I have had a request for information about a long coat gene in our breed. This is not just a heavy puppy coat, but a true long coat when the dog becomes an adult. Has anyone had any experience with a longhaired Labrador? Please contact
Randall Smith
DDC Veterinary
One DDC Way
Fairfield, Ohio 45014
1-800-625-0874
www.vetdnacenter.com

They have had some pups presented for testing recently and have found the longhair gene to be the same as the one in GSD, Corgis, etc. These were the first Labs to be tested by them and Randy would like to get some idea if this issue crops up very often. I have a photo of the two that were tested and also a photo of one from Pennyroyals Labs in the Netherlands. So, this is NOT just an isolated incident, but seems to be a genetic anomaly that "nobody" is talking about.

Please share any information you have with DDC, including pedigrees. The only way we can identify which lines may need testing before breeding is to determine what lines seem to carry the longhaired gene more frequently. The breeding program you help save may be your own!

Maureen - I bred a long haired puppy in a litter of ten way back in 1989. There was absolutely no possibility of a mis-mating at the time since we only had one Lab and she lived in the house. It was a line breeding to one of the most influential stud dogs in recent history. One had cropped up a few years before in similar bloodlines (the breeder is no longer alive) and two in an even earlier litter, all going back to two imported half sisters, sired by the stud dog in question.

Our dog was a photocopy of the famous drawing of a St. John's Dog from "The Dog in Health and Disease" by Stonehenge, 1879. A strapping boy with more bone than average, a very powerful neck, moderate stop - very miniature Newfoundland in type. He lived a good life until the age of 15 and was much appreciated as a novelty. His dam was one of the typiest bitches you could imagine from the head/coat/tail viewpoint, with probably the best otter tail I have ever seen on a Lab. I have a sneaking suspicion the gene has been in the breed from its onset.

Maureen - I bred a long haired puppy in a litter of ten way back in 1989.

I so wish you would contact me privately since you did not give an email address. Yours is the "eldest" that has been reported so far and may give a better insight as to how long this gene has been around. By and large, the "Brits" haven't joined this discussion so it is hard to know if this has been happening for a century and just hidden.

I am confused about "has the gene been present all along?".

Isn't that answered by the history of the development of the breed as well as a response here saying "looked like the St Johns dog."?

This place befuddles me. I am not sure if folks have researched the breed and its' history and development a mere century (+/- some)ago. It seems folks are just shocked about "anomlies" in such a recently developed breed. I am amazed by and large that there is such stability in a complicated gene pool developed such a short time ago. This breed has such a speck of history of development compared to so many others. I just have a good chuckle when history is exposed. The term "throwback" seems to have disappeared from a breeder's vocabulary. Maybe a throwback to ten years ago seems like ancient history, but play with the genes from 50 years ago and then just be greatful they come along resembling the modern breed standard.

All the etchings, paintings, etc. I have seen of the St. John's Water dog have shown a relatively smooth outline with no hint of a "shaggy" or "fluffy" coat. In fact, that was one of the highly desirable traits - a water-tight straight jacket of outer coat to protect the undercoat and the dog. My only surprise is that IF the gene for the long coat has been in the breed all along that there has not been more documentation about it. The breed historians did NOT indicate that longhaired or "fluffy" coated individuals appeared in the litters with regularity - or even sporadically! A simple recessive in the early gene pool would have insured that the long coat would be present in many litters - just like the recessive colors.

Yes, this may be a "throwback" - but it is a gene that appeared to have been eradicated a century ago and has cropped up in the last 20 years or so. I would find the more logical answer that a cross in the mid-20th century to another breed (Golden or ??) has reestablished this longhair gene in our breed. It is sad that the developers of the Labrador Retriever worked so hard to get a dog with a specific coat for functionality and we have managed to mess it up ;-)

Sorry Maureen - my email was on this board for years but was removed following a heavy spam attack. It is j.page@bluewin.ch. Feel free to contact me with any specific questions. It will take a couple of hours to round up the pedigrees and get back to you. None of the dogs in question are still alive, so DNA is not an option.

My intention is NOT to ruffle any sensitive feathers and everything that follows is my personal opinion, not gospel.

"Huh" makes some very valid points and it is very important to have a solid grasp of Labrador history before undertaking any useful research. The Labs behind the "quirk/throwback" in Switzerland were imported some 30 years ago... it did not materialise from thin air and the mis-mating theory certainly doesn't hold water. The two imports became champions, one became the Bitch World Champion with two puppies (one definitely carrying the gene) from her first litter gaining the titles of Junior World Champion... in pretty hot competition for the time!! The anecdote is just to explain that we are talking top quality Labrador here.

Now a leap back in time. Not only does the drawing of the St. Johns dog portray a shaggy dog with a long coat but the actual "Breed Points for the St. Johns or Labrador Dog", published in 1879 called for a very different coat than the one we now see as typical. Here is the quote:

"COAT is moderately short but wavy, from its length being too great for absolute smoothness. It is glossy & close, admitting wet with difficulty to the skin, owing to its oiliness, but possessing no undercoat". NB: I didn't invent one word of that!!!

Actually, one of the factors that influenced the formation of the LRC of Great Britain in 1916 was the problem of inter-bred Retrievers. Up until 1917, the KC allowed registration under the breed they most closely ressembled and the 1915 Lab Crufts winner had a sire that was a purebred Flatcoat with relatives in that breed's ring.

Looking at some of today's overdone specimens with their bullish heads and over-angulated hindquarters, nit picking over teeth and height, more than ever my gut tells me that we are in desperate need of true custodians with an understanding of the fabulous heritage of our wonderful breed.

-Now a leap back in time. Not only does the drawing of the St. Johns dog portray a shaggy dog with a long coat but the actual "Breed Points for the St. Johns or Labrador Dog", published in 1879 called for a very different coat than the one we now see as typical.-

I have a signed Landseer that varifies this shaggy dog appearance. What is so odd about things like this that occasionally pop up? The Labrador Retriever was developed by the combination of several other breeds. Devoted breeders have tried to breed true to the written standard but that's not to say throwbacks won't appear in our present time. We're not commiting a sin, we've nothing to be ashamed of, it's just a fact of breeding. Make a mental note and move on. That's not to say that I wouldn't be interestd to find out more about Maureen's assignment, but I think we are barking up the wrong tree to think that in this day and age (within the last 10-20 years) that people are intentionally bringing in other breeds.....other than the doodle and silver people. It was surely done in the past to create the dog we have, but I think those folks accomplished what they wanted. That being said, I think the long coated guys look a lot like a Flatcoat. Oh well, Maureen, maybe you'd better devote some time to this whole thing

I had one long hairy lab in my last litter, if you want more information, feel free to contact me.

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