History of the Labrador Retriever
The Labrador Retriever is adored and known as one of the best over-all dogs, as well as a family companion.
It is just about the most popular dog in America, Canada and the UK.
It's available in three colours, yellow, black and chocolate.
Its role has been for retrieving game, however in modern times, has been utilized very effectively as a 'sniffer' for drugs and explosives, in addition to being a guide dog for the blind.
As a consequence of its excellent weather-resistant coat, exclusive otter like tail and webbing toes, it also makes an exceptional water dog for waterfowl retrieval.
Labrador Retrievers originated from the island of Newfoundland, now part of Newfoundland and Labrador, Canada, where they were once used to retrieve fish out of nets, as well as help haul fish nets while they were pulled on land.
The founding variety of the Labrador was the St John's Water Dog, a breed that surfaced within the 16th century through ad-hoc breeding by the early European settlers.
The forebears of St John's Water Dog were from dogs such as the Mastiffs, which were brought to the region by decades of Portuguese fishermen and interbred with breeds brought from England and Ireland.
They were crossed with Setters, Spaniels along with other Retrievers to refine their skills at retrieving.
Their gentle character makes them suitable for several different roles.
It was not until the dogs were brought back to Poole in England that they became prized waterfowl hunting dogs by the gentry.
The breed was thought to have arrived at the British Isles in the late 1800s by Col Peter Hawker and the Earl of Malmesbury.
His dog 'Malmesbury Trump' was among the founding sires of the breed.
Once they reached England they were given the name 'Labrador' following the area known as the Labrador Peninsula.
This forms part of the province Newfoundland and Labrador in Canada.
The state was named after the Portuguese explorer Joao Fernandes Lavrador who gave it its name in 1498.
'Lavrador ' was a title he was able to use being a landowner and meant literally 'landowner'.
The roots therefore of the Labrador name might be traced back to a 15th century Portuguese title.
The title was later used to differentiate them from the larger St Johns Dog or Lesser Newfoundland breed.
The first St Johns Dog breed lasted till the 1980's, the last two were being photographed in 1981 in outlying Newfoundland.
It is just about the most popular dog in America, Canada and the UK.
It's available in three colours, yellow, black and chocolate.
Its role has been for retrieving game, however in modern times, has been utilized very effectively as a 'sniffer' for drugs and explosives, in addition to being a guide dog for the blind.
As a consequence of its excellent weather-resistant coat, exclusive otter like tail and webbing toes, it also makes an exceptional water dog for waterfowl retrieval.
Labrador Retrievers originated from the island of Newfoundland, now part of Newfoundland and Labrador, Canada, where they were once used to retrieve fish out of nets, as well as help haul fish nets while they were pulled on land.
The founding variety of the Labrador was the St John's Water Dog, a breed that surfaced within the 16th century through ad-hoc breeding by the early European settlers.
The forebears of St John's Water Dog were from dogs such as the Mastiffs, which were brought to the region by decades of Portuguese fishermen and interbred with breeds brought from England and Ireland.
They were crossed with Setters, Spaniels along with other Retrievers to refine their skills at retrieving.
Their gentle character makes them suitable for several different roles.
It was not until the dogs were brought back to Poole in England that they became prized waterfowl hunting dogs by the gentry.
The breed was thought to have arrived at the British Isles in the late 1800s by Col Peter Hawker and the Earl of Malmesbury.
His dog 'Malmesbury Trump' was among the founding sires of the breed.
Once they reached England they were given the name 'Labrador' following the area known as the Labrador Peninsula.
This forms part of the province Newfoundland and Labrador in Canada.
The state was named after the Portuguese explorer Joao Fernandes Lavrador who gave it its name in 1498.
'Lavrador ' was a title he was able to use being a landowner and meant literally 'landowner'.
The roots therefore of the Labrador name might be traced back to a 15th century Portuguese title.
The title was later used to differentiate them from the larger St Johns Dog or Lesser Newfoundland breed.
The first St Johns Dog breed lasted till the 1980's, the last two were being photographed in 1981 in outlying Newfoundland.
Source...