There's a bit of mystery about the ancestors of the Labrador, appropriate perhaps given the amazing versatility of the breed. After all, how could one dog be so adept at such a wide variety of jobs, be capable of working under very harsh conditions and also have one of the friendliest personalities around? From the men who began to use the Newfoundland region for fishing in the mid to late 15th century, a rough and often seedy sort, to the aristocratic English gentlemen who refined and preserved the breed in the 19th century, the people responsible for the development of the lab were themselves a remarkably diverse group.

Without written records from the earliest days to detail which dogs came from where and to whom they were bred, we can only speculate about the ancestors of these St. John's dogs. The black St. Hubert's hound from France, working water dogs from Portugal, old European pointer breeds and dogs belonging to the native Indians have all been suggested as possible predecessors. Certainly some mixture of these or others is logical since tradesmen from around the world frequented Newfoundland for several centuries, plenty of time to develop breeds with the desired working traits. Two distinctly different breeds resulted, the larger longer haired dog used for hauling that became the Newfoundland we know today and the smaller shorter coated retriever that led to our present day labs.

The fishermen used dogs to retrieve fish that fell off hooks and to help haul in swimming lines or fishing nets. These dogs needed to be eager to please, strong swimmers and small enough to haul in and out of the two man "Dory" type boats. They needed to have short, water repellent dense coats that could withstand very cold water and wouldn't ball up with ice or bring excess water onboard. Onshore, as temporary settlements gave way to more permanent ones, a retrieving dog would have been a very useful hunting companion. The St. John's area of Newfoundland was settled predominantly by Englishmen who brought these working dogs to England through Poole Harbor, Dorset, the hub of the Newfoundland fishing trade. These St. John's dogs became the most prized sporting dogs for the gentry who could afford to maintain kennels for controlled breeding.

Here are a few, of the many names used over the centuries, to refer to the lab and its ancestors.

Companion
A labs' No.1 job is most often a companion. They "live" to be with us as much as they do to swim or eat or to retrieve.

Show / Conformation
It takes a special Lab to excel in the show ring. In addition to being fine examples of the breed, well groomed and at their optimum health they need to move well and have showmanship that quality that tells the judge they are the best! They must also be very well socialized so they don't mind being handled by strangers and dealing with crowded conditions. Females are referred to as "Bitches" and males are officially referred to as "Dogs", sometimes also called Sires or Stud Dogs. "Matches" are informal shows designed to provide a learning experience for young Labs. No points are awarded at matches whereas "point" shows involve premium lists and professional superintendents where Labs accumulate points towards a "Championship". The "classes" are always divided by sex and often divided by color. These classes include Puppy (6-9 months and 9-12 mo.), 12-18 Month, Novice, Bred by Exhibiter, American Bred, Open, Winners Class (Winners Dog, Reserve Winners Dog, Winners Bitch and Reserve Winners Bitch), Best of Breed and Best of Opposite Sex. The Best of Breed goes on to compete in the variety group that Labrador Retrievers are assigned to, the Sporting Group. The winner of the Sporting Group goes on to the Best in Show. Other possible classes are Stud Dog, Brood Bitch, Brace Class, Sweepstakes, Futurity Stakes and Veterans Class. The number of points won for first place in a class depends on the number of dogs shown in that particular class and this point structure varies regionally. The more dogs in a class the more "major" the win is. The AKC requires 15 points for a "Championship" which must include a minimum of 2 major wins. "Specialties" are breed specific shows and "All Breed" Shows are just that!

Obedience
Obedience training is not only essential for every dog but on a competitive basis it can be a fun career for your Lab. The finely tuned responses necessary for the upper levels of obedience require a Lab with an especially strong desire to please and a handler with an affinity for intense concentration and precision. AKC Obedience Trials award the following degrees: Companion Dog (CD), Companion Dog Excellent (CDX), Utility Dog (UD), Utility Dog Excellent (UDX) and Obedience Trial Champion (OTCh). The "Regular" classes are Novice, Open and Utility and are divided into A and B categories, assigned according to the titles previously won by dog and handler.

Agility
Handlers coach their labs through a timed obstacle course of tunnels, jumps and climbing structures using voice and hand signals. These dogs have to be especially "agile" and obedient. AKC Agility Trials award Novice Agility Dog (NAD), Open (OAD), Agility Dog Excellent (ADX) and Master Agility (MAX). Flyball is an off shoot of obedience where the dog must negotiate a series of hurdles, step on a spring loaded box, catch the launched ball and renegotiate the hurdles back to the starting line. Flyball Dog (FD) and Flyball Dog Excellent (FDX) are the 2 titles earned. Flygility is a newer sport combining elements of both flyball and agility.

Guide Dogs
Labs are used more than any other breed in assisting the blind. Their low maintenance coat, intelligence, size and temperament make them the perfect guide dog. They need to be physically sound, calm, confident, adaptable and willing to work. The most successful guide dogs often come from lines bred specifically for these traits. The special harness and U-shaped handle enable communication between the blind partner, who provides directional commands, and the guide dog, whose job it is to keep them both safe while negotiating the complex obstacles of everyday life that those with sight very often take for granted. There are times when the dog must perform "intelligent disobedience" by deciding not to follow a command it determines to be unsafe a truly amazing ability. "Puppyraisers" or "puppy walkers" volunteer to raise the pups(until they're approx 9-18 months old), teaching them basic obedience and providing socialization. The young dogs are then given back to be trained professionally as a team with their blind handler.

Auditory Assistance Dogs
Also called "signal dogs" these labs alert the hearing impaired to specific sounds related to the needs of their handler such as indicating that the doorbell or telephone is ringing, a baby is crying, or that the smoke alarm is going off.

Service Dogs
They are trained to assist those with mobility limitations through a wide variety of tasks such as retrieving objects, turning lights on and off, pulling wheel chairs and opening or closing doors. They need to have the confidence and docile nature of a guide dog but also have a strong retrieving instinct. Relatively new are programs training "specialty" dogs to detect the onset of seizures in those suffering with epilepsy as well as assisting with other specific conditions or diseases like Parkinsons.

Detection and Police Dogs
Labs have worked as "sentry" dogs, messengers, Red Cross aides and as mine detectors or "M-dogs" during times of war and a few have learned to parachute in the Air Force! This rich history of service has evolved into a wonderful variety of sophisticated jobs for this breed. They are trained to detect: accelerants (arson), narcotics, oil or gas pipeline leaks, explosives/weapons/ammunition and toxic waste as well as illegal foods and plants that travelers try to smuggle internationally. Labradors can also be trained to indicate the estrus cycle in cattle and for target species detection such as gypsy moth cases, box turtles or for evidence of poaching. As police dogs they may search for suspected criminals and specific types of evidence. As with other jobs, these dogs must be confident and well socialized to people, places and noises. They also need to exhibit above normal curiosity and perseverance, be agile and have high energy. A drug dog might spend 30 minutes thoroughly sniffing a dozen boxes whereas a bomb dog has to be able to search an entire warehouse in that same amount of time. A dog obsessed with toys is often a perfect candidate!

Search and Rescue
The Labrador Retrievers' retrieving instincts, endurance, scenting ability and "team" mentality make them prime candidates as search & rescue or "SAR" dogs. All humans, dead or alive, constantly shed skin bearing human scent. SAR dogs can detect and follow this scent to its source from long distances, depending on weather and terrain conditions, covering a larger area in less time than a human ground crew or a "tracking" dog who must follow the persons path of travel. "Air scent" dogs depend primarily, but not solely, on airborne scent in their search. The term "trailing" dog generally refers to the ability to "scent discriminate" or find a particular person.

The dogs are taught the necessary skills as a "game" of increasing difficulty, in partnership with their handler. These primarily volunteer "dog teams" must make an enormous commitment of time and resources financially, physically and mentally. There is extensive training, record keeping and written testing required of the handler as well as practical testing and yearly re-certifications for the team to remain "operational". Some specialize in one type of search such as avalanche, while most train for a variety of situations, some of which are article/evidence search, cadaver, disaster, water search and wilderness. SAR Labs must have a strong "play" drive, be agile and friendly and have a strong bond with their handler to perform this demanding public service.

Field Work
Labradors are natural "retrieving specialists"! Differences in terrain, type of bird and hunting styles over the centuries and continents have led to a wide variety of training methods and testing. We will focus here on the US organizations and titles as an example of what's involved.

The American Kennel Club (AKC) includes 2 types of competitions in fieldwork: Field Trials - requiring very demanding training, a high degree of precision and most often involving professional trainers and handlers. Hunting Tests evaluates hunting ability on a pass-fail basis. In Field Trials, dogs acquire points towards a Field Championship (FC) or an Amateur Field Championship (AFC) by winning and placing in the top 4. The Derby and Qualifying are the two minor stakes that are stepping-stones to the 2 major stakes, Amateur and Open (Special All-Age or Limited). From the Open Stake emerge qualifiers for the ultimate AKC wins: the National Amateur Championship held in June each year and the National Retriever Championship held in November. Hunting Tests have 3 levels: Junior (JH), Senior (SH) and Master (MH) with the Master National Hunting Test held every fall.

The North American Hunting Retriever Association (NAHRA) formed independently to provide a structure for training and evaluation reflecting actual hunting scenarios with testing on a non-competitive pass/fail basis. NAHRA titles are Started Retriever (SR), Working Retriever (WR), Master Hunter Retriever (MHR) and Grand Master Hunter Retriever (GMHR).

A Working Certificate (WC) is not a title but is required by the US Labrador Retriever Club in order to become a bench (conformation) champion. The "WC" indicates a working ability in the field.

There can be "Dual" champions who have titles in both field and conformation.

Several regional Lab clubs have developed their own tests and awards in addition to the above and probably most labs used as hunting companions never compete but provide anonymous, faithful service to their handlers.

Tracking AKC
Tracking Tests are made to evaluate the Lab's ability to follow the trail or "track" of a specific scent, overcoming a series of problems along the way. Tracking Dog (TD) and Tracking Dog Excellent (TDX) are the awarded titles and can be combined with obedience titles, ex: UDT or UDTX

Social and Therapy Dogs
The benefits of human and animal interaction have been clearly proven. Several organizations promote the training of dogs just for visiting or "meeting and greeting" at schools, nursing homes, rehabilitation centers and hospitals. A Therapy Dog (TD) must pass behavior/temperament tests and possess more advanced obedience skills. There are even "pet facilitated communication therapy teams" to help in the treatment of disorders like autism.

Modeling / Acting
The Labrador Retriever's trainability, pleasing personality, beauty and popularity has made this breed a favorite for movies, TV and advertising. Their appearance has become associated with comfort, companionship, fun and instant "likeability". Some of the remaining not listed: Scent Hurdle and Rally Obedience, Long Jump, Freestyle, Dog Driving, Flying Disc, Canine Good Citizen and Etc....