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A Labrador Retriever's Appearance: Part 2
from: The Complete DogIf you are thinking of owning a Labrador Retriever you should make sure it's well balanced. Your Lab shouldn't be as tall and thin as a Pointer, nor as short and fat as a Potbellied Pig. No single characteristic should be so prominent that it detracts from the overall look of the dog. Upon looking at the Labrador, if you notice only his huge head, the dog is probably not as balanced as it should be. Also, if you look at the Labrador and see only his big feet or a long scraggly tail, you're likely not looking at a very good specimen of the breed.
The dog's ears should be set off the side of the skull -- neither too high or too low. The ears should be of medium size, hanging so that the bottom tips are approximately 2 inches below the eyes. The ears shouldn't be so big or so small that they draw attention to themselves and they shouldn't be long or folded as is the case with many hounds.
The Labrador's eyes is the place where you'll observe the irresistible, sweet kind and alert expression. Some eyes are shaped like a rounded diamond. Some round eyes can be attractive, however, they shouldn't have a resemblance to the round eyes of a Cocker Spaniel, and they shouldn't be too almond-shaped. A good color would be a warm brown-eye on all three colors (black, yellow or chocolate), perhaps a little darker on a yellow Lab. If the eyes are too light, you will discover that his expression will be ruined. A Lab should never have a harsh or mean look. When you look into a Lab's eyes, the first thing you should feel is instant friendliness. The moment your eyes meet those of a Lab, you should expect it's powerful tail to start wagging automatically.
The desired Lab head should be on a strong neck of medium length. If the neck is too short, the dog will look like his head is sitting on his shoulders; on the other hand, if the neck is too long, the dog appears elegant, like a setter, which isn't the correct look. There's really nothing elegant about this dog. He's strong, and agile. Looking down the neck, past the withers, the top line (the back) should be rather level, never sway-back or sloping to the degree that a Setter's back does from the neck to the rump.
The Lab's chest should be deep with well-sprung ribs like a barrel with shoulders that should be long and sloping. The correct look requires long bones that form a ninety-degree angle as you look at the dog from the side, from the withers, to the sternum, to the elbow. The front legs are well underneath the dog, allowing a prominent breastbone to show and creating the picture of a powerful chest.
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