Hi, I'm Adam and I just adopted a "Lab Mix" puppy. I don't know what the "mix" part is. The Lab part is obvious. A friend told me he looks like he's part "Pointer." Another friend suggested that he's part Siamese cat - but I have my doubts about that. Any way, Romeo (the name of my puppy) is a wonderful, playful, beautiful puppy and I want to do right by him. I have never actually raised a puppy myself, but I've lived in a house where others have raised and trained dogs so I'm not completely unfamiliar with the process. Still, I have some gaps in my knowledge. I joined this forum to help me fill in those gaps. To that end, right now, I have two questions... 1)Is it important to find out what the "mix" portion of the puppy is? 2)I've adopted him from a shelter. He comes from a "motherless" litter. I can't get more information from the original owners (if he ever even had an original owner.) How does one go about finding what the "mix" portion might be?
Congratulations! I dunno about the cat part ... my lab mix does a lot of rubbing and leaning on my legs. I'm not a vet or a breeder. Johnny is our 4th shelter dog. We take our dogs to the vet as soon as possible for a thorough exam and heartworm test. Also to register the microchip. You could ask the vet what he thinks about the mix and whether there is any reason to get more information. If you're curious there is a genetic test, Wisdom, I *think*, that's supposed to provide information about breeds. Ask the vet if he thinks this is worthwhile. I might do this if I suspected the pup was mixed with a giant breed (Great Dane, Cane Corso or the like) because then I would be more careful about stairs and play involving leaping and jumping so I could limit the stress on young and quickly growing joints. Of course you could probably make a good guess by appearance and size. We're reasonably certain Johnny is a lab Plott Hound mix because his alert barking ends with a crescendo howl, and because he fetched up at our city SPCA after transfer from an affiliate in the south, where Plott Hounds are extremely popular. You could ask the shelter if your pup was a local intake or a transfer, and from where. This may be helpful? One reason not to do genetic testing is if you live somewhere with breed specific legislation. Pit bulls, a catch all for several breeds, were (are?) very popular and unfortunately at least where I live, often dumped or left to stray. In cities a lot of dogs are pit mixes. It doesn't sound like this is the case if a friend said he looked part pointer? Spotted feet & legs? Welcome and enjoy your new friend.
Our Lab mix came from a kill shelter in Mississippi. We were told Lab/Catahoula. He has the Lab look. Not sure about the other. We had a DNA test done just for fun of it. It came back Lab,Border collie, Beagle,Whippet,Feist. Not sure how accurate it is . I don't think it's really possible to know exactly what breeds make up a mixed breed dog anyway.
Hi @Adamf welcome to you and your new pup. It is possible to have a DNA test to find out what 'mix' you have but I'm not sure how reliable the tests are. Are you worried as to what mix of breeds your pup may be?
Hi @Adamf knowing the breeds of your dog may influence the type of training you will pursue. I have a Lab. I know she has a genetic disposition to retrieve. I also saw the engagement in that activity when she was a puppy. So retrieving might be something I would teach her because it was something that engaged here naturally. I would never attempt to teach her to do flushing. I might succeed in getting some manifestation of the behaviour. But it's not a behaviour in her make up or disposition. I don't think she would enjoy it very much.
I wouldn't say I'm worried. I just feel the information might be helpful in understanding behavior and training. But this is a good dog. He's a bit bitey, but I understand that it is typical at this age. He's playing and I don't see any signs of true aggression. Thanks for the response.
I think it's interesting to know what mix your dog is. We know what our 2 are. I haven't let it intentionally alter my training, but it probably has subconsciously. I try to train the dog in front of me, work out what floats their boat. Knowing Meg is half Border Collie helps me understand some of her traits though.
It'd be nice to see a picture of him, to guess his breed? I know there are DNA tests out there that say what breed your dog is. You never know he might have some chihuahua in him or something surprising like that! My dog (as far as I know) is 100% labrador but I've always been told by a lot of people he looks part Golden retriever. Wisdom Panel and Embark are good ones to go for if you want to know what breed he is. It can also tell if he has any inherited conditions you may need to be mindful of.
Hi Guys, I am new to this forum, but reading it for a long time now. We took a female Puppy that ist a supposed to be a mix or cross breed Labrador and smtg else we couldn' t find out yet. You are quite experienced here, any ideas of the breed?
My last dog was an amazing unknown mix breed, and I still sometimes wish I'd got her DNA tested. It wouldn't have affected her training or life in any way but it's something I still wonder about.
Im having the same issue buddy.I adopted a lab mix (i dont know the other breed too).Hes bitey too(sometimes it bleeds) Anyone?i would appreciate some help here
