This family favourite is easy to train, but comes with a food obsession and more love than you can handle
Thinking of bringing home a Labrador Retriever? Whether you’re picking out a puppy or picking up a rescued older dog, learn more about your furry friend with our ultimate breed guide.
Colours
The Labrador Retriever comes in three colours: black, chocolate, and yellow. These are the officially recognised colours from the UK Kennel Club, and although you might find ‘fox red’ labradors, these are actually another form of yellow.
Silver labradors or any variation of blue merle labradors are likely to not be labradors and have been crossed with another breed – so you might be paying top dollar for a mutt instead of a purebred Labrador.
Personality
Labradors make excellent family dogs for active families.
Playing fetch is literally in their genes – so if you like chucking a ball for your dog, the Labrador (or any dog in the gundog group) will be ideal for you.
They can have an excitable boisterous side, but this is easily controlled with training. These dogs just love to please their humans, so expect your dog to do remarkably well at training and excel at almost any task you give them.
They LOVE food, so whilst this makes training super simple, you will have to work hard at the ‘leave it’ command – or your dinner, your cat’s dinner, or even another dog’s poo in the park will become your dog’s snack. Urgh.
Labradors have a highly consistent personality – all the labs I’ve ever known have been much like another. Expect a generally calm demeanour, and a willingness to please at all times. You’ll get exceptions to the rule, of course, but overall – they make excellent pets for first time and even experienced owners.
There’s a reason this breed is used for guide dog work – they are incredibly reliable at their jobs, and that trait transfers over to pet Labradors, too. You will just adore how adept they are at obedience and how fast they learn.
One thing to note is that this dog literally loves every single human and every dog they see, even if they haven’t met them before. They just can’t help themselves – they have so much love to give! So if you don’t want to say hello to every person on the planet, you’ll need to work hard at training neutrality into your Lab.
Exercise needs
An active dog breed, the Labrador needs about ninety minutes of exercise per day – ideally with plenty of off lead time to sniff and run around.
They do well with training and have an active mind, so you’ll need to spend some of that time playing games or training to give their brain a workout as well as their body…
Once your Lab has had enough exercise for the day, they will easily become a couch potato and be up for all the snuggles you could possibly want.
If you don’t give your Lab the exercise they need, be prepared to be stared at and barked at (just once or twice) until you pick up their lead and get out the door! They know what’s best for them (and for you!) and will force you to get up off the sofa enjoying the great outdoors.
Can’t walk your Labrador? Yikes. Definitely get a dog walker. You don’t want to come home to a destroyed sofa or scratched skirting boards.
These dogs are big, active, and need to have the exercise and mental stimulation they deserve. So if you don’t think you have the time for a Labrador, consider a different breed.
Trainability
On the whole, Labradors are biddable and easy to train. They love to please people and are food oriented, which makes training fairly simple. They are ideal for a first time dog owner, or for someone wishing to train a therapy or assistance dog, since they suit this type of work.
The biggest issues I’ve seen with Labradors is that they are often prone to pulling on the lead, so you’ll need to work on loose lead walking right from the start. Thankfully, they love to learn, so if you get started early, you shouldn’t have too much of a problem.
They are food oriented, so this really helps to train them since any food will do. You could use their regular kibble and this would easily be enough to keep them doing what you ask.
They are part of the gundog group, which means they are excellent at fetching and retrieving items (the clue is in the name, of course). So if you want a dog who can fetch your your slippers, this is the ideal dog breed for you.
Health
Labradors are generally speaking fairly healthy overall. Like most big dogs, they do suffer from joint problems such as hip dysplasia, so you should watch out for this.
Eye problems can also be a risk for this breed, with some dogs suffering from blindness later in life.
And as with all deep-chested breeds, you should also watch out for signs of bloat, which can be a life threatening illness.
Grooming
Labradors are fairly easy to groom, thanks to their short coats. You’ll need to de-shed them fairly often (once a week should be enough) since despite having short fur, they shed constantly.
Don’t be deceived at all into thinking that a Labrador will shed less than a long haired breed like a Golden Retriever. They shed just as much!
Their saving grace is that you don’t really need a professional groomer for a Labrador – unless you want to save yourself the hassle of bathing them yourself. They are fairly easy to shampoo and bathe yourself at home, since they don’t require shaving down or a haircut at any point.
Just be prepared to have the hoover out every day – or invest in a robot vacuum!
Cost
If you’re getting a puppy, expect to pay about £1200 – £1400 from an ethical breeder.
Due to their tendency to eat literally EVERYTHING from hard plastic to socks, it is essential to get pet insurance right from the moment you bring your Labrador home. There are many different insurers, like Many Pets and Petplan, who may quote for different levels of cover – so make sure to shop around.
Make sure you have funds available to pay for things like Pet Health Club to help cover vets fees, as consultations can be expensive. My local vet charges £90 a visit!
Owners say…
Are you an owner? We’re looking for owners to interview to update this article. If you’d like to be featured with a link to your dog’s Instagram or TikTok page – email us!
Where to find a breeder
If you spot a friendly dog walker out with their Labradors – ask them! They might know a reputable breeder nearby.
As a good alternative, visit dog shows and speak to those showing their dogs to get recommendations. Word of mouth is often a brilliant way to find an ethical breeder, especially when you find someone who is fanatical about their dog and can tell you everything about who bred it.
If you are determined to find a pooch online, try the listings on the Kennel Club website. Make sure to tick the ‘Health Tested’ option on the drop down box, as not all KC registered breeders health test the parents before mating (yikes!).
Another option is to look at the Champdogs website. Here you can look through the list of breeders to find one nearby, or one that you think might breed in a way that fits your lifestyle. For example, if you wanted a Labrador to become a therapy dog, then you should browse the listings for breeders who PAT train their dogs. If you want your pup to become a show dog, then you should reach out to breeders who show their dogs.
Wherever you look for a puppy, make sure the breeder you choose fully health tests their dogs and bitches before breeding – this is to make sure you don’t end up with a dog who might end up with some very expensive surgery needed for knee or hip dysplasia.
Where to find a rescue dog
Labradors are incredibly popular – and one of the most popular dog breeds in the world. And sometimes, sadly, they end up in rescue shelters because owners didn’t consider what a handful they can be to manage. So keep browsing the listings and put your name down with every rescue centre you can – because when these dogs end up in a shelter, they tend to get snapped up really fast!
Unfortunately, due to backyard breeding, you might be able to find a former puppy mill stud or bitch used for breeding on rescue sites. These poor dogs are often dumped once their ‘usefulness’ for breeding has expired.
If you search online for ‘Labrador rescues’ there are a few breed specific rescue charities, such as The Labrador Rescue Trust, who rescue and rehome across the South and West of the UK. You could also check out your local Labrador Retriever Club, as they often have details of how to rescue one.
If you don’t mind rehoming a crossbreed, you could rehome a retired Guide Dog. They often have Labradors, but typically the charity uses a Labrador x Golden Retriever. The cost to rehome is £500 at the time of writing, but you’ll be getting a very well cared for dog and won’t be funding puppy farming. In fact, you’ll be helping to fund a vital charity for people living with sight loss.
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