What is the difference between a Labrador Retriever and a Chinese rural dog?
Many people like keeping dogs, especially famous breeds such as the Labrador Retriever. As for this kind of dog, some people have noticed that it looks so similar to our Chinese rural dog that many people mistake one for the other. Below we introduce the differences between the Labrador Retriever and the Chinese rural dog.
Difference 1: Different origins of the name
The Labrador Retriever gets its name from its place of origin, the province of Newfoundland and Labrador in Canada. The scientific name of the Chinese rural dog is the Chinese rural dog (Canis lupus familiaris), and it is one of the oldest native dog breeds in China, once honored as the “national dog”.
Difference 2: Different heads
The Labrador Retriever has a clean head with clearly defined lines, and its broad top of the head makes the skull look rather large. The Chinese rural dog's head features are closer to the appearance of its ancestor the wolf: a pointed muzzle, a short muzzle, and a flat forehead.
Difference 3: Different ears
The Labrador Retriever has large ears that hang moderately on both sides of the head, set slightly toward the back. The Chinese rural dog has small ears that are erect or semi-erect; semi-erect ears droop halfway toward the front of the head.
Difference 4: Different coat colors
The Labrador Retriever has four colors, namely black, yellow, chocolate, and off-white; the most common are black and yellow. The Chinese rural dog's coat colors include yellow, white, black, and mixed colors, with brown fur predominating.
Difference 5: Different temperaments
The Labrador Retriever, together with the Siberian Husky and the Golden Retriever, is one of the three major non-aggressive dog breeds; it has a gentle temperament and gentle eyes, and is not aggressive toward humans or other animals. The Chinese rural dog has a relatively gentle temperament and does not easily attack humans on its own initiative.
Difference 6: Different intelligence
The Labrador Retriever is extremely intelligent, ranking seventh among dog breeds worldwide, and is mostly used as a military or police dog, or as a guide dog or other working dog. The Chinese rural dog has no ranking in the world, but we all know it is very clever: it not only has a strong ability to recognize roads and will never get lost anywhere; it also has a strong ability to recognize people, and can tell at a glance who is an acquaintance and who is a stranger, so it can not only accompany its owner but also guard the home and prevent theft; and it has a strong learning ability, so that after just a few training sessions it can understand its owner's commands.