The breeds · side by side
for ducks and upland both
Labrador Retriever or German Shorthaired Pointer.
A retriever that flushes against a versatile dog that points and retrieves. For a handler who does both, the question is which half of the season matters more, and in which water.
Every value below shows its source and how sure we are. Breed sets the odds; the parents set the dog. Nothing here is a prediction about one dog.
What the question turns on
Role
Retrieving gun dog with the substance and soundness to hunt waterfowl or upland game for long hours under difficult conditions
Versatile hunter, an all-purpose gun dog capable of high performance in field and water: points, retrieves on land and water, tracks
Water work
Retrievers shall perform equally well on the land and in the water and are tested on both at every level
Water work is part of the breed's definition: GSPCA water tests (Novice Retrieving Dog, Retrieving Dog, Retrieving Dog Excellent) require a swimming retrieve of a dispatched bird to hand, judged pass/fail; NAVHDA Utility includes a duck search
Cold water
4 of 5 · Undercoat provides protection from water, cold and all types of ground cover; the standard describes a dog with the substance and soundness to hunt waterfowl for long hours under difficult conditions
3 of 5 · 3 of 5: short dense coat with little undercoat; bred for water work but not a late-season water specialist
Range
Close: a non-slip retriever works from the handler's side and goes out on command; test retrieves should not normally exceed 100 yards (Junior, Senior) or 150 yards (Master)
Medium: a versatile dog that hunts for the gun and is judged on cooperation and search within the handler's reach
Primary game
Waterfowl
Upland birds (pheasant, grouse)
The rest, read the same way
Height at the shoulder
dogs 23.5 in (22.5 to 24.5) · bitches 22.5 in (21.5 to 23.5)
dogs 24 in (23 to 25) · bitches 22 in (21 to 23)
Weight
dogs 72.5 lb (65 to 80) · bitches 62.5 lb (55 to 70)
dogs 62.5 lb (55 to 70) · bitches 52.5 lb (45 to 60)
Coat
Short, straight and very dense, fairly hard to the hand, with a soft weather-resistant undercoat; a slight wave down the back is permissible; black, yellow or chocolate
field lineLighter bone structure, more length of leg, a less dense coat and a narrower head with more length of muzzle
show lineStockier, heavier of bone, denser in coat, with a head often incorrectly described as square or blocky
Short and thick, tough to the hand; somewhat longer under the tail and back edges of the haunches; softer, thinner and shorter on ears and head; long body hair severely penalized
Shedding
Shedding 4 of 5 (AKC breed page trait score)
Shedding 3 of 5 (AKC breed page trait score)
Heat tolerance
4 of 5 · Short dense double coat: short, straight, very dense outer coat with a soft weather-resistant undercoat
4 of 5 · 4 of 5: short, dense, hard coat
Median lifespan
13.1 years (13 to 13.1)
13.4 years (13.3 to 13.6)
Life expectancy at birth
11.8 years (11.7 to 11.9)
Not recorded for this breed yet.
Exercise need
More than 2 hours per day
More than 2 hours per day
Exercise need
More than 2 hours per day
More than 2 hours per day
Energy
5 of 5
5 of 5
Grooming load
2 of 5 · Once a week (RKC grooming band); coat length short; sheds
2 of 5 · Once a week
Grooming
Once a week
Once a week
Also used on
Upland game
Retrieving on land and water (GSPCA water tests use duck at the advanced levels); fur (rabbit, fox); tracking wounded game
Field trial standard
AKC retriever hunting tests score four abilities 0-10: marking (memory), style, perseverance/courage/hunting, and trainability (steadiness, control, response, delivery); dogs must perform equally well on land and in water; Senior and Master dogs run blind retrieves and honor another dog's retrieve; tests are designed to approximate upland or waterfowl hunting
NAVHDA: Natural Ability (to 16 months: nose, search, pointing, desire, cooperation, tracking, water entry, gun shyness), Gun Dog Test (formerly Utility Preparatory) and Utility (field search, pointing, steadiness, retrieve of shot bird and dragged game, duck search and water retrieves, obedience); dogs are judged against a standard by three judges and prized I, II or III, not placed against each other
Hip dysplasia
11.3% · 11.3% dysplastic of 325,251 OFA hip evaluations on record (all data through Oct 2026; OFA hip registry dates from 1974); 87.5% normal (21.8% excellent, 57.1% good, 8.6% fair); breed rank 121 of the breeds listed
3.7% · 3.7% dysplastic of 23,655 OFA hip evaluations on record (OFA data service, retrieved Oct 5 2026); 95.9% normal (28.9% excellent, 60.7% good, 6.3% fair); 2.5% mild, 1.0% moderate, 0.2% severe; OFA rank 196
Elbow dysplasia
9.9% · 9.9% abnormal of 149,110 OFA elbow evaluations on record (grade 1 7.6%, grade 2 1.7%, grade 3 0.6%); breed rank 49
1.4% · 1.4% abnormal of 7,824 OFA elbow evaluations on record (OFA data service, retrieved Oct 5 2026; 1.2% grade I, 0.2% grade II, 0.0% grade III); 98.5% normal; OFA rank 134
Most common disorders
Most prevalent disorders in UK Labradors under primary care (2013, sample n = 2,074): otitis externa 10.4%, overweight/obesity 8.8%, degenerative joint disease 5.5%; 61.6% had at least one disorder recorded. Median longevity 12.0 yr in that sample; chocolate-coloured dogs shorter-lived (10.7 vs 12.1 yr) with more otitis and pyo-traumatic dermatitis.
UK owner survey (n = 362 living GSPs; 33.7% with at least one reported condition): lipoma 10.8%, skin cyst 5.8%, arthritis 2.8%, skin lump 1.7%, spondylosis 1.4% (significantly above the all-breed 0.26%), epilepsy 1.4%
Toward strangers
0.4 of 4 · C-BARQ stranger-directed aggression breed mean 0.41 (online sample, n = 349); breed-club sample 0.36 (n = 277); ranked 5th (online) and 6th (breed club) of the 8 breeds common to both surveys, where rank 1 is the most aggressive (Dachshund)
Not recorded for this breed yet.
Toward other dogs
0.6 of 4 · C-BARQ dog-directed aggression breed mean 0.59 (online sample, n = 349); breed-club sample 0.46 (n = 277)
Not recorded for this breed yet.
Aggression, as studied
Among breed-club Labradors, field-bred dogs scored higher than conformation-bred dogs on owner-directed aggression (z = 2.18, P < 0.05); stranger- and dog-directed aggression did not differ between the lines. The authors note this is the opposite pattern to English Springer Spaniels, so show breeding is not itself the cause.
Not recorded for this breed yet.
What to ask a breeder for
Clearances
- prcd-PRA DNA test (optional, recommended) · US
- Cardiac evaluation (optional, recommended: advanced cardiac incl. echo for stud dogs) · US
- Centronuclear myopathy (CNM) DNA test (optional, recommended) · US
- D Locus (dilute) DNA test (CHIC requirement since 11/1/2016) · US
- Elbow evaluation (CHIC requirement, at or after 24 months) · US
- Hip evaluation (CHIC requirement, at or after 24 months) · US
- Eye examination by a board-certified ACVO ophthalmologist, results registered with OFA; annual for breeding stock · US
- Exercise Induced Collapse (EIC) DNA test (CHIC requirement; the dog does not have to be clear to be bred) · US
- DNA (good practice): CNM, EIC, macular corneal dystrophy (MCD), prcd-PRA, skeletal dysplasia 2 (SD2), Stargardt disease (STGD) · UK
- DNA (best practice): hereditary nasal parakeratosis (HNPK) · UK
- Eye testing · UK
- Elbow scoring · UK
- Hip scoring · UK
- Cone degeneration (CD) DNA test · US
- Eye examination by a board-certified veterinary ophthalmologist · US
- Cardiac exam · US
- Elbow evaluation · US
- Hip evaluation · US
- Eye testing · UK
- Elbow scoring · UK
- Hip scoring · UK
- Thyroid evaluation and von Willebrand's disease screening (GSPCA: 'some will also have' these done; not a CHIC requirement) · US
The health clearances each breed’s own club and registry name. Reference only: what to ask for, never a statement about any dog’s health.
Kennels breeding these two
The selector
Which one, for your life?
A few minutes of honest answers: the birds, the ground, the water, the house, the week. The selector ranks both of these against what you said, explains every rank, and shows exactly where the one you came in wanting lands.
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