back to About Us
Other Areas:
Stud Service  l  Dogs & Puppies  l  Training  l  Contact Us  l  Home Page
Field Trials

The Kennel Club publishes the standard for each breed in groups. This standard is in effect the specifi-cation or blueprint for the breed.

The breed clubs are used to make recommendations for this standard based on a particular format. Each breed club does this and submits it to the breed counsel who, in turn, submit one composite and agreed-on version to the Kennel Club. After approval by the Kennel Club Committee, it is printed and is available for anyone to purchase for a modest sum. It is also reproduced in a number of breed clubs' year books.

Most countries in the world follow closely the standards issued in the UK with only minor variations. There are some notable exceptions to this. One example is in the height when the English standard is compared with the American standard.

(all information on this page reproduced with the permission of the Kennel Club)
HEAD AND SKULL: The skull should be broad with pronounced stop so that the skull is not in a straight line with the nose. The head should be clean without any fleshy cheeks. The jaws should be of medium length, powerful and free from snippiness. The nose should be wide and the nostrils well developed.
EYES: The eyes should be of medium size expressing intelligence and good temper. They should be brown or hazel.
MOUTH: Teeth should be sound and strong. The lower teeth should be just behind but touching the upper.
COLOUR: The colour is generally black or yellow but other whole colours are permitted. The coat should be free from white markings but a small white spot on the chest is allowable. The coat should be of whole colour and not of a flecked appearance.
COAT: The coat is another distinctive feature of the breed. It should be short and dense and without wave with a weather resistant undercoat, and should give a fairly hard feeling to the hand.
TAIL: The tail is a distinctive feature of the breed. It should be very thick toward the base, gradually tapering towards the tip. It should be of medium length and practically free from feathering but clothed thickly all around with labrador's short, thick, dense, coat, thus giving that peculiar 'rounded' appearance which has been described as the 'otter' tail. The tail must be carried gaily, but should not curl over the back. HINDQUARTERS: The loins must be wide and strong with well-turned hindquarters, well-developed and not sloping to the tail. The hocks should be slightly bent and the dog must neither cow-hock nor move too wide or too close behind.
EARS: Should not be large and heavy and should be close to the head and set rather far back.
NECK: Should be clean, strong and powerful and set into well-placed shoulders.
BODY: The chest must be of width and depth with well-sprung ribs. The back should be short coupled.
FOREQUARTERS: The shoulders should be long and sloping. The forelegs should be well-boned and straight from the shoulder to the ground when viewed from either front or side. The dog must neither move too wide nor too close in front.
FEET: Should be round and compact with well-arched toes and well-developed pads.
SIZE: Desired height for dogs is 22-22 1/2 inches. Bitches should be between 21 1/2 to 22 inches.
KENNEL CLUB STANDARD 1950 (AMENDED 1968)
General Appearance: The general appearance of the Labrador should be that of a strongly-built, short-coupled, very active dog, broad and deep through the chest and ribs, and broad and strong over the loins and hindquarters. The coat should be close and short with a dense undercoat and be free from feather. The dog must move neither too wide nor too close in front or behind. He must stand and move true all round on legs and feet.

Faults: Under or over shot mouth, no undercoat, bad action, feathering, snipiness on the head, large or heavy ears, cow-hocked, tail curved over back.
1. HEAD AND SKULL: The skull should be broad with pronounced stop so that the skull is not in a straight line with the nose. The head should be clean without any fleshy cheeks. The jaws should be of medium length, powerful and free from snippiness. The nose should be wide and the nostrils well developed.
2. EARS : Should not be large and heavy and should be close to the head and set rather far back.
3. NECK: Should be clean, strong and powerful and set into well-placed shoulders.
4. BODY: The chest must be of width and depth with well-sprung ribs. The back should be short coupled.
5. FOREQUARTERS:

The shoulders should be long and sloping. The forelegs should be well-boned and straight from the shoulder to the ground when viewed from either front or side. The dog must neither move too wide nor too close in front.

6. FEET: Should be round and compact with well-arched toes and well-developed pads.
7. TAIL: The tail is a distinctive feature of the breed. It should be very thick toward the base, gradually tapering towards the tip. It should be of medium length and practically free from feathering but clothed thickly all around with labrador's short, thick, dense, coat, thus giving that peculiar 'rounded' appearance which has been described as the 'otter' tail. The tail must be carried gaily, but should not curl over the back.
8. HINDQUARTERS: The loins must be wide and strong with well-turned hindquarters, well-developed and not sloping to the tail. The hocks should be slightly bent and the dog must neither cow-hock nor move too wide or too close behind.
9. COAT: The coat is another distinctive feature of the breed. It should be short and dense and without wave with a weather resistant undercoat, and should give a fairly hard feeling to the hand.
10. COLOUR: The colour is generally black or yellow but other whole colours are permitted. The coat should be free from white markings but a small white spot on the chest is allowable. The coat should be of whole colour and not of a flecked appearance.
11. MOUTH: Teeth should be sound and strong. The lower teeth should be just behind but touching the upper.
12. EYES: The eyes should be of medium size expressing intelligence and good temper. They should be brown or hazel.
13. SIZE: Desired height for dogs is 22-22 1/2 inches. Bitches should be between 21 1/2 to 22 inches.
All Content © 2002-2007 Wicklewood Hall