I had a puppy buyer say he was choosing food by buying for medium breed. He asked if Labrador was medium or large breed. I said it is just a gimic to sell food. Do you agree? Any info or link to share? Thanks in advance.

JMHO labs are medium breed; mastiffs are LARGE breed.

I only use large breed food for "easy keepers".

Have them read the nutrition breakdown and see what he wants to feed. The protein/fat ratio is different in medium and large breed. What better fits the dog? We may consider the lab a medium breed but I know some food companies consider 'large' at 50+ pounds.

"Medium-Sized" is the first line of the standard.
I do NOT believe in feeding Labs Large Breed formulas.


"Labrador Retriever Breed Standard
Sporting Group

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."

In this particular case it is not about the standard. The dog food mfg defines the size by weight at maturity. In most cases, the Lab would fall into the "Large Breed" category.

To the OP....We do feed a Large Breed formula and have done so for over 11 years now and send our puppy buyers home with same. We will continue to do so as it works well for us. I am going to guess you will get a variety of different answers here.

Hmm.....if I follow that train of thought...for a full grown Mastiff....I s/b able to find GIGANTIC/HUMOUNGOUS breed dog food out there?! I agree that it's likely a marketing thing but as long as you're feeding a good quality food and your dogs are doing well on it....that's all that matters. JMHO

You are correct...they actually have "Giant breed" formulas....

I agree - it's not about the standard. If I want to feed a 26%/16% ratio, for example, and the large breed food has that and the medium does not then I'll feed the large breed, even if the labrador isn't one!

I would not call a 100 plus pound dog medium-sized. I agree the Labrador was intended to be a medium sized dog, but the current styles are taking a moderate dog and making it massive in bone and girth, and I would no longer consider many of them medium-sized anymore.

I have never fed any of our dogs - small, medium, large or gigantic according to what's recommended on a dog food bag. JMO

Labradors bred to standard are medium size dogs. It is a way to sell more food. I agree. I have never used Large bred in 30 some years.

I believe large breed and weight management (and some of the other special labels) are gimmick foods. More filler, less nutrition, same price per pound, so you end up paying more for lower quality food and you get more poop besides. If your dog needs to lose weight, feed less! If it's a large breed dog, feed the best quality food with the most dense nutrition. Not only will you save money, you feed less volume and probably have a lower probability of bloat. The only "gimmick" food I don't mind is the small breed version that has smaller kibble.