and vocal.
We use many tools in dog training with the goal of changing behavior but the use of ecollars in training has changed how dogs are trained in America. How many FC, NFC MH or HRCH would there be without the use of an ecollar in training? It is the opinion of this trainer, there would be very few. As the Labrador Retriever has evolved, the games they compete in have changed too. Selectively breeding for dogs that can take a lot of pressure and turn it off has resulted in American Field Labradors being more driven, more anxious and less likely to be amazing companions.
When you attend a Hunt Test, some dogs are robotic, lack style and are competing because they are trained to not because they enjoy it. It has been said that American Field Labradors perform well but at the cost of the dog. In many places in the world, training methods used by American Filed Trial and Hunt Test Trainers are illegal and are seen as cruel. Selective breeding for a high drive dog who can take a lot of pressure combined with the these training methods is altering the genetics of the breed. This is evidenced by the behavior differences between American Field Labradors and British and Irish Field Labradors. Could the level of success seen in American Field Trials and Hunt Test dog been achieved if the methods of training weren't so severe?
I’m a purest and I disapprove of training with high amounts of pressure. In many places in the world, using high amounts of pressure and an ecollar is considered cheating. Kind of like Barry Bonds home-run record while he juicing steroids vs Aaron Judge's home run record. Perhaps we need title designation to note the dog titled without ecollar use?
