Thank you to all who replied to my typey question. I will explain why I was looking for this information. A friend, a breeder of 30 years plus and myself have been asked to give a presentation on labrador retrievers showcasing our breed, to a judge's seminar in June. We are going armed with the Standard, AKC Judging Video, Specialty winning dogs and bitches, champions and champions of our hearts not the show ring, as well as handouts on correct angulation, movement etc. When you google "typey labrador retrievers" you get over 500 hits, all saying we have typey labradors, judge's critiques a dog of type etc.. We need to get this aspect of our breed across to all breed judges. What is the real meaning of type? If you think of it, the standard would be even more vague to them and leaves many aspects of "our" breed open to their interpretation. So we are interested in what you think needs to be brought up to these new judges, remember these are not breeder judges they are all breed judges. We personally, would like to see beautiful labradors appreciated more in Group, what needs to be said to open their eyes and minds. Thank you, sorry for the confusion before.

I did a lecture for our club on breed type (not to be confused with "typey dogs", which is sort of type within type. :-)

Breed type consists of those characteristics which set your breed apart from all other breeds. Many years ago, Richard Beauchamp, Editor of the Kennel Review, challenged readers to describe their breed in 5 sentences or less:
physical characteristics
coat
head shape
silhouette
movement

It is said that breed Type is determined by the job or purpose each breed has been designated to fulfill. Outline comes first, because it is this which gives the initial impression of the breed. Type and function are inextricably linked. Sufficient forechest, good angulation are a must. Closely allied to the correct outline is the typical movement for our breed. Last but absolutely not least, many people feel that it is the head that is most important in defining our breed type. COAT is extremely important for our breeds function. The important point is the texture of the coat.

A couple of notable breeders I know sum Labrador type into three things -- head, coat and tail.

I read an interesting article a very long time ago, which suggested that correct breed type could be found in the silhouette of a dog. I centered my lecture on that point, and did very careful (and I *do* mean careful and methodical) traces of known Labs (all champions), and other breeds. If the dog has type, one should be able to I.D. the breed from the silhouette. I did several non-Labradors to demonstrate this point, and people successfully identified those breeds. Then I showed some CH. Labradors. It was shocking how many of the outlined Labradors did not look like Labradors at all in their silhouette.

Dian

That is very interesting...

I agree with what Dian said. My biggest gripe with all breed judges is that they do not know what proper coat is, and how important it is to the Labrador's function. If you show a dog in full coat they think it is fat.
Also they do not understand the original funtion of the breed. They were not created to run 300 yard marks at 100 mph. Labradors were designed to be a gentleman's hunting dog, to retrieve game from water and through heavy brush. This requires a sturdy dog with good coat, not a light up dog who gaits around the ring at like a Pointer.

Dian...for a "newbie" would you direct me to some resources which define (or show through photograph)the right type of coat??? I have two labs which have very different coats...one with a definate undercoat and one without an undercoat. Thanks in advance.

This should probably spin to another thread regarding coat.

I have a couple issues with how coat is mis-interpreted.

1) the outer coat - a correct coat does have the harsh feel to it. It is neither too short nor too long. I think we see way too many long and shiny outercoats which is incorrect in my opinion. A harsh coat also has a dull sheen to it. This should not vary by color.

2) undercoat - yes a dog with correct undercoat can look heavy. But how much undercoat does a labrador really need? I hear judges talk about losing their fingers when going through a labs coat. REALLY? Is too much undercoat more correct as not enough undercoat? I think that if you can run your hands against the grain of a dogs coat and can not see skin, the dog has optimum undercoat. More than that seems to me to be too much. I think we are seeing a lot of dogs in the specialty ring with way too much coat. That "dripping with coat" tag line has gone too far.