The Labrador Retriever was developed by sportsmen to work in the field and retrieve game. Luckily the breed evolved quite naturally, with improvements being made by educated selection from within the breed itself, rather than the “quick fix” of an out-cross to a breed with desirable qualities. This has yielded an overall steadiness to the inheritance patterns of the Labrador’s temperament and structure (conformation).

This steadiness enhances the quality of the average specimen, which means that with rare exception, today’s typical Labrador Retriever will be able to perform the task he was originally bred for, whether ever asked to do this or not.

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