Gilbert Labrador Retriever

1. Auflage 2003
ISBN: 978-1-59378-856-8
Verlag: CompanionHouse Books
Format: EPUB
Kopierschutz: Adobe DRM (»Systemvoraussetzungen)

E-Book, Englisch, 158 Seiten

Reihe: Comprehensive Owner's Guide

The experts at Kennel Club Books present the world's largest series of breed-specific canine care books. Each critically acclaimed Comprehensive Owner's Guide covers everything from breed standards to behavior, from training to health and nutrition. With nearly 200 titles in print, this series is sure to please the fancier of even the rarest of breeds.

Autoren/Hrsg.

Gilbert, Margaret A.

Leseproben

A sporting dog by trade, the Labrador Retriever has always been at home in the field. Today, the breed is equally at home...at home! The Lab is known the world over as a favorite family friend.

HISTORY OF THE LABRADOR RETRIEVER

What introduction does the world’s most popular dog require? Everyone has seen a Labrador Retriever romping happily with his family. Regarded as the ideal family dog for generations, the Labrador is by definition biddable and adaptable to practically any lifestyle.

It’s common today to hear the breed simply referred to as the Labrador; however, this is by and large incorrect. The Labrador is a retriever. The Labrador Retriever, a prominent member of the AKC’s Sporting Group, is a hunting dog by trade. The pet Labrador Retriever comes from a lineage of hard-working hunters who could spend tireless hours on upland game birds on rigorous terrain. While your pet Labrador Retriever may only fetch your slippers and the Sunday paper, it is helpful to understand that his predecessors pursued pheasant, duck and other wild fowl.

Well, that’s the “retriever” part of his name; what’s the meaning of the “Labrador” part? To truly understand the breed’s origins, we must look not to Labrador, but to the island off its southern shores called Newfoundland. The rich history of this island, originally inhabited by the Dorset Eskimos, dates back to the 1400s; however, it wasn’t until the 1600s that the island became the home of wayward fishermen. These fishermen, it is believed, swam to the island after abandoning ships that were passing by the island. As these fishermen tended to be “free spirits” (like many today!), the island went without laws or establishments of any kind for the next two centuries, despite the inhabitation of these men.

In wood or water, the Labrador is a skilled and dependable hunting companion and retriever.

The Labrador Retriever’s “soft mouth” makes him ideal for returning felled game undamaged.

The first dogs on the island of Newfoundland are traced to these fishermen, as there is no evidence of the Eskimos’ having dogs on the island, and no dogs existed on Newfoundland when the fishermen landed there. As the Labrador Retriever was once called the Lesser Newfoundland Dog, it has often been presumed that the breed is related to the Newfoundland breed. The Newfoundland, well known to dog lovers today, is a much larger, more abundantly coated, heavyboned dog, showing much influence of its mastiff origins. Still, both the Newfoundland and the Labrador Retriever share the unique physical characteristic of webbed feet.

The terrain and weather conditions of Newfoundland are rugged, requiring a dog of surefootedness, stamina and “buoyancy.” The size of the Labrador Retriever mattered tremendously, since the dog’s had to fit into the fishermen’s dories. The dogs’ webbed feet speak well for the Labrador’s ability to swim, even in the icy, rough waters of the North Atlantic. Among the other characteristics of our modern Labrador that “make sense” for a dog surviving on Newfoundland’s brutal shores is the thick and waterproof coat. Another important feature of the breed is its broad chest, necessary for “surfing” against the strong waves and current of the unrelenting North Atlantic. Since the island was bountiful in game, the fishermen were able to use their dogs to supplement their food supply from the land as well as from the sea.

The original Labrador Retrievers found in Newfoundland were predominately black, and today this is still the most numerous color in the breed.

While Labrador Retrievers have been useful for many tasks throughout their noble history, they have always been and still are treasured as trustworthy family pets.

The Newfoundlanders were importing quality retriever stock from England, though there was considerable variation in type. At this time (circa 1780–1810) any retriever—long-haired, curlycoated, short-coated, wavycoated—was bred to produce other retrievers of excellent working ability. The division of the retriever breeds did not come until much later.

Labradors weren’t the only dogs on the island at this point, as settlers brought other types; however, as the reputation of the Labrador grew, these other types were often replaced with Labradors. Since the Labrador’s disposition and adaptability were so highly respected, hunters and sportsmen deemed them the dogs of choice. The retrievers soon replaced the pointers and setters that had stood beside these sportsmen. Although the Labrador Retriever that we know today comes in three acceptable colors, black, yellow and chocolate, the dogs on Newfoundland were principally black. These small black dogs were sometimes referred to as St. John’s Water Dogs, and were called “the best of any kind of dog for shooting…by far.”

A frustrating fact to breed enthusiasts today is that the residents of Newfoundland kept no records of the dogs on which they relied upon so heavily. Survival on this barren island was such an all-encompassing pursuit that there was little time for such record-keeping.

DEVELOPING POTENTIAL

The behavior and personality of your Labrador Retriever will reflect your care and training more than any breed characteristics or indications. Remember that these dogs require a purposeful existence, so plan your relationship around activities that serve this most around activities that serve this most basic and important need. All of the good potential of the breed will naturally follow.

THE LABRADOR COMES TO BRITAIN

The Second and Third Earls of Malmsbury are credited for exporting the famous St. John’s Dogs from Newfoundland to Great Britain. The dogs at this point in time (around 1825) were sometimes called Little Newfoundlers. The Third Earl, the pioneer breeder of these dogs, is credited for changing the breed’s name to Labrador Retriever. These gentry and others like them kept the Labradors pure, breeding them only to dogs imported from Newfoundland, as they were exceptional in their swimming, retrieving and fighting abilities. It is also said that any of the puppies from these St. John’s Dogs that were crossed to other dogs usually maintained the strong appearance of the Labrador—black, short fur, a non-curling tail and webbed feet. As early as the 1870s, the “breed” was described as symmetrical and elegant, and the temperament was praised and considered a requirement for the utility of the Labrador. It’s no doubt that the early breeders’ commitment to a sound disposition in the Labrador contributed to the breed’s forthcoming enormous popularity as a family dog around the world.

In 1903, the Labrador Retriever was recognized by England’s Kennel Club. Later that year, the breed was listed separately as a member of the Gundog Group.

The Third Earl of Malmsbury established the name Labrador Retriever for the breed. The Labs shown represent each of the three colors—yellow, black and chocolate.

The retrievers at this point were still not divided by “breed” as we know them today. It was not until early 1905, when the Labrador Retriever was separately listed, that The Kennel Club began to differentiate between retriever “breeds.” There is confusion in the records from these early days because some dogs were called “golden” and others “Labrador,” though there is no indication about coat length. Thus, the “golden retrievers” may have indeed been yellow Labrador Retrievers. This was the early days of purebred dog enthusiasm. It must be stated that today many people in the general public do not know the difference between a yellow Labrador and the Golden Retriever (despite the long, wavy, luxurious coat of the latter). As a rule, we never call a yellow Labrador a “golden” Labrador.

The Kennel Club’s stud books contain references to livercolored wavy-coated retrievers. These dogs in actuality trace back to the chocolate Labrador Retrievers of the famous Buccleuch Kennels, the breeders responsible for six of the first seven retrievers entered in the stud book. Buccleuch Kennels produced the famous field trial champion by the name of Peter of Faskally, who is known to be behind many of the top Labradors from the early days as well as many of the top field dogs in England and the U.S.

In 1904, the Labrador Retriever was classified as amember of the Gundog Group by The Kennel Club. The breed is classified in the AKC’s Sporting Group.

While black is considered the “original” color in the breed, yellow Labs steadily gained popularity throughout the 20th century.

Many of the early breed books still in print depict these famous dual champions.

The best yellow Labrador Retrievers are traced back to a dog by the name of Ben of Hyde, who was whelped in 1899. He was bred to many excellent black bitches, and his genes are buttoned on the top yellow Lab kennels throughout England. While the blacks have always dominated the other two colors, numerically, the period after World War II marked an increase in the yellow Labs’ popularity.

Lorna, Countess Howe, along with Lord Knutsford, founded the U.K.’s Labrador Club in 1916 and held the first field trial there in 1920. Lord Knutsford authored the first Labrador Retriever breed standard in 1923, which is a written description of the ideal specimen of the breed. Knutsford’s...