Two types

Some have probably heard of the term Formula 1 Labrador or the old-fashioned type. You could say that there are two variants of the breed, where Formula One or Field Trial (FT) is a slightly smaller and lighter type than the heavier built labradors, which some call the old-fashioned type. Formula 1 Labradors are dogs that come from breeding lines bred with English and Irish field trials in mind, and these dogs came to Denmark in the 1970s. According to the Danish Retriever Club's website, ”… there is no marking on the pedigree indicating whether the dog is of one type or another, and if you want a Labrador puppy, you can ask the breeder which type of Labrador it is.”

OTHER RETRIEVER BREEDS

Name and standard

The dogs were originally called the "St. John's Water Dog", or "St. John's Dog". This name comes from the capital of the island of Newfoundland, which was St. John. The term "Lesser Newfoundland Dog" was also used, but the name Labrador was only given to dogs after being brought to England during the 1800s. It is believed to be the Earl of Malmenbury who came up with the name Labrador. The Earl bought his first dog from a fishing boat that landed its catch in Poole harbour. It is said that he spoke about the breed as follows: "We always call our dogs Labradors...", and the name stuck. The Labrador is best described as a medium-sized dog, where the ideal size, according to their standard is 56-57 cm for males and 54-56 cm for bitches. Labradors are available in three different colour variants: black, yellow and chocolate.

Good-natured with strong focus

A gun dog today also needs to be a good family dog, which requires a good-natured and harmonious temperament - and a Labrador is all of these. This makes the Labrador perfect for the tasks most hunters want a dog to do. However, it is quite clear that when it comes to retrieving, the Labrador is unique. It has a compact build and the thick short fur and good wool base makes it great for water work. Where other dogs are specialists in e.g. field work, there's nothing quite like watching a well-trained Labrador carry out a difficult retrieving task, displaying its good marking ability, allowing itself to be directed before finally carrying out the retrieval. On the hunt, the Labrador must be able to sit completely calmly - regardless of the type of hunt it is on. It must be quiet and concentrate on marking the shot game. When sent to retrieve, it must be able to quickly and precisely bring the shot game to the handler. A focused Labrador that works and is not disturbed by other live game or shoots is a pleasure to see in action. The Schweisshund Register (Bloodhounds) also includes many Labradors. They are suitable for Bloodhound tracking, where their excellent nose and calm temperament make them easy to train and great trackers. Labradors can also be seen to solve other tasks that are not hunt-related. A Labrador can be trained to carry out the tasks assigned to him, both as a blind guide dog, a drug sniffer dog and a service dog.

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