The Labrador Retriever’s roots originate in Newfoundland over 200 years ago. Through the years the Lab has been refined and turned into the fun loving, hard working breed we all know and love today. Take this journey back in history to find out more about the Labrador Retriever breeds heritage.

Early History Still A Mystery
There are limited to no written records of the early days of what is believed to have evolved into the Labrador Retriever we know today. Many writings believe the Labrador may have originally originated in Portugal and was used as a guard and water dog in the 1500’s. There have been photographs from this time with glimpses of a dog that resembles the Labrador. The word Larador can also be traced to it’s Portuguese roots with a meaning of laborer, which would be very fitting for the breed. Without any documentation and the wide variety of tasks the Labrador is capable of it is unsure if any early proof of the breed will emerge.

Early Years
Early ancestors of what would eventualy evolve into the Labrador Retriever breed we know today can be traced back to Newfoundland in the late 1700’s. During this time there were two separate breeds known as “Greater St. Johns” and “Lesser St. Johns”. The Greater breed was used primarily for work such as cart pulling and possessed a long, thick coat. The “Greater” was the larger of the two breeds, hence the name. The “Lesser” was black in color and had a smooth coat. The breed was known for it’s amazing stamina and was often used by fisherman to help with their daily routine.

The Lesser Newfoundland Coming Into It’s Own
As time passed the Lesser established a reputation as not only an excellent working dog but also a loyal family pet. After a hard day of work it was common to see these dogs playing with the children of the family. This combination of working stamina and family loyality made the Lesser become more and more popular as it was taken to by many owners of Great Britain.

Mixing the Breed
As time went on into the late eighteenth and early nineteenth centuries the Lesser became known for it’s hunting ability. This lead many to cross breed the Lesser with other Retriever breeds. During this time it was common to have simply a “retriever” and cross breed the dogs when a quality that was desired was found. As this cross breeding occurred the Labrador Retriever came to be it’s own breed. With the Larador having dominant genes, the mixes of the often looked and had similar characteristics of the Lab.

Quarantine Act of 1885
During the late 1800’s England passed quarantine act that disallowed any new Lesser Newfoundlands to be imported into the country. By 1903 the Lesser had become known as the Labrador Retriever and it was recognized as a standard breed by the English Kennel Club. By 1917 the American Kennel Club followed suit and added the Labrador Retriever as a separate breed.

Today's Lab
From all this history we come up to todays Lab which we all love. Due to it's strong sporting roots the Lab today is still required to meet minimum standards of field work for competition in confirmation.



This article is Copyright © Labrador-Retriever-Dogs.org and may not be reproduced in any format without prior written consent of the owner If you would like to reproduce this article, please contact webmaster@labrador-retriever-dogs.org