What makes the Labrador Retriever the most popular dog?

This is Part 1 in our series on America’s Top Ten Favorite Dogs.

The Labrador Retriever has held the #1 top spot of favorite dogs for 24 years in a row, and there are lots of reasons why.

• His best feature is his temperament – he’s friendly, loving, kind,  people oriented and very patient with children.
• Often known as a “lab”, they are a medium-sized dog with 3 acceptable colors of black, yellow and chocolate.
• They are very easy to train and want to please you with their performance.  This makes them a perfect breed as a service and therapy dog, search and rescue dog, and a worker for police and military work.

However, left alone and untrained, they’re likely to become bored and restless, leading to behavior problems.  Understanding that they are action-oriented and require plenty of exercise will help them remain the ideal pet.

FIVE INTERESTING FACTS

1. The Labrador Retriever is not from Labrador.  They originated in the 1700’s in Newfoundland, an island south of Labrador.
2. They were previously known as St. John’s water dog.
3. They love to swim and are practically waterproof with their two layers of fur.
4. They were helpers for fishermen on the island. They could haul nets, fetch ropes and retrieve fish from the North Atlantic water.
5. The most popular names for Labs are Bentley and Abby.

Do you have a Lab?  Tell us about their personality.