Labrador Retriever
A retriever of 55 to 80 pounds that doubles as a flushing dog on pheasant and a retriever on the dove field.
The Lab was third in Project Upland's 2026 survey of North American bird hunters, at 15.7 percent. On upland birds it works as a flusher. Pheasants Forever describes Labs that "quarter in front of the hunter and are wonderful flushers," and Quail Forever says retrieving breeds "can excel at hunting upland game, especially pheasant." On a September dove field, a retriever's job is finding the birds that would otherwise be lost in the sunflower stubble. Neither of us runs a Lab, so this page leans on the breed club, the veterinary research on exercise-induced collapse, and the writers we trust.
A yellow Lab brings back a pheasant. Photo: California Department of Fish and Wildlife / CC BY 2.0 — source
The Lab at a Glance
Type: retriever, used in the uplands as a flushing dog.
Size: dogs 22½ to 24½ inches at the shoulder and 65 to 80 pounds in working condition; bitches 21½ to 23½ inches and 55 to 70 pounds (AKC standard).
Coat: "short, straight and very dense," over a soft, weather-resistant undercoat (standard).
Range: close. Quail Forever describes retrievers that "quarter to the front within comfortable range to flush."
Where they're tested in the uplands: the AKC's flushing-spaniel hunt tests are open to Labs, with Junior, Senior, and Master Hunter Upland titles. There is also HRC's Upland Hunter title, NAHRA's upland test with a flush, and the Labrador Retriever Club's Working Certificate, which starts with a 50-yard retrieve on land in light cover.
Health clearances the parent club lists: hips, elbows, an eye exam by a board-certified ophthalmologist, and DNA tests for exercise-induced collapse (EIC) and the dilute gene (D locus). CNM, prcd-PRA, and a cardiac exam are optional on the club's list.
Parent club: The Labrador Retriever Club
Checked against the AKC breed standard and The Labrador Retriever Club's health page on Oct. 15, 2026. The AKC's summary of the club's tests also lists CNM and prcd-PRA as recommended.
How They Hunt
An upland Lab is a flushing dog with a retriever's finish. It quarters inside gun range, pushes a running rooster into the air, and brings it back from the cover or the slough. Outdoor Life's 2026 explainer contrasts American field lines, whose breeders "have historically prioritized high drive," with the blockier "English" lines bred as show dogs in England. The AKC registers both as one breed. The parents' record says more than the label.
In California Country
Heat, and EIC. "Every year during dove season, many dogs die from overheating," Gun Dog's James B. Spencer wrote in 2010, and his advice for retrievers was to "always hunt near water and keep him wet." Labs add a genetic wrinkle: exercise-induced collapse, an inherited condition in which a dog collapses after "5 to 20 minutes of strenuous exercise with extreme excitement." University of Minnesota researchers list grouse and pheasant hunting among the usual triggers. They say air temperature is not the critical factor, though collapse may be likelier when it's much warmer or more humid than the dog is used to. EIC is not heatstroke, and a clear test doesn't make a dog heat-proof. Heat, Shade, and Water Strategy: Don't Cook Your Dog on Sept 1 and Dog Conditioning for Early-September Heat are our September plan.
Dove fields. A retriever's job on a California dove field is marking falls and finding cripples in sunflower and safflower stubble, in September heat. Opener Morning Loadout: Vest, Shells, Water, Dog covers the dog's side of the kit.
Pheasant and brush. On Sacramento Valley pheasant ground, with its tule edges, sloughs, and irrigation ditches, a Lab's water work is an asset. In tight chaparral, a 75-pound dog is a lot of dog, which is where the spaniels we cover come in.
Choosing One in California
Field lines. The parents' record is the test: hunt-test titles, a Working Certificate, or a season of hunting a breeder can tell you about. It counts for more than the "American" or "English" label.
Clearances. For an upland dog, the EIC result matters most. It's a DNA test, and results are public in the OFA database.
Where to see them. Upland testing for retrievers is thin in California. We didn't find a California club with AKC upland tests for retrievers on a 2026 calendar online. Retriever hunt tests and trials are common here, and a Lab that runs them well has the obedience and marking an upland dog needs.
What We've Written on Dogs
Choosing a dog
Keeping one going in California
Foxtail Season for California Bird Dogs: A Handler's Prevention and First-Aid Plan
Heat Safety for Bird Dogs: California Off-Season Conditioning as Temps Rise
Heat, Shade, and Water Strategy: Don't Cook Your Dog on Sept 1
The Four Weeks That Decide October: Quail Prep While Dove Is Still Open
In the field with Alan
What I Carry for Alan: A California Bird-Dog Kit That Actually Works
Hunting the Overlap: Sooty Grouse, Band-Tails, and Quail in the High Sierra in September
From a Dove Field Back to Quail: Peter Burnham on The Upland Social
More in our Dogs archive and the dog section of Hunting Resources.
Other Breeds
German shorthaired pointer · Brittany · English setter · Pointer · German wirehaired pointer · English springer spaniel · English cocker spaniel · All breeds
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Photo credit: Labrador retriever — California Department of Fish and Wildlife / CC BY 2.0 — source