For Lab People, A revised judging standard

[LabDad]

Since no Lab has been judged good enough to "meet the standard" to ever win the Sporting Group at Westminster perhaps it's time to reconsider those standards. Obviously they are entirely too tough and rigid to meet.
I propose the following new standards. I'm betting a WHOLE lot of Labs will now more that qualify.

Labrador Retriever Breed Standard
Sporting Group

General Appearance
The Labrador Retriever is a strongly built, medium to large-sized, short-coupled, dog possessing a sound, athletic, well-balanced conformation that enables it to surf counter tops, clean off coffee tables with its tail, and eat your favorite pair of shoes.

The most distinguishing characteristics of the Labrador Retriever are its ability to drool in slow motion at the mere mention of food and carry a tennis ball in its mouth for seven hours without dropping it.

Above all, a Labrador Retriever must be well balanced, enabling it to move in the show ring or work in the field with little or no effort. The typical Labrador possesses an innate ability to sneak up behind you lick the back of your bare knee causing you to leap two feet into the air. The Labrador is bred primarily to manipulate its human into doing anything they want.

Size, Proportion and Substance
Size--The height at the withers for a dog is 20 to 36 inches; for a bitch is 20 to 36 inches. Any variance greater than ½ inch above or below these heights is a disqualification. Approximate weight of dogs and bitches in working condition: dogs 65 to 120pounds; bitches 55 to 90 pounds.

Skull--The skull is sometimes very dense, a trait which allows it to sometimes ignore commands it does not like.

Nose-- The nose is capable of finding the treat bag no matter where you try to hide it.

Teeth--The teeth should be able to gnaw through dense valuable antique wood.

Ears--The ears should be able to clearly express every emotion in the book from boredom to disgust.

Eyes—Eyes should be capable of looking so pitifully sad as to make the human agree to any plea bargain, such as not being left home when the human goes out or demanding to be fed ½ hour before normal feeding time.

Neck--The neck should be of proper length to access even the highest counter top.

Tail--The tail is a distinguishing feature of the breed. It should be very thick at the base, gradually tapering toward the tip and capable of knocking down or over anything in its path.

Coat
The coat is a distinctive feature of the Labrador Retriever. It should be able to blow off enough fur several times a year to cover the entire floor and every piece of furniture in the average house.

Color
The Labrador Retriever coat colors are black, yellow, chocolate, white, silver, off white, reddish ocher, and charcoal. Disqualification: dying any part of a Lab pink shall be reason for disqualification.

Movement
Movement of the Labrador Retriever should be free, effortless and constant ,when not taking up the entire sofa for a nap.

Finally, I think we'll keep this last standard as is.
Temperament
True Labrador Retriever temperament is as much a hallmark of the breed as the "otter" tail. The ideal disposition is one of a kindly, outgoing, tractable nature; eager to please and non-aggressive towards man or animal. The Labrador has much that appeals to people; his gentle ways, intelligence and adaptability make him an ideal dog.

 

[corgipower]

:rofl1::rofl1::rofl1:

 

[RetrieverCrazy17]

Yes it is hard to match the Lab standered because they are so overbred and inbred Labradors. My AKC black Labrador Retriever weighs only 47 pounds and is 20 and a half inches at the weithers. Flip is mostly all legs, very thick tail, long thick coat,and triangual head

My brothers AKC chocolate Labrador Retriever has an underbite, his tail is less then 2 inches in diaminer, and has a very short coat. He is very well built and looks more like a pitbull then Lab. He weighs 98 pounds and is 25 inches at the weithers. These two dogs are sopposely the same breed??

I think AKC should spilt the "different types" of Labs. English,American, British , hunting, field, show and pet type.

 

[sillysally]

I think AKC should spilt the "different types" of Labs. English,American, British , hunting, field, show and pet type.

English labs are simply labs born in England and American labs are simply labs bred in the US. Field/hunting and bench may be different, but that is how it is actually split up, not by countries.

Making the breed split official would only further hurt the breed, IMHO. Labs should be a versatile dog, not one bred into a tiny box. A good hunting lab *should* be a good pet and *should* retain some correct structure as well.

However, if you read the OP it was meant as a joke, not is seriousness.....

 

[smkie]

you left out the flatulant bowels!

 

[Miakoda]

Making the breed split official would only further hurt the breed

It might and it might not. Look at the American Pit Bull Terrier and the American Staffordshire Terrier. At least having the AST category allows us to distinguish between the true working APBT and the bred-just-for-show AST.

 

[Dekka]

Very funny!

 

[Doberluv]

Since no Lab has been judged good enough to "meet the standard" to ever win the Sporting Group at Westminster perhaps it's time to reconsider those standards. Obviously they are entirely too tough and rigid to meet.
I propose the following new standards. I'm betting a WHOLE lot of Labs will now more that qualify.

Labrador Retriever Breed Standard
Sporting Group

General Appearance
The Labrador Retriever is a strongly built, medium to large-sized, short-coupled, dog possessing a sound, athletic, well-balanced conformation that enables it to surf counter tops, clean off coffee tables with its tail, and eat your favorite pair of shoes.

The most distinguishing characteristics of the Labrador Retriever are its ability to drool in slow motion at the mere mention of food and carry a tennis ball in its mouth for seven hours without dropping it.

Above all, a Labrador Retriever must be well balanced, enabling it to move in the show ring or work in the field with little or no effort. The typical Labrador possesses an innate ability to sneak up behind you lick the back of your bare knee causing you to leap two feet into the air. The Labrador is bred primarily to manipulate its human into doing anything they want.

Size, Proportion and Substance
Size--The height at the withers for a dog is 20 to 36 inches; for a bitch is 20 to 36 inches. Any variance greater than ½ inch above or below these heights is a disqualification. Approximate weight of dogs and bitches in working condition: dogs 65 to 120pounds; bitches 55 to 90 pounds.

Skull--The skull is sometimes very dense, a trait which allows it to sometimes ignore commands it does not like.

Nose-- The nose is capable of finding the treat bag no matter where you try to hide it.

Teeth--The teeth should be able to gnaw through dense valuable antique wood.

Ears--The ears should be able to clearly express every emotion in the book from boredom to disgust.

Eyes—Eyes should be capable of looking so pitifully sad as to make the human agree to any plea bargain, such as not being left home when the human goes out or demanding to be fed ½ hour before normal feeding time.

Neck--The neck should be of proper length to access even the highest counter top.

Tail--The tail is a distinguishing feature of the breed. It should be very thick at the base, gradually tapering toward the tip and capable of knocking down or over anything in its path.

Coat
The coat is a distinctive feature of the Labrador Retriever. It should be able to blow off enough fur several times a year to cover the entire floor and every piece of furniture in the average house.

Color
The Labrador Retriever coat colors are black, yellow, chocolate, white, silver, off white, reddish ocher, and charcoal. Disqualification: dying any part of a Lab pink shall be reason for disqualification.

Movement
Movement of the Labrador Retriever should be free, effortless and constant ,when not taking up the entire sofa for a nap.

Finally, I think we'll keep this last standard as is.
Temperament
True Labrador Retriever temperament is as much a hallmark of the breed as the "otter" tail. The ideal disposition is one of a kindly, outgoing, tractable nature; eager to please and non-aggressive towards man or animal. The Labrador has much that appeals to people; his gentle ways, intelligence and adaptability make him an ideal dog.

:rofl1::rofl1: Very cute, clever and funny!

A good hunting lab *should* be a good pet and *should* retain some correct structure as well.

I absolutely agree with that.:hail:

 

[Chewbecca]

It might and it might not. Look at the American Pit Bull Terrier and the American Staffordshire Terrier. At least having the AST category allows us to distinguish between the true working APBT and the bred-just-for-show AST.

Doesn't ALL of that newly, revised standard sound almost IDENTICAL to an APBT minus the tail, coat, and the portion of the temperament where it says it shouldn't be aggressive towards other animals?

Ella could be a lab if she wanted!:rofl1:

 

[sillysally]

It might and it might not. Look at the American Pit Bull Terrier and the American Staffordshire Terrier. At least having the AST category allows us to distinguish between the true working APBT and the bred-just-for-show AST.

But then who says it won't split off from there. Many hunters prefer not to us dogs completely bred for field for hunting, so you could have a further split off there. And then what about the guide dogs--they have their own breeding programs anyway? Among the bench labs you could have further splits like they do with goldens and obedience. With the rising popularity of dock diving, it very well could be that breeders start breeding selectively for that in a few years. I actually do know of a lab breeder that breeds specifically for agility dogs. Then there are the exclusively pet bred labs, which generally are in their own category as many of them have been backyard bred for several generations, but whose looks tend to either be either more blocky or more feildish.

It is something that I have have often heard discussed in lab circles, but I really feel that it would be the last nail in the coffin of the bench bred labs as far as maintaining the structure and natural ability/love of retrieving, water, etc.

 

[ihartgonzo]

It is something that I have have often heard discussed in lab circles, but I really feel that it would be the last nail in the coffin of the bench bred labs as far as maintaining the structure and natural ability/love of retrieving, water, etc.

I'm pretty sure the coffin is nailed as is...

LOL! Nice post, OP. They really are some lovable oafs.

 

[Miakoda]

But then who says it won't split off from there. Many hunters prefer not to us dogs completely bred for field for hunting, so you could have a further split off there. And then what about the guide dogs--they have their own breeding programs anyway? Among the bench labs you could have further splits like they do with goldens and obedience. With the rising popularity of dock diving, it very well could be that breeders start breeding selectively for that in a few years. I actually do know of a lab breeder that breeds specifically for agility dogs. Then there are the exclusively pet bred labs, which generally are in their own category as many of them have been backyard bred for several generations, but whose looks tend to either be either more blocky or more feildish.

It is something that I have have often heard discussed in lab circles, but I really feel that it would be the last nail in the coffin of the bench bred labs as far as maintaining the structure and natural ability/love of retrieving, water, etc.

I do see your point. In the APBT circuit there are dogs bred solely for the show ring, dogs bred solely for weight pull, dogs bred solely for their color and head size..........and it's an ugly issue that's not just causing a division among the dogs, but a giant chasm of disgust among the dog owners.

I don't know the answer. All I can say is that if a dog was bred to perform a function and it's form (structure) was a result, then function needs to remain #1. I don't agree with dogs being bred for just the show ring. Their form changes and they don't always look so pretty underneath that skin either.

 

[sillysally]

I'm pretty sure the coffin is nailed as is...

Actually, there are many bench breeders/bench owner that work to get hunt tests on their dogs, actually hunt with them, or sell pups to those that hunt. There are not enough of them, but not all bench breeders are only concerned about looks. I know one owner who has a very bench bred lab who does SAR work. Jack has bench breeding and while I had no intention of hunting him I specifically wanted a breeder whose dog were in the water and retrieving regularly, because that is one of the activities that I wanted to do. Jack's breeder literally lived across the street from a river and the dogs went there all the time.

I guess this "write them off" attitude is what irritates me. Yes, I have seen some bench bred labs that *do not* look like what I think (or the standard seems to think) that they should look like. There are too many bench breds with that "rotti" look, and I even saw one recently that if I didn't know better I would swear had mastiff in him.

Too many confo breeders do not pay enough (or any) attention to what the lab was originally bred to do, but just assuming that every conformation bred dog and ever bench breeder does nothing but trot their dogs around is an incorrect assumption.

I just think that those who are trying to get it right deserve some credit, as they are the ones truly bettering the breed.

 

[ihartgonzo]

just assuming that every conformation bred dog and ever bench breeder does nothing but trot their dogs around is an incorrect assumption.

You're totally right! And I apologize for that. I definitely would not assume that 100% of Conformation breeders don't also work their dogs. There is a similarly massive split in one of my breeds, Border Collies, and I happen to know a breeder who shows and works her dogs. However, as far as a MASSIVE majority of show Border Collies (and Labs) not being worked, it is pretty obvious.

I'm sure there are plenty of balanced Lab breeders. I know of one who has really stunning dogs. I love how Jack looks, he looks like a Lab should to me, and I wouldn't have guessed that he had much Bench in him.