From: lizalee@leland.Stanford.EDU (Liza L Miller)
Subject: Proposed Standard for Labradors
Organization: DSG, Stanford University, CA 94305, USA
Date: Mon, 11 Jan 93 23:45:53 GMT

By popular demand, here is the new proposed standard for the breed.
I will try to read rpd in order to participate in the discussions on this
topic and, of course, will remain available via email for further discussion.

Following the standard is a list of pros/cons and the addresses for writing
letters about this standard should one feel the need.  Please remember that
the pros and cons are my OPINION only and should not be taken as gospel.
I have discussed this topic with a number of people that I respect in the
breed and am comfortable with my position on this issue, however, whatever
your position, I urge you to make it known to the "powers-that-be".

Cheers,  


Liza Lee Miller

PROPOSED STANDARD OF THE BREED FOR THE LABRADOR RETRIEVER

General Appearance:

    The Labrador Retriever is a strongly built, medium-sized, short-coupled,
dog possessing a sound, athletic, well-balanced conformation that enables it
to function as a retrieving gun dog; the substance and soundness to hunt
waterfowl or upland game for long hours under difficult conditions; the 
character and quality to win in the show ring; and the temperament to be a 
family companion.  Physical features and mental characteristics should 
denote a dog bred to perform as an efficient Retriever of game with a stable 
temperament suitable for a variety of pursuits beyond the hunting environment.

    The most distinguishing characteristics of the Labrador Retriever are its 
short, dense, weather resistant coat; an "otter" tail; a clean-cut head with
broad back-skull and moderate stop; powerful jaws; and it's (sic) "kind,"
friendly eyes, expressing character, intelligence and good temperament.

    Above all, a Labrador Retriever must be well balanced, enabling it to 
move in the show ring or work in the field with little or no effort.  The 
typical Labrador possesses style and quality without over refinement, and 
substance without lumber or cloddiness.  The Labrador is bred primarily as a 
working gun dog; structure and soundness are of great importance.

Size, Proportion and Substance:

    Size:  The height at the withers for a dog is 22 1/2 to 24 1/2 inches;
for a bitch is 21 1/2 to 23 1/2 inches.  Approximate weight of dogs and 
bitches in working condition: dogs 65 to 80 pounds; bitches 55 to 70 pounds.  
Any deviation in height is a disqualification.

    Proportion:  Short-coupled; length from the point of the shoulder to the
point of the rump is equal to or slightly longer than the distance from the 
withers to the ground.  Distance from the elbow to the ground should be equal
to one half of the height at the withers.  The brisket should extend to the
elbows, but not perceptibly deeper.  The body must be of sufficient length
to permit a straight, free and efficient stride; but the dog should never 
appear low and long or tall and leggy in outline.

    Substance:  Substance and bone proportionate to the overall dog.  Light,
"weedy" individuals are definitely incorrect; equally objectionable are 
cloddy lumbering specimens.  Labrador Retrievers shall be shown in working 
condition well muscled and without excess fat.

Head:

    The skull should be wide; well developed but without exaggeration.  The
skull and foreface should be on equal planes and of approximately equal 
length.  There should be a moderate stop--the brow slightly pronounced so 
that the skull is not absolutely in a straight line with the nose.  The brow 
ridges aid in defining the stop.  The head should be clean-cut and free from 
fleshy cheeks; the bony structure of the skull chiseled beneath the eye with 
no prominence in the cheek.  The skull may show some median line; the 
occipital bone is not conspicuous in mature dogs.  Lops should not be squared 
off or pendulous, but fall away in a curve toward the throat.  A wedge-shaped 
head, or a head long and narrow in muzzle and back skull is incorrect as are 
massive, cheeky heads.  The jaws are powerful and free from snippiness (sic)
--the muzzle neither long and narrow nor short and stubby.

    Nose:  The nose should be wide and the nostrils well-developed.  The nose
should be black on black or yellow dogs, and brown on chocolates.  Nose color
fading to a lighter shade is not a fault.  A thoroughly pink nose or one 
lacking in any pigment is a disqualification.

    Teeth:  The teeth should be strong and regular with a scissors bite; the
lower teeth just behind, but touching the inner side of the upper incisors.
A level bite is acceptable, but not desirable.  Undershot, overshot, or 
misaligned teeth are serious faults.  Full dentition is preferred.  Missing 
molars or pre-molars are serious faults.

    Ears:  The ears should hang moderately close to the head, set rather far
back, and somewhat low on the skull; slightly above eye level.  Ears should 
not be large and heavy, but in proportion with the skull and reach to the 
inside of the eye when pulled forward.

    Eyes:  Kind, friendly eyes imparting good temperament, intelligence and
alertness are a hallmark of the breed.  They should be of medium size, set 
well apart, and neither protruding nor deep set.  Eye color should be brown 
in black and yellow Labradors, and brown or hazel in chocolates.  Black, or 
yellow eyes give a harsh expression and are undesirable.  Small eyes, set 
close together or round prominent eyes are not typical of the breed.  Eye 
rims are black in black and yellow Labradors; and brown in chocolates.  Eye 
rims without pigmentation is a disqualification.

Neck, Topline and Body:

    Neck:  The neck should be of proper length to allow the dog to retrieve
game easily.  It should be muscular and free from throatiness.  The neck
should rise strongly from the shoulders with a moderate arch.  A short, 
thick neck or a "ewe" neck is incorrect.

    Topline:  The back is strong and the topline is level from the withers 
to the croup when standing or moving.  However, the loin should show evidence
of flexibility for athletic endeavor.

    Body:  The Labrador should be short-coupled, with good spring of ribs 
tapering to a moderately wide chest.  The Labrador should not be narrow 
chested; giving the appearance of hollowness between the front legs, nor 
should it have a wide spreading, bulldog-like front.  Correct chest conform-
ation will result in tapering between the front legs that allows unrestricted
forelimb movement.  Chest breadth that is either too wide or too narrow for
efficient movement and stamina is incorrect.  Slab-sided individuals are not
typical of the breed; equally objectionable are rotund or barrel chested
specimens.  The underline is almost straight, with little or no tuck-up in
mature animals.  Loins should be short, wide and strong; extending to well
developed, powerful hindquarters.  When viewed from the side, the Labrador
Retriver shows a well-developed, but not exaggerated forechest.

    Tail:  The tail is a distinguishing feature of the breed.  It should be
very thick at the base, gradually tapering toward the tip, or medium length,
and extending no longer than to the hock.  The tail should be free from 
feathering and clothed thickly all around with the Labradors short, dense
coat, thus having that peculiar rounded appearance that has been described as 
the "otter" tail.  The tail should follow the topline in repose or when in
motion.  It may be carried gaily, but should not curl over the back. Extremely
short tails or long thin tails are serious faults.  The tail completes the
balance of the Labrador by giving it a flowing line from the top of the head
to the tip of the tail.  Docking or otherwise altering the length or natural
carriage of the tail is a disqualification.

Forequarters:

    Forequarters should be muscular, well coordinated and balanced with the
hindquarters.  

    Shoulders:  The shoulders are well laid-back, long and sloping; forming
an angle with the upper arm or approximately 90 degrees that permits the dog 
to move his forelegs in an easy manner with strong forward reach.  Ideally,
the length of the shoulder blade should equal the length of the upper arm.
Straight shoulders blades, short upper arms or heavily muscled or loaded
shoulders, all restricting free movement, are incorrect.

    Front Legs:  When viewed from the front, the legs should be straight with
good strong bone.  Too much bone is as undesirable as too little bone, and
short legged, heavy boned individuals are not typical of the breed.  Viewed 
from the side, the elbows should be directly under the withers, and the front 
legs should be perpendicular to the ground and well under the body.  The 
elbows should be close to the ribs without looseness.  Tied-in elbows or 
being "out at the elbows" interfere with free movement and are serious faults.
Pasterns should be strong and short and should slope slightly from the 
perpendicular line of the leg.  Feet are strong and compact, with well-arched
toes and well-developed pads.  Dew claws may be removed.  Splayed feet, hare
feet, knuckling over, or feet turning in or out are serious faults.

Hindquarters

    The Labrador's hindquarters are broad, muscular and well-developed from 
the hip to the hock with well-turned stifles and strong short hocks.  Viewed
from the rear, the hind legs are straight and parallel.  Viewed from the side,
the angulation of the rear legs is in balance with the front.  The hind legs
are strongly boned, muscled with moderate angulation at the stifle, and 
powerful, clearly defined thighs.  The stifle is strong and there is no 
slippage of the patellae while in motion or when standing.  The hock joints
are strong, well let down and do not slip or hyper-extend while in motion or
when standing.  Angulation of both stile and hock joint is such as to achieve
the optimal balance of drive and traction.  When standing the rear toes are
only slightly behind the point of the rump.  Over angulation produces a 
sloping topline not typical of the breed.  Feet are strong and compact, with
well-arched toes and well-developed pads.  Cow-hocks, spread hocks, sickle
hocks and over-angulation are serious structural defects and are to be 
faulted.

Coat:

    The coat is a distinctive feature of the Labrador Retriever.  It should
be short, straight and very dense, giving a fairly hard feeling to the hand.
The Labrador should have a soft, weather-resistant undercoat that provides
protection from water, cold and all types of ground cover.  A slight wave
down the back is permissible.  Wooly coats, soft silky coats, and sparse
slick coats are not typical of the breed, and should be severely penalized.

    The Labrador Retriever coat colors are black, yellow and chocolate.  Any
other color or a combination of colors is a disqualification.  A small white
spot on the chest is permissible, but not desirable.  White hairs from aging
or scarring are not to be misinterpreted as brindling.

    Black:  Blacks are all black.  A black with brindle markings or a black
with tan markings is a disqualification.. (sic)

    Yellow:  Yellows may range in color from fox-red to light cream; with
variations in shading on the ears, back, and underparts of the dog.

    Chocolate:  Chocolates can vary in shade from light to dark chocolate.
Chocolate with brindle or tan markings is a disqualification.

Movement:

    Movement of the Labrador Retriever should be free and effortless.  When
watching a dog move toward oneself, there should be no sign of elbows out.
Rather, the elbows should be held neatly to the body with the legs not too
close together.  Moving straight forward without pacing or weaving, the legs 
should form straight lines, with all parts moving in the same plane.  Upon
viewing the dog from the rear, one should have the impression that the hind
legs move as nearly as possible in a parallel line with the front legs.  The
hocks should do their full share of the work, flexing well, giving the 
appearance of power and strength.  When viewed from the side, the shoulders
should move freely and effortlessly, and the foreleg should reach forward
\close to the ground with extension.  A short, choppy movement or high knee
action indicates a straight shoulder; paddling indicates long, weak pasterns;
and a short, stilted rear gait indicates a straight rear assembly all are
serious faults (sic).  Movement faults interfering with performance include
weaving; side-winding; crossing over; high knee action; paddling; and short, 
choppy movement, should be severely penalized.

Temperament:

    True Labrador Retriever temperament is as much a hallmark of the breed
as the "otter" tail.  The ideal disposition is one of a kindly, outgoing,
tractable nature; eager to please and non-aggressive towards man or animal.
The Labrador has much that appeals to people; his gentle ways, intelligence
and adaptability make him an ideal dog.  Aggressiveness towards human or
other animals, or any evidence of shyness in an adult should be severely
penalized.

Disqualifications:

    1.  Any deviation from the height prescribed in the Standard.

    2.  A thoroughly pink nose or one lacking in any pigment.

    3.  Eye rims without pigment.

    4.  Docking or otherwise altering the length or natural carriage of the 
	tail.

    5.  Any other color or a combination of colors other than black, yellow
	or chocolate as described in the Standard.

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(Reminder, the following opinions are just that OPINIONS!!!!!)


Objections to the New Proposed Standard (NPS):

1. 	Poorly written.  This document cannot be passed by the AKC as it
	is not even written properly.  The grammar, spelling and punctuation
	are appalling.

2.	The disqualifications are, in my opinion, not only unnecessary but
	dangerous.  Disqualifing perfectly good or even outstanding dogs on the
	basis of one and only one criteria strikes me as being short-sighted in
	the slightest.  There is not currently a problem with height in 
	Labradors and thus, fixing what "ain't broke" does not make sense.
	The other disqualifications (pigmentation and docking) are either
	better addressed as serious faults, or are already addressed in AKC
	regulations.

3.	There are apparently some procedural problems with this new
	standard that are troubling.  Of the fifteen members of the
	Standard Committee, only seven were at the meeting and voted
	on this new standard.  This strikes me as being a serious breech
	of proper procedure.  

4.	The standard of the breed is meant to be a descriptive document
	which outlines the ideal Labrador Retriever.  This document goes
	beyond the call of duty and starts to lecture on problems and their
	causes.  These topics would better be addressed in a book on Canine
	Structure than in the standard of the breed.

POSITIVE ASPECTS OF THE NPS:

The general description of the Labrador as written in the NPS is 
pretty good and represents an improvement over the current standard.
In particular the section on "temperament" is particularly 
good.  

LRC ADDRESSES FOR CORRESPONDENCE REGARDING THIS PROPOSED STANDARD:

Dr. Bernard Ziessow
32695 Redfern
Franklin, MI 48025

A. Nelson Sills
President, LRC
RD 1, Box 122D
Houston, DE 19954

Christopher Wincek
Secretary, LRC
9690 Wilson Mills Rd.
Chardon, OH 44024

AKC ADDRESSES FOR CORRESPONDENCE REGARDING THIS PROPOSED STANDARD:

Jim Edwards
AKC Standards Revision Committee
51 Madison Avenue
New York, NY  10010

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-- 
Liza Lee Miller         My dogs are labradorable!     liza@leland.stanford.edu
Cibola Labradors            Field * Show * Fun                    415/326-5309
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	            Campbellcroft Cibola Rosette -- Rosie