History of the British Lab

During the sixteenth century many of today’s Labrador Retriever’s ancestors were being bred to work in fishing vessels off the coast of Newfoundland. These dogs were trained to retrieve cod that had slipped out of the nets because they displayed an uncanny ability to do so without puncturing the skin.

As the eighteenth century approached the sport of shooting birds became a popular endeavor amongst English sportsmen. This created the need for developing a dog that would find, flush and retrieve quarry. Thus the most sought after characteristics for a Labrador Retriever were trainability, behavior and temperament. The British have set the standard by instilling calm temperaments, uncanny hunting instincts, a desire to please and ease of training into their breeding programs. This has produced a Labrador Retriever that exhibits good manners in a high distraction environment with game finding capability and the hunting persistence to never quit. A British Labrador whose pedigree is scattered with Field Trial Champions (FTC) and Field Trial Winners (FTW) will have a high probability of having these highly desirable traits.

Generally speaking the British Labrador is shorter, slimmer and softer mouthed than its American counterpart. The males will typically weigh 55-75 pounds and the females are 40-60 pounds. The three available colors are black which is most dominant, yellow and fox red.

With their calm nature, extraordinary noses and strong swimming capabilities makes the British Lab an exceptional gundog for waterfowl and upland game. Also, they have become known as a “gentleman’s dog” because whether they are at home with the family or in the field their behavior remains consistent with the integrity of the breed.