Head

The head is proportionate to the size of the dog, clean-cut, and without exaggeration of any sort. When viewed from the side, the skull and muzzle are approximately equal in length, and joined by a moderate stop that is defined, in part, by the moderately well-defined supraorbital arches over the eyes.

Faults: Wedge-shaped head; long, narrow head; massive, cheeky head.

SKULL - The skull is broad, but without exaggeration. There may be a slight median furrow between the eyes at the forehead, and the occipital bone is not conspicuous. Cheeks are clean.

MUZZLE - In profile, the muzzle is powerful. The bridge of the muzzle is straight and on a parallel plane with the top line of the skull. Viewed from the top or the side, the muzzle is slightly deeper and wider at the stop than at the tip. Lips fall away in a curve toward the throat, and are neither pendulous nor squared off. Removal of whiskers is permitted but not preferred.

Faults: Snipey muzzle; muzzle too long and narrow or too short and stubby.

TEETH - The Labrador Retriever has a complete set of evenly spaced, white teeth, ideally meeting in a scissors bite. Level bite is acceptable, but not preferred.

Faults: Missing premolars.

Serious Faults: Undershot or overshot bite, misaligned teeth, missing molars.

NOSE - The nose leather is black on black and yellow dogs, and liver on chocolate dogs. A slight fading of nose pigment is not a fault. Nostrils must be large and open.

Disqualifications: Nose completely unpigmented.

EYES - The eyes are medium sized and somewhat triangular in appearance, but never so much as to give a hard expression. Eye color is brown in black and yellow dogs, and brown or hazel in chocolates. Eyelids are close fitting, and eye rims match nose pigment. Expression is kindly and intelligent.

Faults: Yellow eyes; eyes too dark; eyes too small or too round and prominent; eyes set too close together; eyes protruding or too deep set; any feature that detracts from the correct Labrador expression.

Disqualification: Absence of pigmentation in eye rims.

EARS - The ears are drop, triangular in shape, and rather short, with the front edges attached well behind and just above the eyes. When pulled forward, the tip of the ear should just cover the eye. The ear leather is pliable. When alert, the ears are drawn up and forward, with the inner edges of the ears close to the cheeks.

Fault: Large ears; heavy ear leather.


Neck

The neck is of sufficient length to allow the dog to carry retrieved game with ease, and powerful, but not throaty. The neck is clean and blends smoothly into well laid back shoulders.

Faults: Neck too short and thick; ewe neck.


Forequarters

Shoulders are smoothly muscled. The shoulder blades are long and well laid back with the upper tips fairly close together at the withers. The upper arm appears to be equal in length to the shoulder blade and joins it at an apparent right angle. The elbows are close to the body and set directly under the withers. The forelegs are straight, strong and sturdy in bone, with strong, short, slightly sloping pasterns.

Faults: Too much or too little bone.

Serious fault: Legs too short and heavy boned.


Body

A properly proportioned Labrador Retriever is square or just slightly longer (measured from prosternum to point of buttocks) than tall (measured from the withers to the ground), and length of the front leg (measured from point of elbow to the ground) is approximately equal to one-half of the dog's height. Whether the dog is standing or moving, the line of the back is strong and level from the withers to the slightly sloping croup. The loin is short, muscular and deep, with little or no tuck-up in a mature dog. The ribs extend well back and are well sprung out from the spine, forming a broad, strong back, then curving down and inward to form a deep body. The brisket extends to the elbow. Viewed from the front, the chest between the forelegs is well filled and of moderate width to allow for efficient movement and stamina. Viewed from the side, the forechest is well developed but not exaggerated.

Faults: Slab sided or barrel ribbed; chest too narrow or too wide.


Hindquarters

The hindquarters are broad and muscular. In profile, the croup slopes slightly. The angulation of the hindquarters is in balance with the angulation of the forequarters. The stifles are well bent, and the hocks are well let down. When the dog is standing, the rear toes are just slightly behind the point of buttocks. Viewed from the side, the short, strong rear pasterns are perpendicular to the ground and, viewed from the rear, parallel to one another.

Faults: Cow hocks; spread hocks; sickle hocks; over-angulation causing a sloping topline.

I have decided that I like less detail in the actual Standard. But, discussing those details is still a GREAT thing to do and look forward to more comments. Right now, I am off to enjoy a beautiful 4th and can't wait to read this thread (and the other one on the English Standard) over the next few days.

It is my understanding, and I'm sure I'll be corrected if I'm wrong, but part of the problem with the AKC standard is that the AKC required it be more wordy. They wanted more detail and all the changed standards are this way.

I'm with you though, sometimes less is more.