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Labrador: The World’s Favourite Dog
A social history of Labradors, and how they have become the world’s most beloved dogs, by writer, presenter and long-time dog lover Ben Fogle, whose beloved black Labrador, Inca, famously accompanied him on numerous journeys and adventures.
Native to Newfoundland, where they worked side-by-side with fishermen, then brought to England in the 1800s by English ships, Labradors are not only popular as a family companion but also excel in hunting, tracking, retrieving, guiding and rescuing.
In this unique first social history of the Labrador, Ben Fogle investigates what makes Labradors so beloved and why they are considered so trustworthy – 30 per cent of dogs used as guide dogs in the UK by The Guide Dogs for the Blind Association are Labradors, for instance. They have an extraordinary capacity for companionship, intelligence, work ethic, and loyalty.
With stories of RNIB Labradors and Labradors at war, Labradors as working dogs and every other manifestation of Labrador/human interaction, Ben writes engagingly and passionately about our lasting love for one of man’s best friends and companions. Exploring their origin, early characteristics, their use as gun dogs, as therapy dogs, as police dogs, as search and rescue dogs and last – and absolutely not least – as family pets, Ben draws on the extraordinary experiences we have encountered with Labradors to tell the story of a dog breed which has captured our imagination and love for hundreds of years.
Native to Newfoundland, where they worked side-by-side with fishermen, then brought to England in the 1800s by English ships, Labradors are not only popular as a family companion but also excel in hunting, tracking, retrieving, guiding and rescuing.
In this unique first social history of the Labrador, Ben Fogle investigates what makes Labradors so beloved and why they are considered so trustworthy – 30 per cent of dogs used as guide dogs in the UK by The Guide Dogs for the Blind Association are Labradors, for instance. They have an extraordinary capacity for companionship, intelligence, work ethic, and loyalty.
With stories of RNIB Labradors and Labradors at war, Labradors as working dogs and every other manifestation of Labrador/human interaction, Ben writes engagingly and passionately about our lasting love for one of man’s best friends and companions. Exploring their origin, early characteristics, their use as gun dogs, as therapy dogs, as police dogs, as search and rescue dogs and last – and absolutely not least – as family pets, Ben draws on the extraordinary experiences we have encountered with Labradors to tell the story of a dog breed which has captured our imagination and love for hundreds of years.
364 pages, Paperback
First published October 8, 2015
59 people are currently reading
261 people want to read
About the author
Ben Fogle
39 books115 followersBen Fogle is a presenter, writer and adventurer. His achievements include racing 160 miles across the Sahara desert in the notorious Marathon Des Sables.
He has rowed the Atlantic Ocean in 49 days and crossed Antarctica in a foot race to the South Pole.
He has presented numerous programmes including BBC’s Animal Park, Wild In Africa, Countryfile, Crufts, One Man and His Dog and Extreme Dreams.
He writes regularly for the Sunday Telegraph and the Independent and has written four bestselling books. Ben’s latest book, The Accidental Adventurer will be published by Transworld in 2011.
He is an ambassador for WWF, Medecins Sans Frontier and Tusk, a fellow of the Royal Geographical Society and the President of the Campaign for National Parks.
Ben is a special correspondent for NBC News in the United States, reporting from all over the world for Today, Dateline and MSNBC Nightly News.
http://www.benfogle.com/biography
He has rowed the Atlantic Ocean in 49 days and crossed Antarctica in a foot race to the South Pole.
He has presented numerous programmes including BBC’s Animal Park, Wild In Africa, Countryfile, Crufts, One Man and His Dog and Extreme Dreams.
He writes regularly for the Sunday Telegraph and the Independent and has written four bestselling books. Ben’s latest book, The Accidental Adventurer will be published by Transworld in 2011.
He is an ambassador for WWF, Medecins Sans Frontier and Tusk, a fellow of the Royal Geographical Society and the President of the Campaign for National Parks.
Ben is a special correspondent for NBC News in the United States, reporting from all over the world for Today, Dateline and MSNBC Nightly News.
http://www.benfogle.com/biography
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 63 reviews
March 6, 2016
I was excited to read this book as a lab owner. However it is rather repetitive and all over the place. Not worth the read, spend the time fussing your labrador than read this book, be more enjoyable.
December 28, 2015
As a black lab owner this book was an obvious choice. I knew little about the history of the breed and have learnt a great deal. Overall the book has lots of interesting facts and personal anecdotes. However, it does read like an early draft. There is a great deal of odd repetition, the chapters don't flow and at times it feels that 1000 different paragraphs have been randomly selected and dropped in any chaotic order, no structure. If you can look past this and the typos it's sweet and informative.
March 25, 2016
A must if you are a Labraphile - and ok, I am, unashamedly one. Decent mix of interesting early breed history, more recent history and wonderful achievements of the breed, and Ben Fogle's own Lab stories and passion. Read quite a lot of it on the floor with a black chin resting across my knees - and if that sort of thing appeals to you and, as above - if you love the breed, you'll enjoy the book.
February 7, 2017
interesting book looking at the history of the Labrador as a breed and also looks at the life of the authors black Labrador Inca which is funny in parts
February 11, 2022
3.5* Really interesting and I have a lab so it’s was just heart warming to read. The book could have done with a bit more editing as it was repetitive in some places.
September 10, 2025
A must-read for Labrador lovers! Packed with fascinating insights into their history and the incredible roles they’ve played worldwide.
May 3, 2018
Oh boy. Where to start? I was hoping this would be an engaging and interesting look at one of my favourite breeds of dog, including its origins and some interesting tales about it, but also anecdotes about the dog who inspired Fogle to write this: Inca.
Now there were some of the latter, and there was information about the Labrador as a breed. But this is truly one of the worst written books I've ever read. The structure of it is incredibly problematic, with two chapters devoted to dogs in the armed forces, but with neither making reference to each other, and there being no real order to things; it bounced around and not in a good way. The anecdotes about the war dogs were, on the whole, not especially interesting, partially because they were just listed one after the other, with little unique about each one. They read more like internal reports for the military than something crafted for a mass-market non-fiction book.
On the smaller structural scale, at times, Fogle repeated himself about a paragraph later, as if he'd never related a particular fact or introduced a particular 'character' before. This made it seem very Groundhog-day at times.
However, one of the biggest issues was the general quality of the writing. Here's a few examples of things which just jumped out at me and made me unable to really connect with the book:
On the breeding of Labradors at the Malmesbury Estate: It seemed incredible that the dogs that had once been kept in these kennels were more than likely to have been the progeny for the millions and millions of Labradors across the world
Here, I'm almost certain he means 'progenitors' i.e. the parents of, rather than 'progeny', the children of. Not only should this have been picked up by any decent editor, but Fogle himself uses 'progenitors' correctly on several (too many) other occasions, so goodness knows what this was about.
On a service dog: Tony lost her sight six years ago, so Hetty also does the jobs that a traditional guide dog undertakes - helping Tony dress by removing her socks and trousers
That would be literally the least help a dog could give if you were trying to get dressed and it kept removing items of clothing.
Having written about David Blunkett's guide dog Lucy: Inca never met a prime minister, but she did once meet Michael Portillo...
What follows immediately about that ellipsis is a relation of how Inca developed epilepsy. Michael Portillo is never again mentioned, let alone in the context of the seemingly promised anecdote. Instead, we move from guide dogs to the illness of one dog which makes little sense. This kind of thing happened on a good few occasions.
Generally about Inca: Apart from my parents' dog, Maggi was the only dog that Inca ever really liked. Inca never really liked other dogs; I could probably say that Inca disliked most other dogs - she was more into people. I'm not sure if it was because she was bullied by the Collies on the island, or because she wasn't properly socialised, but Inca just really wasn't into other dogs.
Yes, in 3 sentences, Fogle says the same thing in 4 different ways, each of which feel like they were part of a draft and never got taken out in lieu of each other. Again, this kind of thing happens repeatedly, sometimes as blatantly as that, and sometimes across chapters - the almost never-ending explanation of the differences between working and show Labradors was a real treat.
On the terminology of dogs: As for sex, I have only ever known girls dogs, or bitches to give them their correct terminology. Why "bitch" I have no idea. I always think it makes me sound like Tupac Shakur or some gang member from the Bronx.
By this point (p. 249) I just had no clue if he was trolling. Because not only must he know - surely, he must know?? - but on the adjacent page, he has already said how uncomfortable he is with using the phrase 'black bitch', particularly in an email to Prince William (name-drop). This was far from the first time he'd used the word 'bitch' and he'd not expressed this sentiment before. Why now?
This book needed an editor so badly. Frankly, the publishers should be ashamed this saw the light of day in this form, and I have no idea why it was a Sunday Times bestseller.
'
Now there were some of the latter, and there was information about the Labrador as a breed. But this is truly one of the worst written books I've ever read. The structure of it is incredibly problematic, with two chapters devoted to dogs in the armed forces, but with neither making reference to each other, and there being no real order to things; it bounced around and not in a good way. The anecdotes about the war dogs were, on the whole, not especially interesting, partially because they were just listed one after the other, with little unique about each one. They read more like internal reports for the military than something crafted for a mass-market non-fiction book.
On the smaller structural scale, at times, Fogle repeated himself about a paragraph later, as if he'd never related a particular fact or introduced a particular 'character' before. This made it seem very Groundhog-day at times.
However, one of the biggest issues was the general quality of the writing. Here's a few examples of things which just jumped out at me and made me unable to really connect with the book:
On the breeding of Labradors at the Malmesbury Estate: It seemed incredible that the dogs that had once been kept in these kennels were more than likely to have been the progeny for the millions and millions of Labradors across the world
Here, I'm almost certain he means 'progenitors' i.e. the parents of, rather than 'progeny', the children of. Not only should this have been picked up by any decent editor, but Fogle himself uses 'progenitors' correctly on several (too many) other occasions, so goodness knows what this was about.
On a service dog: Tony lost her sight six years ago, so Hetty also does the jobs that a traditional guide dog undertakes - helping Tony dress by removing her socks and trousers
That would be literally the least help a dog could give if you were trying to get dressed and it kept removing items of clothing.
Having written about David Blunkett's guide dog Lucy: Inca never met a prime minister, but she did once meet Michael Portillo...
What follows immediately about that ellipsis is a relation of how Inca developed epilepsy. Michael Portillo is never again mentioned, let alone in the context of the seemingly promised anecdote. Instead, we move from guide dogs to the illness of one dog which makes little sense. This kind of thing happened on a good few occasions.
Generally about Inca: Apart from my parents' dog, Maggi was the only dog that Inca ever really liked. Inca never really liked other dogs; I could probably say that Inca disliked most other dogs - she was more into people. I'm not sure if it was because she was bullied by the Collies on the island, or because she wasn't properly socialised, but Inca just really wasn't into other dogs.
Yes, in 3 sentences, Fogle says the same thing in 4 different ways, each of which feel like they were part of a draft and never got taken out in lieu of each other. Again, this kind of thing happens repeatedly, sometimes as blatantly as that, and sometimes across chapters - the almost never-ending explanation of the differences between working and show Labradors was a real treat.
On the terminology of dogs: As for sex, I have only ever known girls dogs, or bitches to give them their correct terminology. Why "bitch" I have no idea. I always think it makes me sound like Tupac Shakur or some gang member from the Bronx.
By this point (p. 249) I just had no clue if he was trolling. Because not only must he know - surely, he must know?? - but on the adjacent page, he has already said how uncomfortable he is with using the phrase 'black bitch', particularly in an email to Prince William (name-drop). This was far from the first time he'd used the word 'bitch' and he'd not expressed this sentiment before. Why now?
This book needed an editor so badly. Frankly, the publishers should be ashamed this saw the light of day in this form, and I have no idea why it was a Sunday Times bestseller.
'
August 12, 2020
The idea behind this book is lovely and heartwarming whilst being educational and historical. However the overall format is poor.
The book jumps backwards and forward for the entire duration. Many things are repeated several times. It feels messy and unorganised.
The personal stories of Ben and Inca are unarguably the best parts of this book, hearing about his cheeky labs adventures are delightful and make you smile whilst reading. On the other hand the history of the Labrador delves incredibly deeply that I do not think the average dog lover would be able to focus on the extensive founding of this breed of dog.
I love Labradors and have a male lab, so I love learning about their traits and habits but I found myself skimming many pages of in depth history, which is not typical of me.
The book is interesting and lovely but it is poorly structured and fluctuates so drastically in theme that it was somewhat difficult and I didn’t find myself looking forward to picking it up.
The book jumps backwards and forward for the entire duration. Many things are repeated several times. It feels messy and unorganised.
The personal stories of Ben and Inca are unarguably the best parts of this book, hearing about his cheeky labs adventures are delightful and make you smile whilst reading. On the other hand the history of the Labrador delves incredibly deeply that I do not think the average dog lover would be able to focus on the extensive founding of this breed of dog.
I love Labradors and have a male lab, so I love learning about their traits and habits but I found myself skimming many pages of in depth history, which is not typical of me.
The book is interesting and lovely but it is poorly structured and fluctuates so drastically in theme that it was somewhat difficult and I didn’t find myself looking forward to picking it up.
June 23, 2016
I just read this in one sitting and I cried three times. A great book. Trigger warning for some race and animal neglect history stuff.
January 22, 2020
Interesting and emotional roller-coaster of a book.
Labradors are awesome!
Labradors are awesome!
December 29, 2022
This would have been a lot shorter if he hadn’t kept repeating himself. If you love Labradors you’ll read this and probably enjoy it. If you don’t love them, you probably won’t read it so who cares?
September 1, 2021
Ben Fogle's ego (alternatively, his desire to pad a book with uninteresting titbits of his own life knowing he can't actually write a book on the title's subject better than the Wikipedia article), lacking knowledge yet confident statements on things he evidently knows nothing about, self-satisfaction at lines that aren't nearly as poignant as he thinks, reframing of his own creepy behaviour as meet-cute, and failure to actually examine the implications of his own hypocritical investment in the pure-breed dog market whilst critical of it beyond "hmm, maybe I do it" ruin what easily could have been a charming book about "the world's favourite dog". Read In Defence of Dogs instead, that book is far more aware of what it's trying to be and is far superior.
May 28, 2022
I very much enjoyed this book, at least from the beginning. However, I had troubles with the text now and then, had to reread sentences to really understand what Fogle meant. For example, he writes that after his dog Inca developed epilepsy, it was easier to leave her at home, although I think that it was more difficult to bring her along. Some references to films etc were totally lost on me, but perhaps I am too old or too foreign. However, I read a lot of books published in the UK, and seldom feel like this. He enthusiastically tells stories about fantastic Labradors, but more than one dog is first described as a Lab mix, only to later be referred to as a Labrador.
A god book that could have been so much better with some stricter editing and rewriting here and there.
A god book that could have been so much better with some stricter editing and rewriting here and there.
February 25, 2024
Not sure when I started this but think it was fairly soon after Christmas as I’d asked for it to be a present. As a lab owner this had been recommended on a Facebook forum so I was very excited about reading up about one of my favourite animals in the whole world. Unfortunately it didn’t meet expectations and has been a bit of a hard read. It never normally takes me this long to read a book!
There were plenty of typos, bad writing, poorly expressed scenarios and too many facts and figures at a time jumbled up with some nice and often emotional anecdotes.
A right mixture! The last few chapters might have been the best ones!
Sorry for the low rating, Ben. I’m a big fan of yours but this wasn’t your best work.
There were plenty of typos, bad writing, poorly expressed scenarios and too many facts and figures at a time jumbled up with some nice and often emotional anecdotes.
A right mixture! The last few chapters might have been the best ones!
Sorry for the low rating, Ben. I’m a big fan of yours but this wasn’t your best work.
August 28, 2018
This is a disappointing read. As a dog lover and Labrador owner, I had high hopes for this book but its disjointed nature, lack of structure and poor editing detracted from any positive aspects brought to it by Ben Fogle’s obvious love of and enthusiasm for the breed.
The historical account of the lineage of the Labrador and of the personalities engaged with bringing the dogs to the UK and the subsequent distribution of blood lines was really interesting but it rather ran out of steam thereafter. Fogle is a gentle soul but his apologetic tone for the N word (Guy Gibson’s famous black Labrador) and interjections over the use of biddable (there’s that word again) left me flat. Shame.
The historical account of the lineage of the Labrador and of the personalities engaged with bringing the dogs to the UK and the subsequent distribution of blood lines was really interesting but it rather ran out of steam thereafter. Fogle is a gentle soul but his apologetic tone for the N word (Guy Gibson’s famous black Labrador) and interjections over the use of biddable (there’s that word again) left me flat. Shame.
July 2, 2020
Sadly I have to agree with a lot of the reviews that suggest the publishers did Fogle a bit of a disservice with the editing of this book. At times it is frustratingly repetitive (often on pages that are next to one another) and lacks a consistent structure or purpose, which is all the more frustrating given there are passages in the book that are actually very interesting. It’s littered with strange spelling mistakes too. A bit more time and this could’ve been a solid book. However, as a small book it’s still worth reading for a Labrador loved - I particularly liked the stories about his own Labrador, Inca.
August 9, 2018
I have two Labradors - whom I adore! in fact, they're labradorable!(sorry) and this book is a great read for anyone who has ever owned, or owns one of these clever, cheeky, hungry dogs! I laughed cried and cringed my way through the book. I've stopped short of giving it five stars because in parts I just wanted to shout: "get on with it love - stop rambling!" but it's definitely worth reading. I listened to it on audible and it was read by Ben Fogle himself, which really brought it to life, as I could hear his emotions when he spoke of losing his beloved Inca!
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
December 9, 2025
A heart wrenching book. Very interesting history of Labrador dogs with a lot of tales of how they are used as working dogs by people. Overlapping all these stories is the story of Inca, Ben's dog, who many people got to watch and fall in love with on Castaway. It is a beautiful tribute to a wonderful animal, but it also rips out the hearts of those who adore dogs and makes me furious that dogs are made to do jobs considered too dangerous for people. It also made me cry on my break at work (even a phone call to tell me I had cancer didn't do that).
February 17, 2020
If you are a dog lover, do not read this book in public! I started it on a train and was nearly in tears by the time I’d finished the first 4 pages!
The rest of the book is a lovely amble through the history of the Labrador, with smatterings of Fogle’s own doggy experiences. The writing can feel a bit lost at times, flipping from subject to subject, but I really enjoyed reading the personal stories as they reminded me of my own Labrador adventures.
The rest of the book is a lovely amble through the history of the Labrador, with smatterings of Fogle’s own doggy experiences. The writing can feel a bit lost at times, flipping from subject to subject, but I really enjoyed reading the personal stories as they reminded me of my own Labrador adventures.
July 2, 2020
I laughed, I cried, I related.
I have a Labrador of my own so I felt every word of this book and it made me feel so much more connected and passionate about the breed.
Contrastingly, I did find the book very pretentious and the subtle snide remarks to other breeds were very off putting.
There were a few occasions in which I found the writing a little sloppy, the paragraphs didn’t flow and some parts seemed irrelevant, but I did enjoy it. A quick, factual and emotional read.
I have a Labrador of my own so I felt every word of this book and it made me feel so much more connected and passionate about the breed.
Contrastingly, I did find the book very pretentious and the subtle snide remarks to other breeds were very off putting.
There were a few occasions in which I found the writing a little sloppy, the paragraphs didn’t flow and some parts seemed irrelevant, but I did enjoy it. A quick, factual and emotional read.
January 5, 2023
Many great sections discussing history of the Labrador and the incredible diversity of roles this breed fulfils. This book includes some truly heart warming and inspiring tales of various Labradors.
What lets it down for me is that there is a fair bit of repetition and too many anecdotes about the author's own personal life which I didn't care for.
If you are a lover of Labradors then worth a read and if you are also a fan of Ben Fogle then a must buy
What lets it down for me is that there is a fair bit of repetition and too many anecdotes about the author's own personal life which I didn't care for.
If you are a lover of Labradors then worth a read and if you are also a fan of Ben Fogle then a must buy
June 1, 2024
As a dog trainer with a particular fondness for Labradors I picked up this book to learn more about the worlds most popular breed. Although the contents of the book itself were not without interesting points and canine history I think that the way the book was constructed was what let it down. It's like each section of each topic is chopped up and scattered at random leading to this leap frog style of reading.
October 22, 2024
While I enjoyed this book, it’s just a 3 Star read for me. I’m not sure you’d enjoy it if you don’t have a Labrador. It’s very repetitive, which becomes a bit tiresome at times. If I hear the word ‘Biddability’ ever again, I’m going to scream. It was a book that needed a better edit. It was interesting hearing about the history of the Labrador, but apart from that, I didn’t learn much new information.
July 13, 2025
I started reading this after a break in reading for a while and worried it was me losing my concentration, but having read the reviews I’m relieved to see I’m not the only one. It was lovely to read snippets about Inca and a history of the Labrador, but there was a little too much history and other parts that made me nearly put it down several times. A proof reader could have sorted out the problem, perhaps. It was messy but because I love my Labrador, I persisted with it.
April 30, 2018
I love Labrador’s which is what made me choose this book. As expected the author Ben Fogle talks a lot about Inca and why wouldn’t he? I did however learn about where my own Labrador comes from. It’s ancestry and how the breed became the most recognisable dog breed in the world. An easy pleasant read.
October 19, 2019
As a few others have said here, this is an overall decent book that would be better for a tighter editor. Odd repetition, even within chapters, one paragraph that didn’t make any sense on p205 (about a man and Lab in 1988, then then getting an award in 2018... yet the dog was 8? What, time travel now??). A tighter structure would have bumped this to 4*.
October 5, 2021
Agree with many other reviewers, too much repetition.
I luckily only bought this second hand from a charity shop. Picked it up as I like Ben Fogle's tv work and my son has a black lab and intended to read it and pass it on to him. I gave up well before 1/2 way, passed on to my son but I don't expect him to finish it.
I luckily only bought this second hand from a charity shop. Picked it up as I like Ben Fogle's tv work and my son has a black lab and intended to read it and pass it on to him. I gave up well before 1/2 way, passed on to my son but I don't expect him to finish it.
May 28, 2017
This book has two of my favourite things Ben Fogle and Labradors but I stopped reading after 150 pages.... I was so excited to read this book but it was repetitive and meandering. I got bored.... I always try to finish books but this one got the better of me 😢
June 17, 2017
I should have really enjoyed this book and while it was interesting, I found myself often losing concentration and drifting off into a daydream. If you are a Labrador fan as I am it's worth a read but it won't be the best book you've ever read.
August 19, 2017
I love Labs and was really looking forward to finding out more about them. I really enjoyed the stories about the the history and accomplishments of the breed. I would have like more of that and less of the personal anecdotes. I lost interest and found it hard to finish the last few chapters.
Displaying 1 - 30 of 63 reviews