Hi chaps:)
Looking through my Training School records for the past year, I've come to the conclusion that there seems to be a distinct lack of 'show' type black labs around. Has anyone else noticed this, or is it just me. I've seen loads (and I mean LOADS!) of chocolate ones, lots of 'working' type black ones and the usual number of chunky yellows, but only 1 or 2 chunky blacks. I would be interested to know if the chocolates are now becoming more popular than the show-type blacks. Thinking about it, I havent seen so many blacks being puppywalked for the Guide dogs either.
Has anyone else noticed this?
When I was researching breeders to find my new (ish) pup 5 or 6 months ago, its seems that a lot of breeders of blacks now fall into 3 categories, rather than the 2 that were around when I got my bitch 5 years ago. When I got Isla, there were show-type kennels and working gundog kennels. Now it seems that along with these two types, there are also 'working - type' kennels, who breed dogs that will never see a gun in their lives, but LOOK as if they will (if you see what I mean!). I don't have a problem with this, the more black labs out there the better!, but I wonder if this is the trend in any other parts of the country.
Cheers chaps

Ali:)

Why would you want a chunky one, the working type are a lot nicer, I should imagine less prone to hip problems too being a lighter more agile dog. It just seems better sense to breed more of the working type than the short chunky ones, as they are better dogs.
Saz

A recent show I was, I went and watched the Labrador judging, there were a lot of lovely blacks at it, and lots of yellows also. Only saw a handful of chocolates myself.

Pam

i have a chunky yellow lab, her dam was a chunky black, her sire a chunky chocolate, her litter brothers and sisters are now, two chunky black dogs, three chunky black bitches, and one 'working type' black bitch, in tess litter two years ago she had a mix of chunky and working type labs although being put with a chunky chocolate, her working type sister produced a litter of six chunky type labs both blacks and chocolate labs, its just pick of the draw i suppose, even though i have seen and know of some chunky labs , they are becoming less and less near me in essex, we are seeing more and more leggy type labs, not that i mind i love labs all the same, but i do prefer chunky blacks, tesses mum was absolutley lovely, and i am missing her teribley :( (sp?) now i have left my job at the kennels
Tanya

I'm just the opposite,Tanya! I personally dislike the "chunky" look, but that type seems to be everywhere. At Crufts this year (the first time I have been there on gundog day) there wasn't a single non-chunky type in the ring. The only one we saw that we liked was in the gamekeeper class!

Just as well we're not all the same, isn't it?
:)

I don't know much about showing :) A friend shows her two Rottweiller bitches and 'fattens them up' before showing as she feels that a more solid Rottie does better, although she really prefers to keep them slim - is this common ?

Daisy

the world would be boring if everyone looked the same and liked the same things, maybe we should swap parts of the country so we get to see the type of lab we like :D

:D

Toby is 8months old now, His mum was small black, his dad was chunky black gundog, Toby is a big black beauty even at 8mnths, obviously going to take after his daddy, i dont mind because he is magnificent.
Heidi

Re: Guide dogs - I don't mean to be politically incorrect here but do you think it is because they can't be seen easily! That's not as mad as it sounds as quite a few registered blind people actually have some sight albeit slight. A light coloured dog would be much easier to see than a black one! It's just a thought.

PS I like the big chunky labs with angular heads too!

Would rather see a lab that looks as if it could work, shinny coat and well muscled, who wants a 'chunky' one. Even if it is a show dog it is a gundog and as such should look as if it could do a days work even if it never has to.

Jackyjat - i was thinking that too. Not only so the sight impaired people can see but safely wise, dark streets and shops e.t.c. The general public would be more likely to see them.

dont get me wrong a gundog breed should be able to do a full days work, but many of the labs now are far too leggy and well above the breed standard, tess' mum although chunky works no problem, as does her dad,
labs like many of the other working breeds are going into 'two-breeds' , ESS and cockers for example the working and show type look like two different breeds, working springers are a lot smaller and slimmer than show springers, cockers, im not too familar with the breed but all the working cockers i have seen look very much like springers, unfortunely labs are also changing into 'two-breeds' show type being chunky and working type being leggy and slender, obviously the slender working dogs are a lot faster and more agile and once they have a few awards under their belts they are used for breeding, so that eventually that the working type is far from the breed standard,
i have seen chunky labs working with no problems in my opinion they are the original lab.
Am i right in thinking that its mainly black labs that are used for shooting then yellows coming in second with very few chocolates in the field?
tanya

Tanya, it's personal preference I think. I know of working labs of all three colours. It's exactly the same as spaniels, some like them mostly white, I have a dark coloured boy and always show a preference to that style of colouring whereas someone else I know would only work a white spaniel so it can be seen. On the other hand some people prefer darker dogs so they can't be seen by game! I do feel that chocolate labs aren't that popular as working dogs. I am sure our definitions of chunky all vary Jackie, I mean angular rather than svelte!

Takes all sorts!

PS I also have a cocker, she is smaller than a springer by a whole clothing size so to speak, more an 8 - 10 than a 12 - 14! She is often mistaken for a springer but when we go out with our friends who have a springer from a crufts show champion (twice the size of my springer) they are most perplexed and can't work out one breed from another. She may be small but doesn't have too much problem delivering a large hare to hand! We are out on the pheasant with her next weekend for the second time (she's 18 months) and although she has been a delight to train I am sure she will show us up big time!

Hi Jackie, Although i say Toby is big and chunky he is'nt fat just big built, also people always comment on his very shinny coat, and the vet thinks he is very well and health.
Heidi

Good luck next weekend! A good Cocker will retrieve almost anything. Bramble Basher's Cocker has retrieved a Canada Goose!

Regards, John

From water John, or land? My son goes wildfowling on the river severn which has a very fast flowing current and we have still to work out how she will cope with the strong current despite being a water magnet. The springer doesn't have any problems with it but he is very very strong, although he is easily distracted when in water.

I have had labs for a lot of years I prefer the chunky ones but when I say chunky i dont mean fat I have been disappointed at some of the very heavy ones Ive seen at shows and wondered how on earth they would do a days work but I think you need to go over the dogs and would probably be surprised at the sheer muscle and strengh of them
One show champion dog I bred sires pups for guide dogs and so does his yellow brother also a show champion their temperament is second to non and to me that is the most important thing.

The chocolate labrador is very being exploited by puppy farmers and back street breeders alike not sure how many we have had in rescue but will check on the figure and reprt back we currently have two in for homing and sometimes they can be difficult not as easy to train as the blacks and yellows seeming to have a stubborn streak but mainly these have come from puppy supermarkets like the one in manchester.
on the Dog lovers registration which is a joke :(

I have to say I prefer show type labs and chose darcy deliberately for that reason. She is however no where near as fast or fit as my mum and dads working type and would struggle with a day in the field, but I love her none the less. After all I dont need a dog that can do a days work in the field!

I have the extremes.

Min is a heavy boned big Lab, then Moose who is very muscular mid boned and the MB who is a lean working type.

I must say I do not like the really big show type Labs I say do not like is the wrong word as I love all Labs but preference wise Moose is what I really prefer, somewhere in the middle.

I would say though that Min in her prime was a fit and extremely fast dog and even at 9 years old used to beat two border collies running after a ball so a big Lab if kept fit and doesn't carry too much weight can keep up with the best of them :)

Moose has a great turn of speed as well and MB has considering her hips but does have a restriction on how fast she goes, usually me as I stop her doing too much!

Lucy

From land Heidi. We were out on the stubble some way from the water at first light. My Labrador Anna sometimes has to cope with birds down in the brook in mid winter but the current flow there is not too high. Apart from that any water work for her is in working tests in the summer and most of these are on flight ponds. Cockers seem to fare amazingly well in water. Were it me I'd stick a dummy in the game bag and do a fairly short retrieve in the strong current to see how she goes before she has to go to far.

Regards, John

i think labradors are the best regardless on thier size, why worry about how leggy or chunky they are, they are stunning dogs whatever! xxxxx

I too prefer the working type as Jeangenie said. I too was at Crufts this year on gundog day and all the labs were chunky.We at the rescue have noticed this year a lot more choccies, and we have lots of requests for chocs, also I think breeders ask far more for the choccies, in comparision to the other colours.
When we lost our fella last year we hunted everywhere for another Lab, but could not find a breeder, with pups anywhere, we even contacted as far as Southampton,(we live in Lancashire!) one breeder we did contact though had some choc and was asking up to £550 + for him.Maybe it was the time of year (just after xmas),so we ended up with goldie instead.!

I guess it is all a personal preference,and it wouldnt do for us all to like the same............!!