I posted a few weeks ago some questions since I was about to get a new puppy, unfortunately there was complications with the litter and now searching again. Don't know if it makes a difference but the search is for a lab from Canada, maybe every country has the same profile/temperament regardless whenever it is born. Anyways now I am focused on an American Labrador not English. You can read 100 different opinions on the web. I read they are easy to train faithful like the English but more head strong. I am not looking for a hunter it will be a family dog and will be exercised a lot. To give me a bit more information and help me make a decision on all I read, can these dogs be used as guide dogs, this is not my intention at all but will give me a good idea if it can stay as a good family dog. I am thinking if they can be a guide dog than it will be a good dog similar to English. Thank you again, this site and the people are great. Hope I do not get many more set back, we were looking forward to the puppy.
Hi Madone, my lab maisy was bred by gundog breeders and is a slim type working dog, American style you would say, not the chunky English show dog type. She has an excellent temperament and gets on well with children and all sorts of other people, she likes everyone. In her litter, one of her siblings was taken to be trained as a guide dog so they must have been confident that the dog would have a suitable temperament for this purpose. I don't know if there is a noticeable difference in the 2 types regards to personality, ability etc., if you socialise your dog with everyone, children etc., then I don't see why there would be a problem. You will probably get feedback from one of the forum members who trains guide dogs which should be helpful for you. Hope this helps a bit, what a shame you could not get your pup, you must have been looking forward to it.
Guide dogs in most countries have their own very careful breeding programmes so, no, it’s unlikely that any dog brought in from an outside litter, whether physically more like a show- or field-bred dog, would make the cut as a GD although many will be trained as other types of service dog. There are a few generalisations that are often made between show line and field line dogs, but they are just that, generalisations. Your best bet, after ticking off all the necessary health checks, is to ensure you like the temperament of both parents. This is the biggest indicator of how the puppies will turn out. If either parent is nervy, there’s a good chance the pups will be. If they are both solid, laid-back family dogs who get on with everyone, chances are the pups will be. I think the thing about field dogs being easier to train is a bit of a misnomer. They are often bred to have a higher drive to do the jobs that they need to do in the field. This means they will work through a lot more to do that. In traditional training, this means they will often be able to put up with more pain from undergrowth and physical corrections and still want to fetch the game. With modern techniques, it’s not necessary to inflict pain on your dog, of course. A very high-drive dog can be a bad fit for a family scenario as he will want to be hunting when he’s on walks and may go self-employed (roaming) if allowed. But, not every field-bred dog is high drive, either. Look at the temperament of the parents - both parents, if possible - to make your choice of whether any potential puppy will be a good fit.
I ditto what Fiona says - look at both parents temperaments as they are a good indicator as to what your pup will be like. You can train a dog to how you want - what you put in is what you will get out.
Echo completely what Fiona says - parents are the best indicators of what a pup will be like - my boy is a mix of both lines - working and show with his father being from show lines - so I have a very slim lab with a block head (just smaller than a pure show line). Then again environment and upbringing I believe have a large influence too - my boy loves everyone on two legs and expects them to love him back, is really good with other dogs, especially those younger or smaller than him (one of his best playmates is a French Bulldog), but he does have a strong hunting drive - which is actually handy with my OH being a groundsman for a rugby club with an issue with rabbits - so although we are not training him as a gundog he does hunt naturally but only at the club - he ignores squirrels in the park for example.
I would like to thank everyone for your tips and responses. You are very appreciated and this is a great forum.
