Hi everyone! We're thinking about a puppy and I'm thinking I might be crazy, but moving on... ... I know English labs are generally more mellow and less "hyper". Does this go for the puppy years also? I also heard they could possibly chew less. What are your thoughts out there? Thanks! Meg
I think that ALL puppies will chew, all puppies are hyper and all puppies can be a complete nightmare be them Labradors or not - My lab is an english lab - his parentage shows a few field trial winners on his dads side and some show winners on his mums, so (in terms of temprement) im hoping he will have the trainability but also the element of the couch potato. So far so good - but apparently a couple of his litter mates are really hard work, very vocal, very chewy and I am so grateful suggested Murphy for us as his temprement is spot on - as labs go he isnt that chewy or hyper - so for us I think it was more about which one in the litter he was as opposed to his background.
My labrador is from field line not show line. She is a different shape from show line (speaking generally, as there are obviously variations in each type). I wanted a lighter weight and more agile labrador and I think I got it right for me. As she matures (now just approaching 15 months) we will be able to go further and longer on walks and maybe I will be able able to run with her. When we go for walks she runs the whole time. However, I saw a show type lab in the park today that was quite heavy and she was bouncing about and having a good old run around. Don't get a labrador counting on it being a lay-about .
I'd agree with murphthesmurf.... puppies from the same litter can be very very different. Pongo is classic show line (I think that is what you call 'English lab') and is very, very laid back - except when he meets other dogs or humans! He still went through the bitey crocodog phase when he was a puppy - I don't think you can avoid that. He was the calmest, quietest pup in the litter. The breeder actually steered us away from his more vocal, playful brother, because she said that that dog would need lots of stimulation and she wanted him to go to a family with young kids to keep him amused. She pointed us towards Pongo (who was actually so quiet we'd hardly noticed him!) and we are so glad she did - he is an absolutely beautiful, mellow and 'sensible' dog. He still goes completely nuts and crazy at times round the garden, it has us rolling on the floor in laughter!
Hello! And a very warm welcome. In the UK, Labradors are classed as "Field" or "Show". I think by English you mean "Show". I have a 100% show line Lab, he is as mad as a box of frogs, and an Olympic champion at chewing. He is a fit and agile 28kg and can retrieve the pants off many a working line pet Labrador. Compared to working line Labradors that have actually been trained to work though, he is a lot more excitable and makes more noise (but is quieter than most spaniels or HPRs). He is slower at sprinting, but seems to be stronger and have a bit more endurance and will train for longer and return to training quicker.
Hello from Molly and me. Molly is 22 months and an English or Field Labrador. She is a very athletic, lean dog. Like Show line Charlie she is Hyper. She was a great chewer as a pup, although she still enjoys a 'chew' it is many months since she damaged anything. She now has a very soft mouth and although she thinks it is great fun to pinch things, she very rarely damages them.
Hi and a warm welcome from me too . My four year old black Lab Sam is my fourth Labrador . However, he is my first field bred ( working bred ) Lab , the others were all show line . Sam is big, very big, he weighs 38 kilos but carries very little fat , its all muscle and bone, plus he is taller that your average Lab but he is athletic and fast . He is a totally different dog to all my others, very serious , very sensitive and a passionate retriever . He is sociable but if training, he is blind to everything but the task in hand, including other dogs . My other Labs were more playful , more naughty and on the whole, more sociable, but then, I love them all, they may differ in some ways but they are all lovely
My boy is working line and he's a lightweight 27kgs. He's a sensitive soul and like them all gets excited about some things and not others. He was pretty easy as a puppy and not a crazy chewer. I think he takes after his mum. Rather than generalising over "types" I would be more inclined to find a breeder who breeds a consistent temperament and look at the parents, particularly mum.
Thanks everyone! I love this forum, you're all so helpful. I'm a little confused with all the terms: field, working, english, american, show - OH MY! When I speak of an English lab as we call them here in the US, I mean the blockier heads and more stockier type of lab. Supposedly more mellow. So is it true, that when you look at the litter, the quieter one maybe actually be a quieter puppy/adult. Obviously there are no guarantees I realize....
By English Lab you mean show (or bench) Lab. A lot of the UK bred show (bench) Labs are moderate compared to some of the US bred show (bench) Labs and weigh little more or less than US bred field Labs. Just to add extra confusion to it.... There is an article here: http://www.thelabradorsite.com/which...-work-or-show/ And one (from a US breeder) here: http://www.woodhavenlabs.com/english-american.html
Show is heavier set, stockier with a blocker head as you describe. Working is lighter weight, can be thinner coated and at their least lab like can have a whippety look about them with pointy faces and thinner tails. They are often leggier too although some of the appearance of that is due to carrying less weight. Not all show bred dogs are overweight but generalising grossly I'd say it's more likely to find one carrying a bit extra particularly as people who actually show seem to prefer this...... *stands back from can of worms*
Hi and welcome from me and Juno here in rural France. Juno is a 13 months old chocolate girl with a mix of Field and Show Champions in her pedigree. She is an absolute star in that she settled very quickly, was never really a crocopup, didn't chew anything she shouldn't but can still be as mad as the Labrador when the mood takes (which is around once a day ) and I wouldn't change her for the world
*sharp intake of breath* Charlie says "Oi, check out my show line waist". 16028554152_a089f48aea_k (2) by julieandcharlie julieandcharlie, on Flickr I don't think it's much to do with show or working line per se. People who engaged in a lot of sports or training with their dogs tend to have thiner dogs. Pets dogs that I see are generally overweight - working line labs, show line labs, staffies, poodles, GSPs, and real mixes of cross breeds...it seems to me that the average inactive pet, without a training hobby, is likely to be overweight whatever its breeding or breed.
Charlie is a svelte boy there's no doubt of that and I think he's gorgeous. I guess I was reflecting the hideous practice of having "condition" on a dog which only happens in show lines because only in shows is that desirable. Lazy and/or over feeding pet homes will make a fat dog of any breed or breeding agreed. Labradors that are fit for purpose regardless of breeding will not be fat.
Yes, for sure, I cringe when I see Charlie's sister (in the show ring) - she is too heavy. But lots of breeds are not too heavy in the show ring, and yet the pet dogs of those breeds are still too fat. I guess I think it's nothing to do with the show ring, really - and that's a distraction in the debate of solving the problem. I do wonder what the solution is though....
