There are two kinds of Labrador retrievers, the American Labrador retriever and the English breed of Labrador retriever. In this article we will mainly discuss the characteristics of the American Labrador breed. The English Labrador originated from the English breed stock and its appearance is different from the American bred stock. The English Labrador is medium sized, stockier, shorter and possess a much calmer appearance than the American Labradors.

The American Labrador retriever comes from a solid American bred stock; mostly they are lanky and tall. This Labrador retriever possesses a muscular, solid body, slightly taller than most dogs with a hard, short, water resistant, easy care double coat that usually comes in solid yellow, chocolate or black colors.

Average weight of an American Labrador Retriever is between 70 to 120 pounds, has a thin and long whips tail, lankier and thinner compared to the English Labrador retrievers, and the American Labradors also have a more distinguishing long leg, thinner head and much pointier snout than the English Labrador retrievers.

Some of the health issues that need to be checked upon for the American Labrador retrievers concern their eyes which are found to be prone to cases of cataracts and their hips which are also found prone to the condition of dysplasia. Although none are life threatening, extra care is advised.

The American Labrador Retrievers are more like the working and field type of breed in contrast with the “show” type characteristics of the English Labrador retrievers. The American breed is mostly larger than the English breed.

Like all breeds of the Labrador Retrievers, the American Labrador Retrievers are known for their intelligence and love of work. They generally possess great temperaments as revealed by a study made by researchers, in one result almost 92% of American Labrador retrievers who were subjected to a test passed the so called American Temperament Test, which measures the temperament of different breeds of dogs.

The American Labrador retrievers are good in tracking, hunting and even detection. They are recommended as pet dogs for assisting blind people also, as well as therapy work and carting. In a study made it was found out that almost 70% of all the guide dogs in the United States of America are American Labrador retrievers.

A classic showcase of the intelligence level of the American Labrador retrievers was displayed in 2001 when an American Labrador retriever named  Endal who after seeing an unconscious person, by showing self direction and initiative, Endal placed the unconscious person in a recovery position even without past training.

Not only did Endal did that, the dog also got the person’s mobile phone and placing it next to the person’s ear and providing the person a blanket before calling for attention by barking continuously.

Over all, the American Labrador retriever is a commendable breed for a house pet, guide dog and even for security purposes. The American Labrador retriever is really a very special kind of breed.