The Labrador Retriever was officially recognized by the American Kennel Club as a pure breed in 1917 and has continued to grow in popularity since that time. In fact, the Labrador Retriever has been recognized as the number one most popular breed in the USA for the last twenty five years in a row! The Labrador is known for being a friendly, active, and out going breed. What exactly is it that makes Labs so amazing and why do so many Americans desire the companionship of these amazing animals? First off, it is important to know that the Labrador falls into the “Retriever” classification of dogs. While this breed has amazing ability in this department as a great hunter; retrieving is not what makes it the number one breed in the country. However, this is the reason the Lab is the #1 choice among duck hunters not only in the US but around the world. As a duck dog trainer, listed below are the reasons I believe a Lab is the perfect duck hunting dog.
First on my list is his size. The Lab is considered to be a medium sized breed. Medium is perfect for duck hunting! A Labrador is large enough to be able to handle ducks and geese with ease, run through the muddy marshes, and swim in waters with swift current in pursuit of waterfowl. A larger breed would tire more easily, require much more space in the boat and blind, cause problems when hunting from smaller watercraft such as canoes and pirogues, and be more difficult to maintain as a pet requiring more feed and space.
Second of importance is his coat. The Labrador Retriever has a short, thick, double layered dense coat that is waterproof. This unique coat keeps him very warm and dry in the winter time when hunting in and around frigid water and it is also insulated in such a way that it keeps him cool in warmer weather as well.
A third thing that many fail to notice is his short and thick, yet powerful otter tail. Labs have a tail that is custom made for strong swimming! Although his tail is amazing it would not be nearly as useful if the Lab didn’t have those webbed feet!
A Lab’s feet are webbed for a purpose. Just like the ducks that he is born to retrieve, our American Labrador retriever is made for the water and built to swim! The tough pads on his feet allow him to march through plenty of various hunting situations to help retrieve downed birds.
A Lab’s nose is another amazing characteristic of this awesome breed. The more surface area of a nose (the part that stays moist) the greater an animal’s ability to smell. Labradors are known for using their noses to sniff ducks out of the thickest of grasses and have been known to trail game for great distances on scent alone! All of these physical qualities make Labs great for hunting. Back to the original question…. Why the number one breed for 25 years?
The #1 reason I love Labs are because of this critical characteristic…their attitude. Labs are fun to be around! They love to play and love people! Labradors are the most trainable dogs I have ever been around. Simply put, they aim to please. Labs have the heart of a champion and the really good ones never give up! They are extremely intelligent and are very loyal to their owners. Your Lab will love you at the end of a rough day and he will sit with you even when the ducks aren’t flying! If all of these reasons why I believe the Labrador Retriever is number one don’t convince you that Labs are amazing dogs, then I challenge you do this one thing…. find a Labrador and take one look into those big beautiful eyes.. if that doesn’t convince you, then nothing I can say will matter!
