Ive noticed that our boy Gus is slightly different compared to other lab pups we have met. One couple even asked how i was able to get an american lab ( i live in the UK) and i had no idea he even was one. I know hes not a mix as i have his papers but i would like to know if anyone can tell if he is american or english. Ill add a photo of him and his parents Thanks Okay im not able to add photos for some reason but if anyone has an American Labrador could you post a pic below and i can compare to Gus?
Your boy's pedigree papers will tell you what he is. Does he have mainly field or show types in his ancestry?
Hi @Isaac, there is a huge variance between labrador types in the UK, ranging from petite and small to tall and rangy, and then you have the naturally more stocky build of the show bred labrador. @edzbird has made a very good point, have a look at the pedigree papers, they will tell you if there are any imports in your lab's line. If you want to upload a photo, you will need to use a third party hosting site, such as flickr. Forum supporters who pay a subscription enjoy free direct uploads and no adverts when browsing the forum. Lots of guidance in our "technical help" section https://thelabradorforum.com/forums/technical-help.18/
Hi Isaac, the term American Lab is an imported term that originates in the USA where they call Labs from show lines 'English' and Labs from working gundog lines 'American'. The terminology has filtered over here now, but when someone says 'American' Lab they usually simply mean working type. If your Lab is working type he may have some Field Trial Champions in his pedigree. They have a FTCH next to their name.
My pup is field (American) bred and I'm based in the UK. He's definitely smaller than the typical show bred labs that seem to be more common around here, so much so that we're forever getting comments about how 'slight' he is. He's currently 6 months and weighs 18.5kg and his mum and dad are 22kg and 28kg so definitely on the lighter end as far as labs are concerned.
Ive had a look at the papers & it doesnt seem to say. I have his 5 generation lines but i think the ones mentioning the working or show lines is on another one that i havent ordered. Since the 5 gen was 40GBP i bought it on its own but there are other ones you can buy on the kennel club site so im thinking one of those has got to say.
If you have a name you can look up the pedigree through Champdogs In the link below, on the left hand side, where it says "search champdogs" just enter the full kennel club name of the dog you want to look up. The results are on the right, just click the right name and the whole pedigree will come up. https://www.champdogs.co.uk/cgi-bin1/extsearch.cgi?q=Ft+Ch+Saxaphone+Express&x=0&y=0
It doesn't have to say....there is no reason why your dog HAS to be either working line or show line. For some reason, it's common for people to say that any dog who isn't clearly working line, is show line. But most Labradors haven't come from a breeder serious about breeding for the ring for yonks and yonks. I think most Labradors are 'pet bred' - that is, bred for the pet market, and that is a very good thing. A dog bred with the temperament to be a good pet, and for health, is an excellent thing. So you very well may not find field or show champions in your dog's recent history. And nothing at all wrong with that! Or you may - if you look hard enough - find that your dog is a mix of both....
