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There is a historical reason why there are so many different types of Labradors today. The main reason why different varieties of Labradors started to emerge is because of the search for working dogs or, better, the preference for companion dogs. When talking about working dogs, we are referring to animals that perform different functions, such as herding, hunting or surveillance. In the case of the Labrador, its initial functions were to be a hunting and herding dog. In these cases, they looked for the most active individuals, predisposed to action and the most alert. Later, it began to be introduced into homes as a companion dog, seeking in this case more calm, affectionate and docile dogs. In these dogs, what breeders were looking for were strains as similar as possible to the ideal Labrador pattern, looking for a show dog, not an extremely active dog. So how many types of Labradors are there? existed two fundamental types of labrador: of work, which are the American Labradors, and of exhibition/company, which are the English Labradors.
After giving all this information, it is important to emphasize that this differentiation is not official, as there is only one recognized race as a labrador retriever. Therefore, in this article by PeritoAnimal, we will talk about varieties of the breed that appear without departing from the official standard elaborated by the International Cynological Federation[1]. So, let's look at the types of Labrador dogs that exist because of the needs outlined above.
american labrador
The first thing one usually thinks about when talking about an American Labrador is that the breed originated in America, but it doesn't, although there are American and English Labradors, the difference between them doesn't really depend on the country, but on the two types mentioned above, the work and exhibition labs. Specifically, the Americans are the working labradors and the English those for display or intended to be companion animals.
the american labrador is a dog much more athletic and stylish, with a more developed and powerful musculature than the English one. It also has thinner and elongated limbs, like its muzzle, which is significantly longer than in the English Labrador.
In addition to appearance, this type of Labrador also changes its character, as the American is more active and energetic, needing to perform moderately intense physical exercise daily. It is activity focused, as it is traditionally bred to work as a hunting and working dog. Therefore, he is quite restless and this can make training difficult when he falls into the hands of an inexperienced trainer. If this is your case and you want to adopt this type of Labrador, don't miss our article in which we explain How to train a Labrador.
english labrador
The english labrador is the one mentioned above company or exhibition labrador, being quite different from the American, despite sharing the nationality of origin. These dogs are usually more peaceful, calm and familiar, preferring leisurely activities to intense sports, unlike American Labradors.
The English Labrador is the one that has kept the classic aspect of the breed, as it is the one that has received more work in terms of breeding to have the appearance dictated by the official standard of the breed. On the other hand, it is worth noting that it is a late maturing dog, but as it grows it develops a rather thick body, with an equally thick tail and relatively wide legs. These legs are also somewhat short and have a medium-small head with a muzzle of moderate length.
The English Labrador's character is a delight, as it is a dog. friendly and playful, who loves to give and receive affection. It is considered as an excellent nanny dog because it is passionate about children, whether they are children or puppies or any animal. Also, it tends to get along very well with other dogs.
canadian labrador
Indeed, the Canadian Labrador is not a type of Labrador per se these days, meaning, again, it is no different in referring to a country. But yes, on this occasion the name has an important reference, it is that the labrador retriever breed comes from Canada, taking its name from the homonymous city of Labrador.
When we talk about a Canadian Labrador we are talking about a original labrador, that is, the first specimens of the breed, those that were not selected for work or company, as happens with English or American Labradors, differentiated according to the functions they traditionally perform. In the case of the Canadian Labrador, as it is not a variety altered by breeders, it is the pure version of the Labrador, so to speak. It is in this type of Lab that the essence of the Labs that emerged in the 16th century is most alive.
For this reason, currently the Canadian labrador does not exist as such, as it refers to the breed of labrador retriever recognized by different institutions and existing for 5 centuries, which inevitably evolved generation after generation.
Finally, it is worth noting that in all types of Labrador we can find the different colors accepted in the breed.
If you want to read more articles similar to Types of labrador, we recommend that you enter our Comparisons section.