Ok.. what has happened to the perfectly wrapped Otter tail ?

Forget the skinny whippet like tails of the Field Labrador today, but why are many CH. show type Labs having the fluffy, almost Golden Retriever tail?

Yes heads are an issue also, but the tail. Why oh why .. Or better where oh where has the judge's eye gone when it comes to the correct shape and wrapping of the Labrador's Tail. Should a Labrador ever get enough points to become a CH without the perfect tail?

Any hope that the Labs Tail will go back to the "Otter" taper ? Can breeders bring back the correct tail?

It's not impossible to have a correct tail as one in the "Spotlight" section carrying a pheasant has a beautifully wrapped "Otter" tail.

Are you a tail man or women ? Just wondering ..

Should have added the description in the Breed Standard .

" Tail -The tail is a distinguishing feature of the breed. It should be very thick at the base, gradually tapering toward the tip, of medium length, and extending no longer than to the hock. The tail should be free from feathering and clothed thickly all around with the Labrador's short, dense coat, thus having that peculiar rounded appearance that has been described as the "otter" tail. The tail should follow the topline in repose or when in motion. It may be carried gaily, but should not curl over the back. Extremely short tails or long thin tails are serious faults. The tail completes the balance of the Labrador by giving it a flowing line from the top of the head to the tip of the tail. Docking or otherwise altering the length or natural carriage of the tail is a disqualification. "

In Mary Roslin Williams books all her pictures depict the "Otter" tail if one needs some reference.

It's not the tail - it's the coat. If you don't have a correct coat then you won't have a correctly wrapped tail. Way too many wavy, open and too long coats on our labs today. And so many breeders, and judges!! think that makes a good coat.

I'm a tail gal. And agree with you. Bring back the otter tail.

I have the tail here - do some winning but my correctly-coated Labs with 1-2" long topcoats (which is the standard) look naked next to those fluffy open-coated Labs. Judges need to stop rewarding those dogs!

I'll give you PART of the problem is coat but if it were simply coat that should not affect the tail carriage. A well known respected breeder told me years ago the labrador tail is a rutter not a sail. Nor is it a banana. I've been bi***ing about our tails for 15 years.

That makes sense, that improper coat would also manifest in a bushy tail. I also wonder if a lot of "air brushing-photo shop" corrections by photographers remove the taper causing the bottle brush appearance.

It does become sad when the common dog lover has to ask owners of "Show" type labs what breed they are.

Any question this Crufts winner in this You Tube video is a Labrador ?

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vS2dUCZhmcs

Yep, am with you. Hate the spelling POLICE ! Must be there thing in life to do. oh,no there, their, have fun with that.

But back to the tails. I sure wish the yellow boy at Crufts was here. I'd use him in a second. Yellows here have become a huge problem. Several of my friends are looking and looking for that super yellow boy. Just about everything that is half way decent has the bad coat and fluffy tail.

I've seen a couple nice yellows with proper coat, good structure and movement, and a correct otter tail that doesn't look like a flag pole. Guess it depends on what else you are looking for.

If you can't find good yellows with correct coats and wrapped tails, you aren't looking very hard.

Lots of nice By's with tails(coats)out there.

This is not Facebook, you can't.



Agree!



WHAT? Where have you been not to sound harsh? Tails are not a problem. You're also looking for the wrong things in a stud dog if it doesn't have a correct tail. A tail gal should be happy with the otter tails of today. There are other problems you're apparently not seeing. Get yourself a mentor is my suggestion to teach you correct conformation and otter tails.

Here is the AKC Standard as you seem to need to read it. http://www.akc.org/breeds/labrador_retriever/breed_standard.cfm

I have 5 beautiful Labs with correct tails and heads for 9 generations. Heads and tails are not what is wrong in the Breed today. There are things wrong; balance, fronts, type but heads and tails are great. My last litter had correct otter tails from the moment they were born.

Tail--The tail is a distinguishing feature of the breed. It should be very thick at the base, gradually tapering toward the tip, of medium length, and extending no longer than to the hock. The tail should be free from feathering and clothed thickly all around with the Labrador's short, dense coat, thus having that peculiar rounded appearance that has been described as the "otter" tail. The tail should follow the topline in repose or when in motion. It may be carried gaily, but should not curl over the back. Extremely short tails or long thin tails are serious faults. The tail completes the balance of the Labrador by giving it a flowing line from the top of the head to the tip of the tail. Docking or otherwise altering the length or natural carriage of the tail is a disqualification.

In closing, no Labrador is perfect. Are you perfect? If there were a perfect Lab everyone would be breeding their bitch to him. A good breeder researches the best boy to breed to for their next litter to compliment their bitch.

I think the list is invaded by newbies that have no idea what proper conformation is. The problems in the breed are not heads and tails, that's the easiest correction made if there is a problem in your breeding line. I wonder what shows you are attending or just looking at photography? UKC or AKC? Specialties or All Breed? You're doing or seeing something very wrong. Jmho.

There are proper coats out there and proper tails/carriage/otter tail. What is scary to me is that breeders see a dog with a full wavy bushy tail, very wavy coat and think it's correct! Lots of 'oohhs' and 'aahs' and compliments on the 'beaver tail' Really??

if your dog has not "twiddle" at the end, it is probably not a well wrapped tail