There is a historical reason why there are so many different types of Labradors today. The main reason why different varieties of Labrador are beginning to emerge is because of the search for working dogs or because of the preference for companion dogs. When talking about working dogs, reference is being made to animals that perform various functions, such as herding, hunting or surveillance. In the case of the Labrador, its initial functions were to be a hunting and herding dog. In these cases, the most active specimens were sought, predisposed to action and more alert. Later, he began to be introduced into homes as a companion dog, seeking in this case more tranquility, affection and docility. In these dogs, what the breeders were looking for were lines as similar as possible to the ideal Labrador standard, looking for a show dog, not a highly active dog. So how many types of Labradors are there? There were two fundamental types of Labrador: working, which are American Labradors, and show/company, which are English Labradors.
After giving all this information, it is vital to emphasize that this differentiation is not official, since There is only one recognized breed as a Labrador Retriever. For this reason, in this article we will talk about varieties of the breed that arise without deviating from the official standard prepared by the International Cinological Federation[1]So, let's see the types of Labrador retrievers that exist due to the aforementioned needs.
American Labrador
The first thing that usually comes to mind when talking about an American Labrador retriever is that the breed originated in America, but this is not the case. Although there are American and English Labradors, the difference between them does not really depend on the country, but on the two types mentioned above, the working Labradors and the show Labradors. Specifically, the Americans are the working Labradors and the English are the ones for show or destined to be pets.
The American Labrador is a much more athletic and stylized dog, with more developed and powerful muscles than the English. It also has thinner and longer extremities, as well as its snout, which is considerably longer than that of the English Labrador.
Apart from appearance, this type of Labrador also changes in character, as the American is more active and energetic, needing to perform moderately intense physical exercise on a daily basis. It is focused on activity, as it has been traditionally bred to work as a hunting and working dog. Because of this, he is quite restless and this can make training him difficult when he falls into the hands of an inexperienced trainer. If this is your case and you want to adopt this type of Labrador, do not miss our article in which we explain how to educate a Labrador.
English Labrador
The English Labrador is the aforementioned company or show Labrador, being quite different from the American despite sharing national origin. These dogs tend to be more calm, calm and familiar, preferring leisurely activities to intense sports, unlike American Labradors.
The English Labrador is the one that has most maintained the classic appearance of the breed, since he has been the one that has received the most work in terms of breeding to look as dictated by the official standard of the breed. On the other hand, it should be noted that it is a late-maturing dog, but when it grows it develops a fairly thick body, with an equally thick tail and relatively wide legs. These legs are also somewhat short and have a medium-small head with a moderately long snout.
The character of the English Labrador is a delight, since he is a friendly and playful dog, who loves to give and receive affection. He is considered an excellent nanny dog because he is passionate about children, whether they are human children or puppies of any animal. In addition, he usually gets along great with other dogs.
Canadian Labrador
Actually the Canadian Labrador is not actually a type of Labrador per se, that is, again, it is not different by referring to a country. Of course, on this occasion the name does have an important historical reference, and that is that the Labrador Retriever breed comes from Canada, taking the name of the city of Labrador of the same name.
When speaking of a Canadian Labrador, one speaks of an original Labrador, that is, of the first specimens of the breed, those who they were not selected for work or company, as is the case with English or American farmers, differentiated according to the functions they traditionally perform. In the case of the Canadian Labrador, not being a breeder- altered variety, it is the pure version of the Labrador, so to speak. It is in this type of farmer that the essence of the farmers that emerged in the 16th century is kept most alive.
Therefore, currently the Canadian Labrador does not exist as such, as it refers to the Labrador Retriever breed recognized by the different institutions and existing 5 centuries ago, which has inevitably evolved generation after generation.
Finally, it should be noted that in all types of Labrador we can find the different colors accepted in the breed.
