LABRADOR RETIEVER

ORIGIN : Newfoundland

DATE OF PUBLICATION OF THE ORIGINAL VALID STANDARD : 24.06.1987.

UTILIZATION : Retriever.

CLASSIFICATION F.C.I. : Group 8 Retrievers, Flushing Dogs, Water Dogs.
Section 1 Retrievers.
With working trial.

GENERAL APPEARANCE : Strongly built, short-coupled, very active; broad in skull; broad and deep through chest and ribs; broad and strong over loins and hindquarters.

BEHAVIOUR / TEMPERAMENT : Good-tempered, very agile. Excellent nose, soft mouth; keen lover of water. Adaptable, devoted companion. Intelligent, keen and biddable, with a strong will to please. Kindly nature, with no trace of aggression or undue shyness.

HEAD

CRANIAL REGION :
Skull : Broad. Clean-cut without fleshy cheeks.
Stop : Defined.

FACIAL REGION :
Nose : Wide, nostrils well developed.
Muzzle : Powerful, not snipey.
Jaws/Teeth : Jaws of medium length, jaws and teeth strong with a perfect, regular and complete scissor bite, i.e. upper teeth closely overlapping lower teeth and set square to the jaws.
Eyes : Medium size, expressing intelligence and good temper; brown or hazel.
Ears : Not large or heavy, hanging close to head and set rather far back.

NECK : Clean, strong, powerful, set into well placed shoulders.

BODY :
Back : Level topline.
Loins : Wide, short-coupled and strong.
Chest : Of good width and depth, with well sprung barrel ribs.

TAIL : Distinctive feature, very thick towards the base, gradually tapering towards tip, medium length, free from feathering, but clothed thickly all round with short, thick, dense coat, thus giving " rounded " appearance described as " Otter " tail. May be carried gaily, but should not curl over back.

LIMBS

FOREQUARTERS : Forelegs well boned and straight from elbow to ground when viewed from either front or side.
Shoulders : Long and sloping.

HINDQUARTERS : Well developed, not sloping to tail.
Stifle : Well turned.
Hocks : well let down. Cowhocks highly undesirable.

FEET : Round, compact; well-arched toes and well developed pads.


GAIT / MOVEMENT : Free, covering adequate ground; straight and true in front and rear.

COAT

HAIR : Distinctive feature, short, dense, without wave or feathering, giving fairly hard feel to the touch; weather-resistant undercoat.

COLOUR : Wholly black, yellow or liver/chocolate. Yellows range from light cream to red fox. Small white spot on chest permissible.

SIZE :
Ideal height at withers : dogs 56-57 cm ( 22 - 22,5 ins);
bitches 54-56 cm ( 21,5 - 22 ins).

FAULTS : Any departure from the foregoing points should be considered a fault and the seriousness with which the fault should be regarded should be in exact proportion to its degree.

N.B. : Male animals should have two apparently normal testicles fully descended into the scrotum.