What kind of labradors are there

Just like the B genes, there are two genes at this locus, one from each parent. E genes will determine if the B genes are expressed or not. The big E gene is dominant and does not interfere with the B genes.

The little e gene is recessive and masks the B gene. This masking results in a yellow coat, rather than a black or chocolate coat. Labradors with EE or Ee in their genome will be either black or chocolate depending on their B genes , but dogs with ee in their genome will have a yellow coat:.

A pair of black Labs can have black, yellow or chocolate puppies. When you mix Labradors with other dog breeds, things get even more complicated! Another complicated part of their genetics is the idea of dilute genes!

The D genes can either be big D, which is a dominant gene and results in a non-diluted coat, while little d is a recessive gene that results in a diluted color. A chocolate Lab with DD genes would be chocolate. However, a chocolate Lab with dd would have a color that looks like a diluted chocolate. They appear silver in the sunlight. This dilution can also occur in yellow to produce champagne or in black to produce charcoal Labs.

Breeders often perform genetic tests on their breeding stock to accurately predict the possible Lab colors their puppies could be. Other breeders skip this expensive step and just opt for a beautiful surprise of puppies who can pretty much be any color possible!

Most black Labs are entirely black. But, some have one or two white spots on their fur. This interruption in their solid black coat is due to genetic traces left from their late ancestor, the St. The black Labrador Retriever was historically the most common coat color. Even today, nearly half of all Labs are black! When Retrievers were first bred, black coated dogs were the only pups deemed acceptable.

Their popularity was driven by two reasons:. Sadly, until the 20th century, all other Lab colors would be euthanized shortly after birth. They were not valued the same way black Labradors were. Their dark coat color helped them blend in and move stealthily while hunting or participating in field trials.

These Labs tend to have the strongest hunting instincts as their black coats were historically bred for hunting. Even to this day, they are focused, diligent workers. Many owners regard black Labs as the calmest and most affectionate of all Lab colors.

However, there is no scientific evidence to back up this claim. Chocolate Labs are the rarest of the three major Lab colors. These dogs are rarely used for hunting or working, but are champions in the show ring!

Their color stuns judges and earns high marks in conformation shows. Some are a rich chocolate while others are a dark brown color known as liver. Aside from appearance, the temperament of the American Labrador Retriever is closer to that of a working dog character. They are more active and energetic, precisely because they are used more often to carry out the physically intensive exercise required of working dogs. In the home, this means they will need more exercise. Since they have been developed to be hunting dogs, they have a more acute hunting instinct.

While this is very useful on the farm, it is something which needs to be considered when adopting an American Labrador Retriever into the family. They need to be cared for by a guardian who can properly educate and teach them. Most importantly, their hunting instinct needs to be channeled into healthy behaviors.

If this does not happen, they may be more likely to attack other pets or even members of the family. The reason for this is because they have been typically bred to be show dogs. While the majority will be used as companion animals, their genetic history has been geared toward their personal appearance more than ability to hunt.

Since the English type Labrador Retriever has not been bred as a working dog, they are not generally as athletic. The English Labrador Retriever has a larger frame and a slightly stockier build than their American cousin. They are also a late-maturing dog which can develop a fairly thick body and be more prone to obesity. This is especially the case with neutered dogs. They have relatively wide-set legs, a shorter snout and a moderately sized head.

The character of the English Labrador Retriever is delightful. They are very friendly, playful and affectionate. They make an ideal family pet. They are particularly good dogs for children.

However, they will also need education, even if they are not a working dog. As with any dog, they may develop behavioral problems without it. I had a wonderful lab named Tidus. He was a mix I believe. He also was long in the leg. His head seemed a bulked up version of the portrayed american.

His drive was incredible. He would chase a ball until he had to lay down. He had excellent webbing on his feet and a very strong, table clearing tail. His tail really thickened out toward the end.

He seemed an awkward swimmer to me. He was ever confident in the water but I was not. He was literally a photo perfect labrador. He was perfect period, Rest easy boy. Just wanted to post a comment about my experiences with Labs. My third and my best buddy since we got him when the kids moved out to college died at 17 yrs 2 mo.

High energy, extremely intelligent and always testing boundaries. It seemed as though his capacity was ALL that you forgot to put high enough during the holidays or the 4 dozen chocolate chip cookies that his buddy the cat knocked off the refrigerator. I have a Canadian chocolate lab that is 79 lbs of muscle and the most focused dog I have ever owned. I now realize why border control uses retrievers as they are so focused.

The difference is intelligence versus focus. So cool to be able to stay home now and have a family pet. Hi let me tell you something you have a great guard Dog also especially if you have any Children at home. You may say that english labs tend to be stockier, but my Male english lab is 25kg, or 55lbs, and isnt underweight, whereas the standard for american labs is lbs. He also stands at 65cm from his shoulder, while the labrador standard is maximum 62cm.

He is a purebred and has a pedigree to prove it. In england, labs are bred with two different lines, working, and show. Assuming that English labs are all the same as the show standard is almost racist, kind of similar to saying only american labradors can be the more athletic breed.

This is wrong as in both countries, the intended purpose will determine what your lab will be like. I had an American lab for 10 years and he was the most chilled and eager to please, easy to train dog. He loved to fetch and was excellent off leash. With very little training. I currently have my first English lab bred from a very reputable breeder. Everything I have read about the differences in trainability between the 2 point to American labs being more eager to please and easy to train.

And that has definitely been my experience. My yellow lab Hunter, such a special little boy haha barks at everything and anything he sees runs around the house like a nut and picks and chooses when he wants to listen. Both of my labs were thoroughly trained just that they had two completely difference personalities and traits. Love them both but they are night and day. Our American lab named Treacle has just passed after 15 years. We also have another dog that is only two and is lost without his friend.

Am making tentative enquiries to purchase another lab, but the breader has retired. As you said in your article the kennel club and others do not recognise a difference, but would really like another American lab. Any ideas to find a good breader. Thank you. Only thing you can do is to google a few terms for breeders in and around the area in which you live or further afield if willing to travel and vet the breeders you find with some reasonable questions and background checks.

I have seen several reviews on her and every one is positive. My daughter ans son in law live in Cali and flew out to Virginia to pick up their puppy. You might try that breeder. Bay Breeze Labradors.

Good luck! I recall that the book stated the breed was all but removed from the classifications can any one help me? A small white patch on the chest is permissible in the breed standard, but large streaks or white hair elsewhere is not. There were 2 of them and someone had already taken 1. So I said yes. So now we have a black lab. He is my best friend. After reading your article I see that he must be an American Lab. Someone had to have abused him and trained him.

As he proved to be very smart , but also scare of anything I would pickup. He has separaton anxiety. I am 70, and find it hard to keep up with him. Will he ever settle down,he is 4. He ia a great dob, just not a love puppy.

Could you enlist the help of family, friends or a professional dog walking service to exercise him more? English type Labradors can make outstanding hunting companions.

All of proper English type. I have also bred and had field bred labradors of proper english type. It is harder to find the field bred dogs of proper type than it is to find English Type Labradors with good hunting instincts. The way to find a good English type Labrador to hunt with is to look for hunting titles close up in the pedigree. Some breeders breed for both — others just breed to win. Choose your pups carefully. Watery, colorless, tasteless. According to what I have read, the Labrador retriever originated from Newfoundland St.

Newfoundland being part of Canada and encompassed in the territories? There is factually a big difference in the appearance between the two…however, there is a significant resistance in the politics of the powers that be…to separate these two Labrador lines. Do you know of any good and trustworthy breeders in my area? My wife and 2 boys 14 and 12 are considering getting a Chocolate Lab. We know nothing about them. Just that they are great family dogs. Any info or advise you can give would be much appreciated.

Thanks -AL. You said that the English Labrador has a thicker coat. I read both English and American Labradors have double layer water proof coats. Which Labrador sheds less. I honestly cannot say. I have never seen it mentioned that ancestry, being working or show type, affects how much a lab sheds. I just adopted a rescue pure bred American Labrador. The dog I adopted, Cooper, was exactly one year old when I picked him up and unfortunately showed signs of abuse. Cooper would cower if I just walked towards him.

It took me about 6 weeks of shameless spoiling and boatloads of affection to make Cooper feel secure, loved, and totally not afraid of anyone or anything. In any case, I won and Cooper is going to have a perfectly happy life and no one will ever hurt him again. I had to laugh while reading this because my dog Charlie fit the American lab looks perfectly, yet he was the biggest couch potato ever.

He was so calm and lazy. I am glad I found this site. I have a lab and reading this she fits in the American Lab group.

She is long and lanky and people often comment on the fact that she is so skinny and you can see her ribs. She is a picky eater after getting sick in the winter and we have to put yogurt on her food to get her to eat. But we feed her 4 cups of food a day and at times she will not eat it all. The last time she was at the vet she weighed 55 pounds. We have been worried about her as well as she appears thinner then she was this winter. She is of course more active since it has been warm out.

This site had a lot of information and makes me feel better about her appearance. I feel that I can now explain the difference to others and they might then see the difference.

Maybe now I can stop worrying as much about it. Just in general most common people i. Like mentioned in another comment, it really depends from dog to dog, height, length, etc.

There is nothing wrong about either dog in this scenario. You should see the concerned faces when folks see my dog next to their lab. Thanks for the informative article. Because of their easy going temperaments, they both love nothing more than to please their master.

The American Labrador is more active, which means they can seem harder to train because of their energy levels. Our managing editor at this site owned a field lab for 13 years, and she was a puppy until she was four years old. She was always in search of a more exiting task to undertake and would run herself ragged swimming in the pool for hours on end.

In general, both the field and bench labs are both amazing family pets, and labradors in general are the 1 family dog in the United States for good reason. They are both originally working breeds.

Both will need at least 60 minutes of exercise a day. This is on top of playing in the garden or having a good tug of war match with their master. A bored dog is a destructive dog , and this is very true of the intensely energetic Labrador. The English Labrador, due to his show personality, may be slightly less demanding than the American Labrador. Bench Labs are likely to be a bit calmer and less demanding with exercise requirements.

The American Lab will have bundles of energy that he will need to expel. If you use him as a working Labrador then this exercise will suffice. As they both have a working background in the water, they love to retrieve sticks or balls from the water , so if you live near a lake, or even happen to have one in your garden, this is the perfect way to physically and mentally stimulate their bodies and minds.

The Labrador is the most common breed selected as assistance dogs for the blind and search and rescue dogs amongst many other canine professions. This is because they are super intelligent and reliable! Labs are on the same intelligence level of a Golden Retriever. If you plan to train them with a harness while walking, make sure you are looking at Harnesses made for Labs , which tend to be more secure. The American Labrador is said to be a little harder to train than his English counterpart.

This is because he is more independent and distracted when it comes to picking up commands and would rather be out fishing, and as such needs a firmer master. However, they are both very intelligent pooches and with consistent training, they will pick up commands in no time. Early socialization is key to ensure that they grow into a well-behaved family addition, and that they are also comfortable in a variety of situations, with unfamiliar humans and animals alike.

Exposing them early on to noises such as moving cars whilst walking on the sidewalk, or the hoover in the house, is a great way to ensure they are comfortable with everything. Ensuring that every experience is a positive one through positive reinforcement training makes this journey a lot more enjoyable, and of course quicker, for everyone. The Labrador Retriever is a generally healthy dog , and as the English and American Labrador are the same breed, they share the same health problems.

It is common for Labradors to develop Hip and Elbow Dysplasia , which is an abnormal formation in the elbow and hip joints, which overtime can cause painful arthritis. This is quite a common health issue in the canine world, but particularly in medium to large dogs. He is also susceptible to vision issues such as Cataracts or Progressive Retinal Atrophy , which is the degeneration of the retina that can cause vision loss overtime.

Certain breeds, including the Labrador can suffer with Exercise Induced Collapse, which is characterized by a sudden loss of muscular control following a period of intense exercise.

In rare cases the pup can die immediately, but the average episode can last up to 25 minutes. Symptoms can range from being totally unable to move, to dragging their limbs behind them whilst they are running. As with any pup be sure to research the breed and look out for any important symptoms. If you are in any doubt, then speak to your Veterinarian.

The best way to keep your pooch healthy is to keep up to date with all vaccines and attend yearly check-ups. The Labrador, on average, will consume 3 cups of food a day. You may have to feed an Field Labrador slightly more if he is out working all day, or maybe slightly less for an English Labrador, depending on his energy levels. As with any dog, good quality food is an easy way to keep your dog healthy to ensure they get all the best nutrients.

In addition, the food should always be age appropriate to avoid unnecessary calories. The Labrador is also known for being food orientated , borderline obsessed, so make sure that you monitor their snack intake otherwise they can easily become a porky pup. Treats are great to reward good behavior or used in puzzle treat toys to keep them mentally stimulated but be sure to only award them in moderation. The Labrador will need a bath every six weeks or so, which is the same as the average pup.

This will be the same for both the English and the American Labrador. Be sure not to bath him more than every 6 weeks as you risk damaging their natural coat oils , which can cause a multitude of skin issues. If he gets dirty whilst out playing, then you can use doggy wipes and doggy perfume from your local pet store to keep them fresh. Their coats act the same way as a wetsuit does, and as such they shed. The English and the American will need brushing once or twice a week.

Their undercoats grow thick and dense in the Winter to keep them warm, and then when Spring and Summer arrive their undercoat sheds. A Labrador living in colder conditions will naturally grow a thicker coat. During shedding season , they will both need to be brushed every other day, if not every day, to keep their fur manageable. Expect to pay a premium if you are purchasing a bench lab that you plan to use for shows. Show dogs are bred for their parent history and lineage that will provide them with certain traits.

As such, they are more expensive. Generally, however, there is not a significant difference in the price between the field and bench Labrador.