Why is the Working Labrador so successful in competition?

Within the Retriever world of Field Trials and Working Tests there is no doubt the Working Labrador Retriever is King. Now I have never owned or trained a Labrador, nor have I any inclination to do so. I am simply puzzled as to why this is so? I am completely and utterly devoted to my Chessies. I love their work ethic and the fact that I can go from the working field to the showring in one weekend. I hope this is never lost within my breed.

There are six established and historically significant breeds of Retriever. Most, if not all, pre-date the Labrador. Speaking from my own experience, once you go outside of the Field trial / Working test circle most of the breeds definitely perform within a more level playing field. Nothing in my opinion beats a Chessie's tenacity in finding wounded game. I would never dare to give an opinion on another breed I'm not familiar with, but, after having experienced and worked with a variety of retrievers in the working field, each carry their own merits and vices including Labradors. So the question remains, what is it that sets the Lab apart in competition?

Is it a shorter adolescent period? or simply the fact that there is a wider choice within the genepool? This I don't really buy as something must first have made the breed more attractive to compete with.

Is it a revolving door policy? in that most people who compete with Labs are more interested in being successful in Field Trial/Working Tests than the breed they compete with? I don't buy this theory either, as if it were true, surely then we would have the same trend within Goldies, Flatcoats, Chessies etc...turning over dogs until one comes along to suit our demands.

Maybe the answer is simply in the original statement. What sets the Working Labrador apart is just that. A sub-breed within a breed has been perfected to excel at competion Field Trials / Working Tests.. Some of the other retriever breeds are starting to follow suit. They have set a bar within competition to rise to, the challenge for me as a Chessie owner is to meet that bar and keep a conformationally sound and good looking dog in doing so.

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