Per The Labrador Retriever Club, Inc.: The clear and unarguable fact is that the Labrador is a retriever, not a pointing dog. There may be a residual instinct to point in certain Labradors. That does not make the Labrador a pointing breed. It was bred for use as a retriever of game and in this country particularly, as a waterfowl retriever. There are any number of sporting breeds that excel at pointing upland game as well as flushing such game. The Labrador is not one of those breeds and should not be bred or sold to the public as a pointing breed. The Labrador Retriever Club, Inc., is the single organization officially recognized by the AKC (American Kennel Club) as the national parent club of the Labrador Retriever.

ALPA - (American Labrador Pointing Association) Mission Statement: Identify, certify, and promote a strain of Labrador Retriever that points game as a natural act and still retains the ability to retrieve game on land or in the water.

These are contrary standards, in that the AKC (American Kennel Club) is balking against pointing Labrador Retievers, insisting that the pointing trait is residual, and insisting that a Labrador Retriever is a retrieving dog, while the ALPA (American Labrador Pointing Association) is promoting pointing as part of the package of retrieving on land and water.

Gun Dog Magazine http://www.gundogmag.com/gundog_breeds/lab_0616/ This article debates whether or not a Labrador Retriever is "pointing" or "pausing" before flushing game. The debate includes whether Labrador Retrievers should or should not be bred for pointing alone, with the answer to that being - dogs should never be bred for any single one trait, as that is a disaster in breeding. Says Danny Allen (one of the original organizers, former president and present board member of the American Pointing Labrador Association (APLA)), "Think of the pointing Lab as, first of all, a basic retriever that also happens to point. In considering a purchase of one of these dogs, the prospective buyer should look for the standard Labrador qualities, and then judge the dog's pointing ability.

Official Breed Standard: http://thelabradorclub.com/standard/officialstandard.html Size - The height at the withers for a dog is 22-1/2 to 24-1/2 inches; for a bitch is 21-1/2 to 23-1/2 inches. Any variance greater than 1/2 inch above or below these heights is a disqualification. Approximate weight of dogs and bitches in working condition: dogs 65 to 80 pounds; bitches 55 to 70 pounds. One of several official breed disqualifications Any deviation from the height prescribed in the Standard. This size characteristic stands out to me, as I have met many lovable Labs, that weigh out 90 to 100 pounds - they do not conform to the Labrador Retriever AKC standard. I keep my Labs lean, as it lessens stress on all their joints. As it stands today: Sally Anne at 33 months is 23.5 inches tall and 58 pounds. (within standard) Lord Captain at 28 months is 23 inches tall, and 62 pounds. (tall enough, but lean and well muscled). Easily I could feed Captain enough for him to make the Approximate weight of dogs in working condition: dogs 65 to 80 pounds but should I? Absolutely not. It would make Captain fat. Captain is not a working hunter, but rather our family friend. Lord Captain is tall enough to conform to standard. I won't deliberately make him fat. Both Lord Captain and Sally Anne conform to AKC standards, as near as I can tell. For sure there are no blatent disqualifications.