A good Lab is a shorter, stocky dog that actually has some bone mass to it. The long legged, tall, pointy Labs are NOT my idea of what a Lab should be.
Front Legs - When viewed from the front, the legs should be straight with good strong bone. Too much bone is as undesirable as too little bone, and short legged, heavy boned individuals are not typical of the breed. Viewed from the side, the elbows should be directly under the withers, and the front legs should be perpendicular to the ground and well under the body. The elbows should be close to the ribs without looseness. Tied-in elbows or being "out at the elbows" interfere with free movement and are serious faults. Pasterns should be strong and short and should slope slightly from the perpendicular line of the leg. Feet are strong and compact, with well-arched toes and well-developed pads. Dew claws may be removed. Splayed feet, hare feet, knuckling over, or feet turning in or out are serious faults.
Hindquarters
The Labrador's hindquarters are broad, muscular and well-developed from the hip to the hock with well-turned stifles and strong short hocks. Viewed from the rear, the hind legs are straight and parallel. Viewed from the side, the angulation of the rear legs is in balance with the front. The hind legs are strongly boned, muscled with moderate angulation at the stifle, and powerful, clearly defined thighs. The stifle is strong and there is no slippage of the patellae while in motion or when standing. The hock joints are strong, well let down and do not slip or hyper-extend while in motion or when standing. Angulation of both stifle and hock joint is such as to achieve the optimal balance of drive and traction. When standing the rear toes are only slightly behind the point of the rump. Over angulation produces a sloping topline not typical of the breed. Feet are strong and compact, with well-arched toes and well-developed pads. Cow-hocks, spread hocks, sickle hocks and over-angulation are serious structural defects and are to be faulted.
If you compare American AKC labs vs British KC labs, American labs have a bit less bone and are a little bit longer legged. But no lab should be reedy, long legged or have long thin legs. That's poor breeding under either standard. These are often lab mixes.
Not really - for those labs bred to the standard. There are two general styles of labs. One is the bench or show lab - those are the stockier ones you see in the rings. The other style is a "field" lab which is talller and a little more slender built in body/legs.
Then you can have a somewhere in the middle lab (that's what ours is) - she's probably a cross of both styles as she is more field lab in the looks (head/legs/body) but she is the standard size in height/weight.
The working breeds do have longer legs to make them a better retriever for actual duck hunting. The shorter stocky ones are bred for conformation and would have a much harder time being a duck dog.
Answers & Comments
Verified answer
A good Lab is a shorter, stocky dog that actually has some bone mass to it. The long legged, tall, pointy Labs are NOT my idea of what a Lab should be.
Here is the breed standard: http://thelabradorclub.com/subpages/show_contents....
Front Legs - When viewed from the front, the legs should be straight with good strong bone. Too much bone is as undesirable as too little bone, and short legged, heavy boned individuals are not typical of the breed. Viewed from the side, the elbows should be directly under the withers, and the front legs should be perpendicular to the ground and well under the body. The elbows should be close to the ribs without looseness. Tied-in elbows or being "out at the elbows" interfere with free movement and are serious faults. Pasterns should be strong and short and should slope slightly from the perpendicular line of the leg. Feet are strong and compact, with well-arched toes and well-developed pads. Dew claws may be removed. Splayed feet, hare feet, knuckling over, or feet turning in or out are serious faults.
Hindquarters
The Labrador's hindquarters are broad, muscular and well-developed from the hip to the hock with well-turned stifles and strong short hocks. Viewed from the rear, the hind legs are straight and parallel. Viewed from the side, the angulation of the rear legs is in balance with the front. The hind legs are strongly boned, muscled with moderate angulation at the stifle, and powerful, clearly defined thighs. The stifle is strong and there is no slippage of the patellae while in motion or when standing. The hock joints are strong, well let down and do not slip or hyper-extend while in motion or when standing. Angulation of both stifle and hock joint is such as to achieve the optimal balance of drive and traction. When standing the rear toes are only slightly behind the point of the rump. Over angulation produces a sloping topline not typical of the breed. Feet are strong and compact, with well-arched toes and well-developed pads. Cow-hocks, spread hocks, sickle hocks and over-angulation are serious structural defects and are to be faulted.
If you compare American AKC labs vs British KC labs, American labs have a bit less bone and are a little bit longer legged. But no lab should be reedy, long legged or have long thin legs. That's poor breeding under either standard. These are often lab mixes.
Not really - for those labs bred to the standard. There are two general styles of labs. One is the bench or show lab - those are the stockier ones you see in the rings. The other style is a "field" lab which is talller and a little more slender built in body/legs.
Then you can have a somewhere in the middle lab (that's what ours is) - she's probably a cross of both styles as she is more field lab in the looks (head/legs/body) but she is the standard size in height/weight.
The working breeds do have longer legs to make them a better retriever for actual duck hunting. The shorter stocky ones are bred for conformation and would have a much harder time being a duck dog.