Writings as early as the 17th-century mention the St. John's water dog, a hardy medium-sized black dog that accompanied Newfoundland fishermen in their boats, and retrieved distant lines or nets of fish, hauling them back to the boat. The dogs were described as having a short thick coat, rudder-like tail, high endurance, and a great love of swimming.

Strictly speaking, there are only three different types of Labrador color: black Labs, brown Labs (usually referred to as chocolate) and yellow Labs. Sometimes breeders get all three colors in one litter.

Approximately 70% of all guide dogs are Labradors. (Golden Retrievers and German Shepherds make up 15% each.) Labs excel in the role because they are eager to please, gentle, loyal, friendly, highly trainable, and exceptionally intelligent, all necessary traits for guide dog work.

Labs have an incredibly sensitive sense of smell that can detect drugs, explosives, and even cancer! Among others, they can detect the odor signatures of colon cancer, prostate cancer, breast cancer, and melanoma by sniffing people's skin, bodily fluids, or breath.

Some claim that yellow Labs are the laziest of the breed, while black Labs are the best hunters, but none of these claims are supported by science. Like people, each dog is different, and some breeders develop their stock for its skills in the field, while others are concerned more with conformation to the breed standard. However, none of these differences directly depend on the dog's color.

In his prison mugshot from 1924, Pep looks decisively guilty, with ears drooping backwards and an identification number hanging around his neck. According to newspaper articles at the time (and prison records support the story) he was sentenced to life without parole at the Eastern State Penitentiary for the brutal murder of Pennsylvania Governor Gifford Pinchot's cat. Although he never expressed any remorse for his crime, Pep became a favorite among the prisoners. He eventually died of natural causes and is buried on the prison grounds.

A yellow Labrador named Tubby set a world record in 2010 for recycling more bottles than any of his fellow canines. According to Guinness World Records, he helped recycle about 26,000 plastic bottles over six years by collecting them on his daily walks, crushing them and passing them to his owner.

According to Guinness World Records, the largest single-breed dog walk involved 700 Labradors on a 5km stroll in Warsaw, Poland, on the August 29, 2010.

According to the breed standard, one of the significant features of the Labrador is the breed's "otter tail", which is used like a rudder to maneuver in water as they retrieve birds.

In 1981, in an election hatched by locals as a joke, a black Labrador Retriever and Rottweiler mix named Bosco ran against two human candidates for mayor--and beat them both! Bosco served as America's first dog mayor until his death in 1994, always standing on his platform of "a bone in every dish, a cat in every tree, and a fire hydrant on every corner." A statue of Bosco was erected in front of the town Post Office in 2008.