Where did Labrador Retrievers originate?

The Labrador Retriever did not originate from Labrador, as their name suggests, but from Newfoundland, Canada as early as the 1500s. It is suspected that either Norse explorers or Portuguese and Basque fishermen brought Labrador Retrievers to Canada as early as the 1500s. 

Labrador Retrievers are the descendants of St. John water dogs (hence their natural and true love of the water). In the 1700s, they were brought to England by estate owners, and soon after, the third Earl of Malmesbury gave them the designation of “Labradors.”