Have you ever heard of the long-haired Labrador? Its name is the Fluffy Labrador and it’s a long-haired Labrador, the result of a genetic anomaly. Although the ENCI breed standard requires the Labrador to have a short coat, it’s also true that the Fluffy Labrador is quite common and is often mistaken for a Golden Retriever , especially as a puppy.
Long-haired Labrador, origins
The Labrador has a certain gene, called the Fluffy gene, which causes it to grow a long coat. The fluffy gene is a particular recessive and non-dominant gene. In practice, the classic shorthaired Labrador may carry this recessive gene, but without manifesting it, and in order for a Fluffy Labrador to be born, both parents must at least be carriers of the gene, if not long-haired Labradors themselves.
Long-haired Labrador, characteristics
The long-haired Fluffy Labrador behaves like a short-haired Labrador: it’s affectionate and energetic, kind and patient and extremely affectionate. It doesn’t have any particular or additional pathologies which are different from a traditional short-haired Labrador breed: the Fluffy gene only shows itself in a longer coat, but is not associated with the presence of various other diseases. The long-haired Labrador has the same thick appearance and stocky build as a short-haired Labrador, but it’s covered in a long-haired coat. When it grows up, the difference from the appearance of the traditional Labrador is obvious.