Why are Labrador retrievers so popular? Why are they the number one favorite dog breed in the U.S., Canada and the U.K. year after year? Many of you know from experience. You’ve had other breeds and they just don’t compare. We hear people tell as all the time that they’ve had Labs and they’ve had other breeds and, after owning a Lab, they’ll never go back to anything else. We get it. So, what qualities make a Lab so special?