Labradors are easy to educate, very sweet and affectionate dogs. They like company, therefore they are excellent companions for the whole family and for those who enjoy the constant company of a dog. They love walking and swimming and adapt to living in both town and countryside.

Labradors are dogs which do not require particular care; special attention must only be given to feeding, in fact they love eating, therefore they must follow a strict diet and keep active to avoid putting on weight.

Standard

General appearance
Strong and compact build, very active. Wide skull. Chest and ribs are wide and deep. Loins and hindquarters are wide and powerful. Coat is short and dense, giving a fairly hard feeling to the hand, undercoat is resistant and waterproof.

Character and temperament
Good character and very agile, excellent sense of smell, soft mouth. Great passion for water. Loyal companion, adaptable to any circumstance. Intelligent, exuberant and tractable, it only wants to please. Friendly nature, absolutely non-aggressive; yet it must not be shy.

Head and skull
Wide skull, well marked stop. Clean-cut head, free from fleshy cheeks. Powerful, medium length jaws. Wide nose, well-developed nostrils.

Eyes
Medium size, imparting intelligence and good character. Colour, brown or hazelnut.

Ears
Neither large nor heavy, hanging close to the head and set rather back.

Mouth
Jaws and teeth are strong with perfect scissor bite, regular and complete, that means that the upper incisors cover the lower ones with close contact.

Neck
Clear-cut silhouette, powerful and solid, rising from stocky shoulders.

Forequarters
Long and sloping shoulders. Forelegs with good strong bone and straight from elbow to ground, both viewed from the side and from the front.

Body
Wide and well tapering with well centred ribs. Topline is horizontal. Wide, short and powerful loins.

Hind legs
Well-developed without inclinations towards tail. Good angulation of stifles. Well-developed, perpendicular to ground hock joints.

Feet
Round and compact, well-arched toes and extremely developed pads.

Tail
Distinguishing feature of the breed: very thick at the base, progressively tapering towards the tip. Medium length, free from feathering but clothed thickly with short, thick, dense coat which gives it the so-called “otter tail” look. It can be carried gaily but it must not curl back towards the back.

Gait and movement
Free gait with long loping stride. Fore and hind legs move along a plane axis parallel to the body axis.