Labrador Retriever

One of many popular retrievers, the Labrador Retriever gets its name from the province of Newfoundland and Labrador in Canada.http://www.akc.org/breeds/labrador_retriever/index.cfm The breed has been kept as a gun dog since the 1800s and is now the most popular dog to keep as a pet in the world.

The Labrador Retriever is a reliable, loyal, willing, docile, and patient dog. This nature makes it a popular pet, but a poor guard dog.http://www.dogster.com/breeds/Labrador_Retriever Rather than as guard dogs, Labradors are often used as assistance dogs. In addition to the traditional hunting, tracking and retrieving, Labradors are the most popular breed to use as a guide dog for the blind. They are also frequently used for disabled care, as search and rescue dogs and psychiatric service dogs, and as narcotic finding police dogs.

Only three standard colors are recognized by the American Kennel Club for show dogs: yellow, black, and chocolate.http://www.akc.org/breeds/labrador_retriever/index.cfm Other colors occur due to recessive genes. A variation called "Dudley" exists where the dog will have no pigment in the nose and a pink color around the eye. Dogs with these disorders are primarily yellow Labradors, though they are usually subtle, and it is rare to find a Labrador with a full pink nose and facial area.