Color: Black
Owner: MAJOR MAURICE PORTAL
Description: The first labrador to be placed at a retriever trial in 1906 (FTCh Flapper). +*+ First Labrador to receive FTCH +*+ KCSB 944L +*+ CCW +*+ Having competed in only four field trials and with his place in the breed history secure, Flapper was then retired from competition.  He was to prove a most successful force as a stud dog siring over 700 puppies to some of the breed’s best bitches. +*+ The main characteristics of the traditional Buccleuch Labrador are a good nose, a tender mouth and an intelligent and courageous temperament. Their heads are often shorter than the average Labrador, they have a thick double coat and frequently have the ?otter? tail. The pure strain can only throw black puppies. The Buccleuchs belonged, together with the Earls of Home, to the so called ?northern set? of Britains 19th century?s priviliged hunting world, while the Malmesbury?s belonged to the ?southern set?. http://labradornet.wordpress.com +*+ In 1910 Major Portal wrote an article for The Field, giving his theories on the origins of the Labrador.? It is very interesting that the article includes the Major?s own description of what a Labrador should look like, (and remember, this was written a good six years before the Club produced the first official Standard).? ?Briefly in appearance the Labrador should be a compactly built dog.? Straight legs, shortish and with plenty of muscle, a deep chest, rather short neck and well set on head which should be rather broad, not pointed at nose or very little.? Eyes well set and full expression and the colour of burnt sugar for choice.? Ears set rather low and close to the head.? The tail straight set rather low and short and rather broad at the base.? The coat short, hard and thick and wiry, no waves or curls in it.? The legs have no feather, the feet good and not splayed out?? In the same article Major Portal refers to what I take to be the chocolate colour appear in litters.? ?Several instances have occurred where the colour of the litter has varied, one or two puppies coming a brown colour, light rusty brown, the make and shape of the puppies being true Labrador and the coat perfect.? I can offer no solution for this, I know of one or two bitches which produce this colour in each litter though they are quite black and their pedigrees show no outcross.? This brown species must not be confounded with the yellow retriever of the Tweed or the Golden Retriever.? It is purely a sport in colour and offers a most excellent opportunity for those who wish to adopt the Mendelian theory of breeding and colour.? +*+ ?Medium Brown for the Chesapeake bay retriever. http://www.thelabradorretrieverclub.com/articles/Personalities%20from%20the%20Past.htm +*+ /

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