The subject of quality in Labs has risen in a few conversations I have had recently and it got me thinking...what does quality mean to you in a dog or bitch?

I suspect this will differ with us all at certain points and thought it would be a neat topic to discuss. Please be civil. :)

Well, I would like to see a nice pedigree, with mostly good clearances; nice disposition with a desire to work would be nice and then there is all the conformation stuff - I would first like balance and then the rest, like a nice face and head, decent coat and tail, nice feet, good topline, good angles but not overdone and nice eye color. Also, spring of rib and a good sense of humor :)

Here is how I define quality... A good judge can see quality in dogs of different styles that are within the type described below.

General Appearance
Strongly built, short-coupled, very active; broad in skull; broad and deep through chest and ribs; broad and strong over loins and hindquarters.

Characteristics
Good-tempered, very agile (which precludes excessive body weight or excessive substance). Excellent nose, soft mouth; keen love of water. Adaptable, devoted companion.

Temperament
Intelligent, keen and biddable, with a strong will to please. Kindly nature, with no trace of aggression or undue shyness.

Head and Skull
Skull broad with defined stop; clean-cut without fleshy cheeks. Jaws of medium length, powerful not snipy. Nose wide, nostrils well developed.

Eyes
Medium size, expressing intelligence and good temper; brown or hazel.

Ears
Not large or heavy, hanging close to head and set rather far back.

Mouth
Jaws and teeth strong with a perfect, regular and complete scissor bite, i.e. upper teeth closely overlapping lower teeth and set square to the jaws.

Neck
Clean, strong, powerful, set into well placed shoulders.

Forequarters
Shoulders long and sloping. Forelegs well boned and straight from elbow to ground when viewed from either front or side.

Body
Chest of good width and depth, with well sprung barrel ribs - this effect not to be produced by carrying excessive weight. Level topline. Loins wide, short-coupled and strong.

Hindquarters
Well developed, not sloping to tail; well turned stifle. Hocks well let down, cowhocks highly undesirable.

Feet
Round, compact; well arched toes and well developed pads.

Tail
Distinctive feature, very thick towards base, gradually tapering towards tip, medium length, free from feathering, but clothed thickly all round with short, thick, dense coat, thus giving ‘rounded’ appearance described as ‘Otter’ tail. May be carried gaily but should not curl over back.

Gait/Movement
Free, covering adequate ground; straight and true in front and rear.

Coat
Distinctive feature, short dense without wave or feathering, giving fairly hard feel to the touch; weather-resistant undercoat.

Colour
Wholly black, yellow or liver/chocolate. Yellows range from light cream to red fox. Small white spot on chest permissible.

Size
Ideal height at withers: dogs: 56-57 cms (22-221/2 ins); bitches: 55-56 cms (211/2-22 ins).

Faults
Any departure from the foregoing points should be considered a fault and the seriousness with which the fault should be regarded should be in exact proportion to its degree and its effect upon the health and welfare of the dog, and on the dog’s ability to perform its traditional work.

Note
Male animals should have two apparently normal testicles fully descended into the scrotum.

First off, BALANCE!

not many Labs out there are truly balanced (top to bottom, front to back) and hold type on the move.

Secondly, the finer points are important: true bone to the feet. a well wrapped coat and tail - so many people feel that a wave signifies good coat. Well, many dogs with waves may have decent texture, but coats with wave CAN be open.

Third, we all talk about head, but let's get specific: a Labrador head should NOT look like a wedge, and should NOT have wrinkles, but what should it have??? What about depth of muzzle - so many dogs are lacking. And parallel planes. So many heads have more stop - because it can create a more pleasant head, but without parallel planes, stop doesn't help.

A truly well laid back shoulder? very few out there

And what about hind quarters: so many seem to think that good musculature makes a rear, but I see so many dogs that are either over -angultated at the stifle, or curved through the rump. That's incorrect for our breed.

These are just some of the finer points that seem hard to find, in general, in the breed.