The American Kennel Club doesn't distinguish between American and English Labrador Retrievers.
Although you may hear the terms "American" and "English" used to describe the types of Labrador Retriever, the American Kennel Club does not differentiate between the two. American and English Labrador Retrievers are the same breed for judging purposes, although breeding for certain characteristics has produced differences in body types that have become synonymous with either the American Labrador Retriever and the English Labrador Retriever.
Similarities
The most popular breed dog in the United States, according to the American Kennel Club, the Labrador Retriever comes in three colors: black, yellow, and brown, with black and yellow more common than brown. All have a short, dense, relatively hard coat with a water-resistant undercoat, an "otter" tail, a powerful chest, short legs, and a broad back skull. Ears hang down, ending slightly above the eye level. The nose is black on the black or yellow dogs, and brown on chocolate labs. Temperamentally, Labrador Retrievers are kind, gentle, non-aggressive, eager-to-please, intelligent and tractable.
American Labrador Characteristics
The American Labrador Retriever is sometimes referred to as the "field" or "working" breed. It has a lighter body build, longer legs, a less dense coat, longer muzzle, and narrower head than the breed standard. The breed standard describes the characteristics used to judge the breed in the show ring.
English Labrador Characteristics
The English Labrador Retriever conforms more closely to the breed standard. For this reason, the terms "show" or "conformation" may be used to describe the characteristics of the English Labrador Retriever. This dog's characteristics include a stockier dog with shorter legs, a denser coat, and a more square or blocky head than the American counterparts.
Considerations
Most Labrador Retrievers fall somewhere between the two type extremes. Within the same litter, litter mates may have body types that appear to lean more toward one type of the other, the Labrador Retriever Club explains. The country of origin has nothing to do with which "type" a dog resembles; dogs bred in either country can fall into either classification.
Tags: Labrador Retriever, English Labrador, American Labrador, English Labrador Retriever, Labrador Retrievers, American English, American Kennel