Breed Standard of the Labrador Retriever

General Appearance and Temperament

Labrador Retriever Breed Standard: General Appearance and Temperament

The Standard of the Labrador Retriever Breed describes this dog as a strongly built, medium-sized, energetic, and hard-working dog. The Labrador Retriever has an athletic body with a short and strong loin. The chest is broad and deep with well-sprung ribs. Despite its solid build, the dog moves easily, freely, and energetically. Such body structure and health allow the Labrador Retriever to work for long periods – both in fields and marshy areas – retrieving game birds under any conditions.

The standard also describes the breed’s character. In terms of temperament, it is an ideal companion, often used in therapy work. Originally bred for hunting, the Labrador Retriever combines excellent physical abilities, intelligence, and a strong willingness to work. Its temperament is stable, which makes the breed highly suitable for a wide range of activities and working roles.

The Labrador differs from other breeds with its unique, short, and close-fitting coat, featuring a dense undercoat that protects against harsh weather. Another distinctive feature is its “otter” tail—short, thick, and covered with dense fur.

The Labrador has a friendly expression that reflects a good-natured and calm temperament. It is obedient, intelligent, non-aggressive, and fearless—traits required by the Labrador Retriever breed standard. The dog should neither be too tall nor too light, and it must not be coarse or clumsy—the key is strength and harmony.
Although seemingly calm and composed, Labradors can become energetic, active, and incredibly enduring when needed. They love water, adapt easily to any living conditions, and are devoted family members. The Labrador Retriever’s character is special: sociable, obedient, eager to please, and helpful. It always wants to be useful but never shows aggression toward people or other animals.

Breed Faults According to the Standard: aggression, timidity, overly light build, coarseness, nervousness.

Height and Weight

Ideal Height at the Withers:
Males – 56–57 cm (weight 29–36 kg)
Females – 54–56 cm (weight 25–31.5 kg)
How to Measure a Dog’s Height

HEAD

The head is fairly large but proportionate to the body, preferably without looseness, also referred to as “dry.” In adult dogs, the occipital protuberance is only slightly pronounced. The skull is broad but not coarse, with a well-defined stop – the transition from forehead to muzzle. The forehead and muzzle lines are parallel, and the length of the head from the occipital protuberance to the stop is almost equal to the length of the muzzle. Cheekbones are not prominent. The brows are slightly raised, emphasizing the stop. The muzzle is broad and deep, moderately short, and proportionate to the skull. The upper lip is close-fitting and well covers the lower jaw. The jaws are strong. From the side, the muzzle appears rectangular when viewed in profile.

Faults: Head out of proportion to the body; pronounced cheekbones; narrow, pointed muzzle; excessively fleshy lips; wrinkled muzzle; poorly defined stop; head lacking balance.

NOSE

The nose is broad with well-developed nostrils. In black and yellow Labradors, the nose must be black. In chocolate Labradors, the nose is brown. In yellow Labradors, nose pigmentation may lighten slightly in winter, as well as during bitches’ heat or pregnancy – at such times the nose may appear paler. This is referred to as a “winter nose,” but it is important that a distinct black outline around the nose remains visible.

Sometimes yellow puppies are born without pigmentation – this is the so-called bbee genotype (yellow with brown pigmentation). In such cases, the nose is pink, and there is no black outline not only around the nose but also around the eyes. This colour is undesirable for breeding; however, it does not prevent the puppy from living a full and healthy life. In the United States, such puppies are considered faulty and are not bred from. To avoid undesirable pigmentation (e.g. pink nose and lack of dark eye rims), it is important to test the genotype of both parents using genetic tests, particularly for mutations at the B and E loci. Breeders should avoid mating two carriers of the recessive brown gene (b) and the colour dilution gene (e) if their genotypes are unknown. It is also not recommended to mate yellow and chocolate Labradors without genetic testing, as this increases the risk of producing puppies with the bbee genotype. Such puppies are not recommended for breeding, but they can live full, healthy lives as family companions.

Faults: Nose bridge not straight – either down-faced or excessively arched; very weak pigmentation.

TEETH

The teeth and jaws are strong, with a scissor bite. Ideally, the full set of 42 teeth is present. FCI standards do not specify the complete dental formula, except that with a scissor bite the following are required: 6 incisors in both upper and lower jaws, as well as 4 canines. When breeding dogs that do not possess the full dentition, it is advisable to select a mate with complete dentition.

Faults: Overbite or underbite.

EARS

Medium-sized (when extended forward, reaching the inner corner of the eye), fairly heavy, lying close to the head, set slightly above the line of the eyes.

Faults: Ears too large, too long, too light, or set too low.

EYES

Friendly, kind expression reflecting a good temperament, intelligence, and energy. Eyes are medium-sized, wide-set, triangular in shape, neither protruding nor sunken. Dark brown or hazel eyes are typical for black and yellow Labradors; brown or hazel eyes are typical for chocolate Labradors. The eyelid rims of black and yellow Labradors should be black, and those of chocolate Labradors should be brown.

Faults: Dark or yellow eyes giving a harsh expression, undesirable; unpigmented eyelid rims. Small, almond-shaped eyes set close together, round or protruding eyes – untypical for the breed.

NECK

The neck should be of medium length, dry, muscular, without flews, straight, and set at approximately a 45-degree angle to the horizontal, allowing the dog to easily lift and carry game.

Faults: Short neck; neck with flews.

BODY

The back is strong and broad. The topline is level from the withers to the croup, whether standing or in motion. The withers are pronounced. The loin is short, broad, and strong, but should not give the impression of a square-shaped dog, as the Labrador has a slightly rectangular body. The chest is broad, well-sprung, deep, reaching the elbows. The belly is only slightly tucked up, so the lower line of the body is almost straight.

Faults: Narrow, shallow chest; overly broad, static chest restricting correct and free movement; raised loin; roached back; low-set tail; excessively long loin giving the impression of a long-bodied dog; overly short body.

A. Correct, medium-length loin with a well-defined withers. Excellent front angulation; strong hindquarters.

B. Incorrect: very short loin; raised loin; roached back; low-set tail; square-shaped dog.

TAIL

The tail is one of the distinctive features of the Labrador, characteristic of this breed only. It is thick at the base and gradually tapers towards the tip. Of medium length, reaching the hock. The entire tail is covered with the typical short, dense, close-lying coat of the Labrador, giving it a rounded, otter-like appearance. At rest or in motion, the tail continues the topline, never carried above it. The tail may be carried in a “happy” manner, but never curled over the back. It completes the overall harmonious appearance of the Labrador, forming a continuous line from the withers to the tip of the tail.

Faults: Tail too short or too long; thin tail; tail curled over the back; whip-like tail.

A. Correct: short, thick at the base, straight; carried low when the dog is in motion.

B. Incorrect: curled upwards. C. A “happy” tail is not a fault.

FOREQUARTERS

The forequarters are strong, straight, and well-boned. The shoulder blades are long, well-laid-back, and muscular, forming an angle with the upper arm that allows free, efficient movement. The elbows are set close to the body and move parallel to the body. Forelegs are straight when viewed from the front and side, with strong pasterns.

Faults: Shoulder blade and upper arm not forming a 90-degree angle; short upper arm; loose elbows; legs not straight; thin legs; weak pasterns.

A. Correct: straight, parallel, and well-set.
B. Incorrect: improperly set, narrow, turned out at the pasterns.
C. Incorrect: elbows not held close to the body; turned in at the pasterns.

D. Ideal angulation of the forequarters.
E. Good angulation, typical for the Labrador Retriever breed.
F. Blunt angulation; short shoulder blade; upper arm could be longer.

HINDQUARTERS

The hindquarters are strong, muscular, and well-angulated. The thighs are broad and powerful. The stifles are well-bent, with strong hocks set parallel when viewed from behind. The rear legs move straight, providing drive and balance, and should correspond in angulation with the forequarters to allow free and efficient movement.

Faults:  Hocks close together; weakly muscled second thighs; straight or overly pronounced rear angulation; excessively long femur; incorrect placement of the lower thigh, resulting in faulty and inefficient movement.

A. Correct rear angulation.
B. Incorrect: excessively pronounced stifle joint.
C. Incorrect: blunt angle between the femur and tibia.

FEET

The feet are strong and compact, with tightly-knit toes and well-developed pads.

Faults: Toes not tightly-knit; long toes; splayed feet.

A. Correct foot: toes tightly-knit, “cat-like” foot. Pastern slightly sloping.

B. Incorrect foot: toes splayed, long phalanges; weak pastern.

COAT

The coat is characteristic of the Labrador Retriever breed only. It is short, straight, and very dense, fairly harsh to the touch. The undercoat is soft, very dense, providing protection against harsh weather and water. A slight wave on the back is permissible; when stroked against the lay of the coat, the hair returns to its original position.

Faults: Wavy, soft, or silky coat; absence of undercoat; bald patches.

COLOUR

The Labrador Retriever may be entirely black, yellow, or chocolate. A small white spot on the chest is permissible. Yellow may range from cream to deep golden. In summer, black dogs often acquire a reddish tint and should be protected from sun exposure, which can bleach the coat. White hairs may appear with age. Any other coat shading or color is considered a fault.
Disqualification: Any color other than those specified in the standard.

GAIT

Correct movement is possible only in a well-structured dog. Even minor faults become apparent once the dog starts moving. At a trot, the gait is free and effortless, with elbows held close to the body. The stride is long and light. The legs move in sequence, straight forward in a single line. Viewed from behind, the hind legs move parallel to each other and in line with the forelegs.

Faults: Short stride; front pasterns carried too high, indicating incorrectly set shoulders. Short, “straight” hind leg movement, indicating improper angulation between the femur and tibia.

A. Incorrect gait: very short stride.

B. Incorrect gait: hind legs set too narrowly.
C. Incorrect gait: hocks turning inwards.

D. Incorrect foreleg movement – elbows “loose.”
E. Incorrect gait: forelegs set too wide, pasterns not flexed.

DISQUALIFYING FAULTS

1. Height not in accordance with the standard.
2. Docked tail or otherwise altered length; artificially modified tail set; “broken” or non-straight tail.
3. Any color or color variation other than black, yellow, or chocolate as described in the standard.
4. Any bite other than scissor bite.
5. Dogs without two well-developed testicles.
6. Aggression or extreme timidity.