How big are Labrador Retrievers?

About 21-25 inches at the shoulder, with males usually in the higher half of that range, and females usually in the lower half. Weight can be as low as 55 pounds, but is usually 65-80 pounds.

What kind of temperament and personality does the Labrador Retriever have?

To get an idea of what a breed might be like, always look at what he was developed to do (see the question above). Many of the Labrador Retriever's characteristics -- his strong body, his energy level and enthusiasm, his love of swimming and retrieving, his strong desire to carry things around in his mouth -- are hardwired into his genes, because they were needed for a retriever to do his work.

Labrador Retrievers come in black, yellow, chocolate, and silver (gray). Color names like Golden Lab or Fox Red Lab or White Lab are often used, erroneously, to refer to yellow Labs whose shade of yellow happens to be golden or reddish or whitish. But whatever the shade, it should be called, simply, yellow.

I  have heard that silver isn't an accepted color in Labrador Retrievers.

It depends on what you mean by accepted. The official Labrador Retriever clubs, and breeders who show their dog in the conformation ring, assert that silver is a disqualified color for showing and breeding purposes, and that silver Labrador Retrievers aren't purebred. Their position is that the silver gene probably became part of the breed's gene pool by crossbreeding Labrador Retrievers with Weimaraners. There is no doubt that silver Labrador Retrievers are here to stay. The AKC accepts them for registration, but registers the silver shade as Chocolate and the charcoal shade as Black. This is because they consider silver to be a dilute form of Chocolate and charcoal to be a dilute form of Black.

Just occasional brushing to keep dirt and dust out of their dense coat. During shedding season (see the next question), you should brush your Labrador Retriever every day to pull out the worst of the dead hair so less of it ends up on your floor and furniture.

How much do Labrador Retrievers shed?

On the high side of average. They shed some hairs here and there throughout the year, with the bulk of their shedding occurring twice a year, for three weeks in the spring as their winter coat switches over to a cooler summer coat, and three weeks in the fall as their summer coat switches over to a thicker winter coat.　

Typically 10-12 years. Some reach 13-14 years of age.