All About the Breed: Labrador Retriever
[Music]
today it’s all about the Labrador
Retriever even though they’re big dogs
the Labrador Retriever is the most
popular breed of dog in the United
States as well as Australia Canada New
Zealand and Great Britain and they’re
considered the seventh most intelligent
breed because of that they’re commonly
used as guide and assistance dogs and
are used by law enforcement because of
their detection and working abilities
the coats of labs vary depending on the
climate where they live but also they
vary according to whether their show
dogs or working dogs the show breeds are
generally heavier and have a thicker
coat and tail and they shed more but the
show breed is also generally calmer and
more suited to be a family pet labrador
retrievers originally came from the
Newfoundland and Labrador areas of
Canada and are closely related to the
Mastiff both the lab and the Mastiff
were bred from the st. Johns dog they
were first imported to England from
Canada in the 1800s and were recognized
by the AKC in 1917 Labs are perfectly
suited for swimming they were originally
used in the icy waters of Canada to
retrieve fishing nets they even have
webbed paws and coats that protect them
from the cold water the webbed feet also
make excellent snowshoes in cold
climates preventing snow from balling up
and becoming painful their coats are
interwoven and shed water easily labs
come in three colors yellow black and
here’s Mike with his chocolate Lana this
is Coco she’s a purebred chocolate lab
she’s 14 years old
yeah her mind and her body still thinks
she’s a young dog and she still likes to
play a lot on the beach
as she’s gotten older and I had to stop
making her exercise too much because she
wants to just swim swim swim I’ve been
getting your glycosaminoglycans although
they are prone to hip and elbow
dysplasia and some eye problems
including cataracts because of their
insatiable appetites Labs are prone to
obesity which can lead to other problems
including diabetes overweight labs
generally live two years less than
they’re healthier counterparts a healthy
lab will be around for 10 to 12 years
how are they with kids great my roommate
actually has a few year old and their
best friend’s labs are considered kind
pleasant and outgoing perfect traits to
be a family pet as for gentle they’ve
been known to gently hold someone’s arm
or hand in their mouths they’ve even
been known to carry an egg in their
mouth without breaking it as a working
dog their intelligence becomes even more
important take the case of end-all maybe
the most famous Labrador Retriever a
British service dog who performed
exceptionally well during an emergency
where he placed his unconscious owner in
the recovery position retrieved the
man’s cell phone from beneath a car
fetched a blanket and covered him barked
at nearby houses for assistance and then
ran to a nearby hotel for help
Noel thanks for coming and talking with
us today thanks to Keiko and now you
know all about the Labrador Retriever
