Labrador Retriever Facts You Should Know (with Pictures).

Quick Links: Table of Contents

Labrador Retriever Breed Overview

The Labrador Retriever is a large-sized dog.

The adult Labrador Retriever stands 21 to 24 inches at the shoulder.

The Labrador Retriever belongs to the Sporting Dogs group.

Dogs in the Sporting Dogs group, like the Labrador Retriever, were bred to help hunters catch and retrieve feathered game. Some sporting dog breeds such as Retrievers, which were built for swimming, were bred to hunt waterfowl in water.

Whereas sporting dog breeds like setters, spaniels, and pointing breeds were bred to hunt quail, pheasant, and other game birds nest on grasslands.

Many Sporting Group breeds have thick, water-repellent coats that protect them from harsh hunting conditions.

The fact that the Labrador Retriever belongs to the Sporting Dogs group is one of the reasons why Labrador Retrievers have the personality and temperament that they have.

The temperament of the Labrador Retriever is generally described as:

  • Agile
  • Even Tempered
  • Gentle
  • Intelligent
  • Kind
  • Outgoing
  • Trusting

History of the Labrador Retriever Breed. Where Labrador Retrievers came from

The Labrador Retriever was known as the St.

John`s Water Dog in the 1700s, after the capital of Newfoundland.

They assisted fishermen with their nets and retrieved any fish that slipped out of reach.

Later, this breed was renamed the Labrador Retriever after the Labrador Sea, where they developed geographically.

The records show that this hardworking dog, or their first direct ancestor, was exported to England in the 1820s.

The second Earl of Malmesbury was one of the first to own one, and they became popular because they were so good at retrieving during hunting.

The dogs were first referred to as Labrador Retrievers by the third Earl of Malmesbury.

The breed was on the verge of extinction.

.

What the Labrador Retriever Looks Like

The Labrador Retriever is built for exercise, particularly swimming.

They are muscular and athletic, with a short, easy-care coat.

They are friendly to everyone because they are pleasant by nature and eager to please.

Labrador retrievers are devoted and loving people-friendly dogs who live to serve their owners.

Labrador Retrievers have a short top coat and a thick, dense, waterproof undercoat.

It is ideal for icy water and cold weather.

This powerful dog has a broad head and a moderate stop.

The nose color varies, with black noses on black and yellow pups and brown noses on chocolate Labs.

They have powerful jaws that meet in a scissor or level bite.

.

How Much is the Labrador Retriever Puppy?

How Much Labrador Retrievers Cost

The average price of a Labrador Retriever puppy is $1290. The price of a Labrador Retriever puppy ranges from $850 to $1500.

A lot of factors determine the price of the Labrador Retriever. These factors include what health records the Labrador Retriever puppy has, the lineage of the Labrador Retriever puppy, the US state the breeder is located in, etc.

To estimate how much you can expect to pay for a puppy Labrador Retriever based on the many factors that determine the price of the Labrador Retriever puppy, check out our calculator that lets you estimate how much you should expect to pay for the Labrador Retriever puppy based on what you want in the puppy.

When looking to buy a puppy, look at buying a puppy only from well-established breeders that breed puppies primarily for the love of the Labrador Retriever breed, and secondarily for profit. Do not buy a puppy from a puppy mill. Puppy mills mass-produce puppies in bad living conditions for maximum profit.

You may also consider adopting instead of buying a puppy. Adoption costs are very low compared to the price of a puppy.

Best Labrador Retriever Breeders

Labrador Retriever Breeders in the United States

We have researched reputable Labrador Retriever breeders that you can buy a puppy.

Go to this page for our complete list of reputable Labrador Retriever breeders in various states in the United States.

On this page, you will see how much these breeders sell their puppies for, and how many puppies they have available.

A few of these breeders are listed below.

  1. Chris Sumrall

    Puppy Price: Check with breeder

  2. Josh Jacque

    Puppy Price: $1400.00

  3. Purpose Bred Labs

    Puppy Price: Check with breeder

  4. WHISPERING WINDS LABRADOR RETRIEVERS

    Puppy Price: $700

  5. Missy Gammons

    Puppy Price: $1500

Adopting or Rescuing the Labrador Retriever

You may consider adopting a dog instead of buying a puppy. Many dogs, Labrador Retrievers included, are currently available for adoption in your local dog shelters.

These helpless but adorable dogs are waiting in dog shelters hoping that someday someone will rescue them. Dog adoption costs are lesser than the cost of a new puppy. Dog adoption costs are usually around $300 or even less.

In addition to your local dog shelter, another good place to find dogs that are available for adoption is petfinder.com.

Below is an adorable Male Labrador Retriever named Big Dawg that is currently available for adoption on Petfinder.com. You can find other lovely Labrador Retrievers like Big Dawg on pefinder.com.

Labrador Retrievers like Big Dawg are available for Adoption! It is cheaper to adopt. Image from petfinder.com

Rick P-2 Owner Redeem Only, Finder Wants is the name of another Labrador Retriever (Male) on petfinder.com that is looking for a new forever home.

Rick P-2 Owner Redeem Only, Finder Wants the Labrador Retriever is available for adoption on petfinder.com. Information from petfinder.com

You can find more Labrador Retrievers that are available for adoption on petfinder.

Labrador Retriever Growth

Labrador Retriever Growth

New Labrador Retriever owners need to know about the growth of their Labrador Retrievers. This will help them plan their living spaces accordingly.

Also, knowing the typical growth pattern of the Labrador Retriever will help new owners catch the abnormal growth of their Labrador Retriever early.

See our calculator for predicting how big your Labrador Retriever puppy will get. You will also learn about the typical weight of the Labrador Retriever at different ages and how to catch abnormal growth in your Labrador Retriever

Labrador Retriever
Labrador Retriever

The Temperament of the Labrador Retriever

The temperament of the Labrador Retriever based can be summarized as in the table below.

The table shows the scores of the Labrador Retriever for 13 important dog behavioral factors.

We obtained these scores by analyzing raw data from the C-BARQ dog personality survey tool. The higher the score of a dog for a factor, the worse the temperament of the dog regarding that factor.

The C-BARQ tool was developed by researchers from the University of Pennsylvania, and it is a scientific tool that is used worldwide for reliably measuring the temperament of dog breeds.

See our complete analysis of the temperament of the Labrador Retriever here.

Factor Score
Energy Level 57.1 percent
Attachment Attention Seeking 47.2 percent
Excitability 45.0 percent
Prey Drive 30.5 percent
Dog Directed Fear 27.9 percent
Dog Directed Aggression 27.6 percent
Separation Related Behavior 26.0 percent
Touch Sensitivity 22.9 percent
Stranger Directed Aggression 22.8 percent
Stubbornness 21.2 percent
Nonsocial Fear 19.7 percent
Dog Rivalry 15.0 percent
Stranger Directed Fear 12.8 percent
Owner Directed Aggression 10.7 percent
Labrador Retriever

How Long Labrador Retrievers Live

The lifespan of the Labrador Retriever is typically from 10 to 12 years.

Moreover, a few years back, veterinarian researchers performed a scientific study to determine the lifespan of the Labrador Retriever. In this study, the scientists collected data on how long 574 pet Labrador Retrievers lived.

From the study, it was found that Labrador Retrievers have an average lifespan of 12.2 years. Furthermore, the study found that it is not uncommon for Labrador Retrievers to live as long as 19 years.

Note that you need to put in some effort if you want your Labrador Retriever to live long.

Labrador Retrievers live long if they eat well, drink well, exercise well, and visit the veterinarian regularly.

There are also dog supplements that you can give your Labrador Retriever to improve your Labrador Retriever`s quality of their life.

Click here to learn more about how to make your Labrador Retriever live long.

Labrador Retriever

Labrador Retriever Litter Size

Researchers from the Norwegian School of Veterinary Science did a study where they counted the numbers of puppies in 223 different Labrador Retriever birth litters.

From this study, the researchers found that the average number of puppies that Labrador Retrievers can have is 6 puppies. Also, the Labrador Retriever can have as few as 1 puppies per litter and as many as 13 puppies per litter.

The number of puppies that the Labrador Retriever will have depends on factors such as the age of the Labrador Retriever, the method of pregnancy, etc.

Click here to see our calculator for predicting how many puppies your Labrador Retriever will have and how the litter size of the Labrador Retriever compares to the litter size of other dog breeds.

How Fast Labrador Retrievers Can Run

How fast a dog breed can run is a good measure of how athletic the dog breed is.

The American Kennel Club (AKC) regularly conducts dog running competitions. The AKC records the running speed of competing dogs in these competitions. These competitions are open to all dog breeds.

Based on our analysis of the speeds of 662 different Labrador Retrievers, the average speed of the Labrador Retriever is 24.1 mph (38.7 kmph).

The fastest speed on AKC record that the Labrador Retriever ran in a race is 33.59 mph (54.1 kmph) and the minimum speed on record in a race for a Labrador Retriever is 6.54 mph (10.5 kmph).

Click here to see how the speed of the Labrador Retriever compares to the speed of other dogs and other mammals such as cats, horses, humans, etc.

How fast Labrador Retriever can run compared to other mammals

Good Names for Labrador Retrievers

Here are some really good names that are typical for the Labrador Retriever ranked by popularity:

  • Brozart
  • Dog
  • Jack
  • Shadow
  • Valor
  • Dennis
  • Bolt
  • Arctic
  • Kramer
  • Graham
Labrador Retriever

How Intelligent are Labrador Retrievers?

Labrador Retriever
Intelligence Rank 7 out of 130 dog breeds
Trainability Tend To Learn New Commands After Fewer Than 5 Repetitions

According to Prof. Stanley Coren, a Canadian psychology professor/dog trainer, the total intelligence that a dog demonstrates is the addition of three types of intelligence. These intelligence types are:

  1. Instinctive Intelligence: This is the natural intelligence that comes from instinct. For example, dog breeds that have been historically bred to be guard dogs will have a high `guarding` intelligence compared to dogs that were not bred for guarding.

  2. Adaptive Intelligence (learning and problem-solving ability): This indicates what a dog can learn to do for himself or herself. Adaptive intelligence is specific to each dog, and not breed specific. You can improve your dog`s adaptive intelligence by investing time to train your dog.

  3. Working/Obedience Intelligence: This type of intelligence is breed-specific. Certain dog breeds tend to have higher working/obedience intelligence than some other breeds. This intelligence is the closest to what we might call school-learning ability and it is based upon what the dog can learn to do when instructed by humans. This type of intelligence can be measured for each dog breed and compared to that of other dog breeds.

Professor Stanley Coren measured and ranked the working intelligence of about 130 different dog breeds.

Prof. Coren found that the Labrador Retriever has an obedience intelligence rank of 7 out of 130 dog breeds. Thus, Prof. Coren put Labrador Retrievers in the `Brightest Dogs` category.

This means that Labrador Retrievers tend to learn new commands after fewer than 5 repetitions.

However, we should mention that a dog should not be judged based on its intelligence alone. There are other important factors you need to consider when deciding on which dog breed to get. These other factors include sociability, adorability, and compatibility of the dog breed with your lifestyle.

See the intelligence ranking of some other dog breeds below:

Breed Intelligence Rank
German Shepherd Dog 3
Golden Retriever 4
Labrador Retriever 7
Rottweiler 9
Pembroke Welsh Corgi 11
Miniature Schnauzer 12
Collie 16
English Cocker Spaniel 18
Belgian Malinois 22
Pomeranian 23
Manchester Terrier 32
Samoyed 33
American Water Spaniel 44
Scottish Deerhound 47
Maltese 59
Great Pyrenees 64
Chihuahua 67
Lhasa Apso 68
Shih Tzu 70
Borzoi 75
Labrador Retriever

How Popular are Labrador Retrievers with New Dog Owners?

Every year, the American Kennel Club (AKC) publishes information on how popular a dog breed is in that particular year. The AKC gets the popularity information of a breed from how many dogs of that breed the owners register with the AKC every year. The AKC collects this data for about 200 dog breeds.

The graph below shows the popularity trend of the Labrador Retriever.

The popularity of the Labrador Retriever averaged over the years is Number 1 out of about 200 dog breeds.

Popularity of Labrador Retriever

Do not get a dog breed just because it is a popular dog breed. And do not reject a dog breed just because it is an unpopular breed.

Labrador Retriever

Health Problems in Labrador Retrievers and How to Prevent Them

Every dog breed has its own set of health problems that it tends to develop. There is nothing like a perfect dog breed.

The Labrador Retriever is prone to certain genetic health conditions. The Orthopedic Foundation for Animals (OFA) is an organization that keeps track of genetic health problems in dog breeds.

From the extensive records that the OFA keeps, the OFA knows what health problems each dog breed is naturally prone to develop.

Hence, the OFA recommends which health screening breeders should perform on a dog breed to make sure that the breeders won`t breed `defective` dog parents that can pass down defective genes to their puppy offspring.

If you want a Labrador Retriever puppy that will grow up to be healthy, make sure that your Labrador Retriever breeder screens your puppy or your puppy`s parents for the health problems that the OFA recommends for your puppy`s breed. This will increase the chances that your puppy is free from genetic defects.

The following are the health tests that Orthopedic Foundation for Animals (OFA) recommends that breeders should screen Labrador Retrievers for:

  1. Cardiac Evaluation
  2. Centronuclear Myopathy
  3. D Locus (Dilute) DNA Test
  4. EIC (Exercise Induced Collapse)
  5. Elbow Dysplasia
  6. Eye Examination
  7. Hip Dysplasia
  8. prcd-PRA DNA Test

You can find out more about OFA`s recommended tests for Labrador Retrievers here.

Labrador Retriever

How to Take Care of Labrador Retriever

How to feed your Labrador Retriever.

To take good care of your Labrador Retriever, you need to make sure that you groom your Labrador Retriever regularly.

Secondly, you need to find a veterinarian in your area that will routinely check the health status of your Labrador Retriever regularly, and give you appropriate recommendations on your Labrador Retriever`s preventative care.

Thirdly, you need to commit some time to exercise your Labrador Retriever daily. Regular exercise helps improve the health and quality of life of your Labrador Retriever.

Also, you need to feed your Labrador Retriever high-quality dog food, and the food should be of the right amount to prevent your Labrador Retriever from getting overweight or underweight.

See our recommendations on what to feed the Labrador Retriever and how much food to feed the Labrador Retriever at different life stages.

Finally, you need to make sure that your Labrador Retriever has access to clean water all the time. See our recommendations on how much water your Labrador Retriever needs to drink at different ages.

How much water your Labrador Retriever needs.

Dog Breeds That Are Similar to Labrador Retrievers

If you have not made up your mind on which dog breed to get, you may also want to consider some other dogs similar to the Labrador Retriever.

We crunched the numbers and found that the following dog breeds that have similar behavior and temperament as the Labrador Retriever:

  • Golden Retriever (75 percent match with Labrador Retriever). Learn more about the Golden Retriever here.
  • Aussiedoodle (73 percent match with Labrador Retriever). Learn more about the Aussiedoodle here.
  • Flat-Coated Retriever (77 percent match with Labrador Retriever). Learn more about the Flat-Coated Retriever here.
  • Irish Setter (72 percent match with Labrador Retriever). Learn more about the Irish Setter here.
  • Shiloh Shepherd (79 percent match with Labrador Retriever). Learn more about the Shiloh Shepherd here.
Labrador Retriever

Other Things to Know About Labrador Retrievers

Here are some of the very important characteristics of the Labrador Retriever that you need to know about the Labrador Retriever breed:

  • Labrador Retrievers do not adapt well to apartment living.
  • Labrador Retrievers do not like to be left alone.
  • Labrador Retrievers have a very low prey drive. This means they get along well with other pets.
  • Labrador Retrievers are highly vocal. They have the tendency to bark and howl.
  • Labrador Retrievers are easily disturbed by noise in their environments. They are sensitive to human tone. They will understand the tone of your voice when you try to correct their behaviors with a firm tone.
  • Labrador Retrievers are great family dogs. They are very affectionate with family.
  • Labrador Retrievers get along well with kids. They are kid-friendly.
  • Labrador Retrievers get along well with other dogs.
  • Labrador Retrievers are very friendly towards strangers.
  • Labrador Retrievers shed. They are not recommended for people with dog allergies.
  • Labrador Retrievers are very easy to groom.
  • Labrador Retrievers gain weight easily. You need to pay careful attention to what you feed them.
  • Labrador Retrievers are very easy to train.
  • Labrador Retrievers are highly intelligent.
  • Labrador Retrievers are prone to nip and chew at things.
  • Labrador Retrievers have very high energy levels. They need a lot of exercise time to release their high energy.
  • Labrador Retrievers do things with high intensity. They can be very forceful.
  • Labrador Retrievers require a lot of exercise. They are good for owners who like to exercise.
  • Labrador Retrievers are very playful.
  • Labrador Retrievers weigh 55 to 80 pounds when fully grown.
  • Labrador Retrievers are 21 to 24 inches at the shoulder when fully grown.
  • Labrador Retrievers have a lifespan of 10 to 12 years.