American and British Lab Mix

The pup my wife wants is an AKC yellow lab that also happens to be snow white. The breeder in my area specializes in the British Labrador but it so happens this pup is a mix between the American (field) Lab and the British Lab. Some say we're getting the best of both worlds --not quite sure what those worlds are-- but I was keen on the Brit lab because of it's calmer temperament. It seems to be well established that the field lab is more energetic and takes longer to mature. Maybe I won't and can't know which personality I'll get with the mix. So, what do you think?

 

I wouldn't assume you would get the best of both worlds with a cross between a field Lab and a show Lab - you might get the worst of both worlds! Although there is nothing really awful about either side, so more than likely you'd end up with a delightful dog.

For me it would still be about the quality of the parents - do they both have excellent health tests and excellent temperaments and are they a good match (eg if one is a carrier for a genetic disease, is the other clear, and does the pairing result in a low CoI)? If yes, then you increase your chances of the puppy being the same, and healthy.

If all the health checks are ok, then it would depend on what you want to do with the dog - if you want to go shooting (hunting) you may be better off with a field Lab, but if you care about a dog with classic Labrador looks then a show line dog is a better bet.

It is really hard to generalise about the characteristics of the two different lines. I have a show line dog that is as mad as a hatter, is definitely not calmer than the average field Labrador, is high energy, and at 2.5years old often acts like an 8 week old puppy.

 

My girl has a mix of both field and show line. Her dad has one in the show ring here in France and competed in field trials with success. I wasn't particularly aware of the mix until reading her 5 level genealogy when it came through the post. For me she is an absolute delight and everything I ever wished for. So as Julie T says it depends on what your priorities are and that for us the priority is the health results of the parents.

 

Yep I go for healthy parents who have been rigeroulsly tested for all the usual and have good hip/elbow scores but also i like to see if the parents have nice friendly temperments.
I've met most of my dogs mums and dads and like them all. Doug and Midges mum was one of the most lovely labs I have ever met, such a sweet dog. They both have inherited her sweetness and intelligence.

 

It's also worth seeing what the breeder has achieved with his/her dogs - if you want a calm dog, then looking for lines that have provided therapy dogs, or assistance dogs would be good. If you want to do agility, gundog work etc. look for achievements in those kind of sports.

 

JulieT That's interesting about checking what the breeder does with her animals, it's one of the things that really attracted me to Juno's breeder and the published health scores for them all. Both Juno's parents do pets as therapy work, as do all the breeders dogs including her King Charles, in a local home for those with disability, alzheimers etc. She also has 4 boys one of whom is autistic so she has become trained in providing therapy for children with "problems" and holds residential weekends/weeks and again all the dogs and the other animals are involved in the therapy - they have sheep, goats, chickens, donkeys, and a couple of ponies at the last count. When she has puppies the children are involved as part of their therapy in looking after the puppies.

 

I will add, is the breeder advertising the dogs as being snow white? Check out all the things mentionned above very carefully then. That could be a sign of trading on a colour, especially as Labs officially only come in yellow, black and chocolate. Some yellows can be very light but they are still called yellow.

The differences between field bred and bench or show bred are generalities. My own bench bred Lab is a very high energy boy and impressed the heck out of our field trainer. A good breeder can direct you to the puppy showing the temperament that should fit best with your family. In one litter some are usually more low or high key than others.

If the breeder concentrates on bench/show Labs how did a litter come to be a mix of field and bench?

Oh, and the terms American and British are better used to denote country of origin. My boy is Canadian. He has Canadian, U.S. and British lines in him and he is from a show, sometimes called a bench, breeder. He's 8 years old but he thinks he is 8 months old, so much for maturity.

 

My working line labrador has a very calm and mature personality. Even as a puppy people used to comment on how self-possessed she was... I guess the differences really are just generalizations.

 

Actually...who said Show Line dogs were calm anyway? I mean, do we even know anyone who has a calm one?

 

My last Lab Tess was Show Line , calm was not a descriptive I would have used for her As a puppy, manic, busy, hyper , bitey , a complete and utter loon, not that much better as an adult but more obedient Sam on the other hand , ( working lines ) was calm and serious as a puppy and still is , love the characteristics of both .

 

Jura - working line, is a calm and serious wee puppy the majority of the time, whereas our old lab Sam (many years previously) was a show line lab, and was completely the opposite - big, boisterous and hyper right up to the age of 14 when he sadly passed away!

 

Thanks for the comments. The breeder is fully licensed in my State and all her sires and dams are AKC registered with health histories and testing known. The pups parents are EIC clear, CMN clear, PRA clear, OFA Good/Normal. I've no idea what any of that means but it sounds good.

I agree that one doesn't know what they'll get as a dog matures but typically I'd say the english lab is considered to have a calmer temperament. I'd prefer a less energetic companion.

 

I don't know any LOL!!!!

 

This might interest you - good luck with your search Which Type of Labrador Makes the Best Pet

 

Our second Lab, Tilly, is a mix. Her dad was an American style Field Trial Champion, and her mom was an English style Master Hunter. Tilly took after her mom in conformation, and after neither of them in hunting ability. I did not plan to hunt her, but she is the least birdy dog I've ever seen.

Cooper is all American stock. If anything she will be too tall even by the American standard. Contrary to some of the American descriptions she has more of an otter tail than most labs I've seen (much more than Tilly). Her tail is huge with no feathering. It is death on coffee tables, except she is so tall that it clears a lot of things.

One of the descriptions of Field Trial dogs is that they live about 5ft off the ground. Cooper is very high energy, but she is also more likely to want to be close to us than is Tilly. I don't remember if Tilly was quite as high energy as a puppy, but I think probably so.

Many of you are probably aware that the "Dogs for the Blind" folks have a breeding program that concentrates on very light colored Yellow Labs, with particular temperament for their purpose. Their success rate in training guide dogs has gone up very high since they did this. Some of the very light Yellow Labs may be from their breeding programs.

 

Hi everyone. I am brand new to the site and will be getting my first lab puppy this summer. (We have experience with other smaller breeds of dog). I want a lab who will be a great companion and family member. We live in the city, with a house with a back yard and plenty of opportunities for outdoor activity. Friends with labs have said we need to get an English style lab as they tend to be calmer. Having read the above comments, it seems that there is a lot of variation in temperament and activity levels in any kind of lab. My question is: The breeder who I plan to get my puppy from, who has been breeding for 20 years, is currently expecting a litter - Mom is an English/American cross, who is said to be very calm, and dad is an English type, who is also very calm. Does this sound good to you experienced lab owners? Thanks.

 

Hello and welcome!

As far as things go, that sounds good. But I would definitely say - go and visit the breeder and meet the mother, and if possible the father too. Do your research, and find out out about previous puppies from this particular bitch - if possible, talk to owners of other puppies from this breeder. If the health scores are good for for both parents, and you like like both of them and feel good about the breeder and his/her setup, then you'll have the best idea of whether this could be the right litter for you.

 

Thanks! I will contact the breeder and check out the parents.

 

The term "calm" is an interesting one. What does it really mean? Calm as in (1) likes to laze around all day, or calm as in (2) confident and easy with other dogs and kids? I have an English Lab. For the first two years he was anything but definition (1) of calm!! Yes he was confident, no anxiety issues at all, friendly, happy-go-lucky, never sat on the balcony and barked, loved spending time with the kids in the park (screaming kids did not bother him one bit). But boy oh boy, the energy! Left us exhausted. However, at 4.5 years old, he lazes around at home but loves -- and needs -- his walks and outings. As a new Lab owner, I was taken by surprise by how much energy my pup had and by how much interaction he needed with me. And I was envious of friends (with other breeds) who described how their dogs slept until they woke up (even late on Sundays) or how their dogs were happy to lie quietly at their feet at a café. From what I understand, Lab puppies are high energy and boisterous, no matter English or American! And they are late to mature, meaning the puppy stays in them for a while! Perhaps as they mature, the English lines become more sedentary while the American lines do not?

 

I have an English lab, who apparently is very calm. Minus he has humping issues which we are working on. But he's 5 months old now. hasn't ruined anything in the house. Hasn't destroyed any toys yet. Listens very well. In puppy class he was one of the calm laid back ones. Don't get me wrong. He absolutely loves to play, go for hikes, go to the lake for swims, go to the dog park and play with dogs. But when at home he is perfectly happy just lying at my feet playing with a toy or snoozing.

That being said... One of his litter mates was in our puppy class. She was very smart just like Axel, but high strung! Jumping up on people. Barking. Whining. She just wanted to play play play lol. Very sweet as well just like my Axel.

We picked the calmest of the litter. We had picked up a few of the very excited ones cuz they were super excited to see us but they would nip and bark and try to wiggle away. Where as Axel kept trying to escape the puppies climbing all over him and would curl up in a ball in the corner. I picked him up and he cuddled in my arms for an hour

So, regardless of which style of Lab.. I think you can get more high energy or less energy with either of them. It all depends on what you want. But from my experience if you want a calmer one then pick the one keeping to itself.

Regardless of which, you'll end up with a wonderful dog who will love you unconditionally!

sorry I kind of ranted more than I intended!