Our Sierra who is approaching 7 months appears to be a combination of an English and American Lab. We were told by the breeder that she is full English and here papers indicate such but she doesn’t have the block head of the wide body or Otter tail that our prior English Lab had. I’m not sure she is full English Lab. She resembles both English & and American Lab , what do you all think?
I think it only matters if you wanted to show her in conformation. Is that Sierra in your avatar? It's a hard photo to tell by but if I had to guess I think her head looks more show/bench bred than field bred. Or did you mean nationality? My boy is bench bred with lines from England, the U.S. and Canada.
Hullo there! I would have to say, there is no "formal" distinction between American and English Labs, in that, they are all Labradors. No "type" is more or less "Labrador" than the other. In the UK, we tend to talk more about "field" vs "show" types, but they are still all Labradors. I think it's a shame to have a distinction at all, but there is one, so I guess, for now at least, we need to live with it. So, with that in mind, I would say that my two Labs are from field lines - meaning, they've not been bred to look like Labs should! They are far slimmer-framed (I'm not talking body fat percentage, I'm talking about bone structure) and leggier than the breed standard dictates. They don't have the amazing square head of a good show-bred Labrador. And yet, they are 100% Labrador. I have two from the same litter, we have another in our village, and I see two other brothers from the same litter fairly regularly. Physically, they are all very, very different. I don't think you can say that any Lab is "full field/American" or "full show/English" - it doesn't really mean anything. Kennel Clubs don't recognise a difference between the two.
Hello and thanks for the reply, yes that is her in the avatar. I don't know the term "bench bred". We won't be showing her we love her regardless but she is much different looking than our prior English Lab which had a big block head & wide body.
Thank you for the reply and the information. Indeed Sierra is full Labrador we are sure of that. We were expecting her to look more like our prior English Lab, with the big block head & wide body. None the less she is a very nice looking dog and I can tell will be a good dog as she has been learning a lot from the classes we take her to.
I'd say that Sierra is just not a hugely stocky dog. Even within the 'show' types and 'field' types there is a lot of variation (within litters too). My dog has all show dogs in his ancestry (ie they were all actively shown) and yet he is not a hugely chunky dog. And as Snowbunny says it doesn't really mean anything to be 'pure' show or 'pure' English. They is no formal distinction (thank goodness) even though in general terms show types are usually more solid and squarer and field types tend to be lighter and a bit pointier in build. Sierra actually looks like a really, really nice dog to me. The type of Labradors I like are the show type but at the less stocky, more athletic end of the scale. Sierra looks like that to me. She has a nice head. You maybe are comparing her to some super chunky dogs? She looks just right to me
Was your previous Lab a boy or a girl? Girls tend to be finer whatever their heritage. Your girl in your avatar picture is definitely broader of head than both of my two, even though she's still a baby. Like I said, the distinction between show/field vs English/American is a fairly ethereal thing. Ideally, they would be the same beast and both conform to the breed standard and be fit to work. The whole idea of a breed standard is to ensure the dogs that are shown are fit for the job intended. Sadly, there does seem to have been a parting of way along the line that means that lots of "working bred" dogs, mine included, differ a huge amount from the written standard and, meanwhile, the judges at shows sometimes seem to favour more the heavier dogs that don't actually show off the breed to its full potential. Dogs similar to Rachael's Obi (@Oberon) are what my ill-informed eye would like to see becoming the "norm". An obvious "Labrador" which is still athletic and strong.
I think she is a very good looking girl. A little more of a block head than Cooper. Both of our Labs are Field Stock but Tilly looks more like a Show style than Cooper, although Tilly is too short, and Cooper is too tall.
