I get this bug up my butt about once per year. I hope you'll indulge me. Every spring, we have a training day and all sorts of retrievers show up and some of them are actively involved in conformation competition. It's almost like I get a peek into the bench side of Labradordom once/year and get a chance to chat with the owners.

I don't understand the heavy flews. Viewed from the front they seem real jowl-ly. There is a sort of bull-dog look to them.

How did we get to this point from the breed standard?

As ever, I shake my head about the weight they carry. One owner told me she had to choose between going for the bench title and working on any form of obedience that will involve jumps. I think the LRC once addressed this issue, but I'm not sure it has done a lot of good.