"Where Quality Matters"- All around Terrific Labrador Retrievers in Idaho,
for Companionship, Hunting, Field, Obedience & Show Competition.
LaBrook Labradors
Labrador Retriever Information
FCI /KC Labrador Retriever Breed Standard :
ORIGIN : Great Britain. DATE OF PUBLICATION OF THE ORIGINAL VALID STANDARD: 24.06.1987. . UTILIZATION : Retriever. CLASSIFICATION F.C.I.: Group 8 Retrievers, Flushing Dogs, Water Dogs. 
Section 1 Retrievers.
With working trial.
GENERAL APPEARANCE : Strongly built, short-coupled, very active; broad in skull;
broad and deep through chest and ribs; broad and strong over loins and hindquarters. BEHAVIOUR / TEMPERAMENT : Good-tempered, very agile. Excellent nose, soft mouth;
keen lover of water. Adaptable, devoted companion. Intelligent, keen and biddable, with a strong will to please. Kindly nature, with no trace of aggression or undue shyness. HEAD CRANIAL REGION : Skull : Broad. Clean-cut without fleshy cheeks. Stop : Defined. FACIAL REGION : Nose : Wide, nostrils well developed. Muzzle : Powerful, not snipey.
Jaws/Teeth : Jaws of medium length, jaws and teeth strong with a perfect, regular and complete scissor bite,
i.e. upper teeth closely overlapping lower teeth and set square to the jaws. Eyes : Medium size, expressing intelligence and good temper; brown or hazel. Ears : Not large or heavy, hanging close to head and set rather far back.
NECK : Clean, strong, powerful, set into well placed shoulders. BODY:
Back : Level topline.
Loins : Wide, short-coupled and strong. Chest : Of good width and depth, with well sprung barrel ribs. TAIL : Distinctive feature, very thick towards the base, gradually tapering towards tip, medium length, free from feathering, but clothed thickly all round with short, thick, dense coat, thus giving « rounded » appearance described as « Otter » tail. May be carried gaily, but should not curl over back. LIMBS : FOREQUARTERS : Forelegs well boned and straight from elbow to ground when viewed from either front or side. Shoulders : Long and sloping. HINDQUARTERS : Well developed, not sloping to tail. Stifle : Well turned. Hocks : well let down. Cowhocks highly undesirable. FEET : Round, compact; well-arched toes and well developed pads. GAIT / MOVEMENT : Free, covering adequate ground; straight and true in front and rear. COAT : HAIR : Distinctive feature, short dense without wave of feathering, giving fairly hard feel to the touch; weather-resistant undercoat. COLOUR : Wholly black, yellow or liver/chocolate. Yellows range from light cream to red fox. Small white spot on chest permissible.
SIZE : Ideal height at withers : dogs 56-57 cm (22 - 22,5 ins); bitches 54-56 cm (21,5 - 22 ins). FAULTS : Any departure from the foregoing points should be considered a fault and the seriousness with which the fault should be regarded should be in exact proportion to its degree. N.B. : Male animals should have two apparently normal testicles fully descended into the scrotum.
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Labradors are not for Every One
Yes, its states true with every breed. Not all breeds are for every-one, not even the wonderful Labrador Retriever. Although they are easily trained, they are an energetic breed which require exercise and daily care. Not many people take this into question when looking for a breed, especially when questioning rather or not to get a Lab. All puppies are cute but that puppy will grow up and need guidance in-order to become a well behaved member of your family. In saying that, some fail to see that Labs are family dogs, they can't stay out all day with out human companionship, they need training(Dogs Do Not train them selves), socialization and exercise to keep their minds entertained or else they will adopt a destructive behavior such as chewing, digging or barking. Labs need regular exercise and a proper Diet to keep them fit and trim ; Labs are gluttons and would eat them selves to death if given the chance. Labrador retrievers are also "pack" dogs and require to be with the family to be happy. Moreover Labs do NOT make great kennel dogs and should live in the home with it's family. One point, Labs do great with other Animals, but Please make sure the breeder has socialized the puppies well and the puppies have stayed with their litter for At-Least 7weeks. If a puppy leaves it's whelping box to soon, it may develop social problems with other dogs. Reason being is that puppies learn allot from their dam and litter mates between 6 to 8 weeks, including basic "Doggie Manners". Also, it is up to YOU to continue your puppies socialization when it's with you. Don't think socialization is over when your puppy leaves the breeder ; it's vital that you continue so your puppy can grow up confident with new sights, sounds and smells, new people and new dogs.
How Big do Labs get ??
Labs range from 55 to 85lbs - 22-1/4" to 24"1/2" from the ground to the withers- some stay within the hight, but can weight up to 95lbs. *** Labs should NOT be purposely bred to weigh 100+lbs !!! This can cause serious stress to the joints and it is Out of Standard. Do NOT, at a moment, believe X-Large labs are "In" !
What are the Colors ? Health Problems in the Labrador Retriever Hips Dysplasia : For more information on HD please visit the OFA web site http://www.offa.org/hipgeninfo.html Elbow Dysplasia : For More information in ED please visit the OFA wen site http://www.offa.org/elbowgeninfo.html Progressive Retinal Atrophy(PRA) is the second major inherited disease. Despite the similarity of the name to CPRA, this is an entirely different and more devastating problem. Dogs with PRA generally go blind at an early age. resource; The Book Of The Labrador Retriever
Labs come in Black (ALL black) , Yellow (from light cream to an almost Reddish darker shade, and Chocolate (from light to dark).
Are there such thing as a "rare" color for Labs, I've heard so much talk about Silvers, Whites and Fox Reds , are they really rare ?
No, these colors are NOT rare... So called "polar white" color is just another shade of Yellow, same goes for the Fox Red, its just a deep darker shade of Yellow. The Silver color on the other hand is much of a debate, many think its a result from a mating from a Weimaraner and a Chlt Lab, other believe differently. For me, I could care less HOW this color happened. All I will say is that IT IS NOT RARE !! Please do not be fooled into thinking otherwise. Please Do your HomeWork !
While few, Labrador Retrievers do have their share of Congenital defects. From the publication printed by Ralston Purina Company, here is a short list :
Cataracts > Retinal Dysplasia > Central Progressive Retinal Atrophy (CPRA) >Cystinuria(Excess cystine in the urine predisposing to calculi or stones) > Hemophilia > Myopathy > Carpal Subluxation and Cryptorchidism.
