I would be very grateful if anybody could give me some advice/information in respect of my rough coated 7mth old bitch.

I returned from the vets yesterday both upset and annoyed.  My vet asked me was I sure Sophie was a "proper lab" and indicated that she was infact a lab x collie due to her rough coat and lean body, both of which she said were not the norm for a lab. 

Sophie's mum has a rough coated back, bum and tail and I believe this goes back to a Drakeshead dog, she is also very lean. Sophie's sire is Endacott Shelf whom I also believe has a rough coat as well as being a fabulous dog.  I have not seen any pictures of Shelf myself but have heard a great deal about him.

My vet is not the only person to suggest a rough coat is actually a collie and I find myself often having to defend her breed which is ridiculous.

Please advise

Vicky

  

Is she KC registered?

If not, there is no guarantee she's not in fact a cross.  If she is, then you can rest assured that whatever people say, she's a full lab.

I'm not sure I've ever seen a "rough coated lab", and I've seen a lot of working labs.  It reminds me of a Chesapeake Bay retriever.....

Vets may know a lot about canine medicine but that doesnt mean they can spot what breed every dog is. I have a SCWT - who has done some winning including a RCC and my vet thinks she is a cross breed - i wouldnt worry

our labs are half drakeshead and they come quite longhaired-not rough though, as the hair is longer it lies over hair and appears more gruff!? our labs are slim but very large also- athletic looking with large heads, are these like yours? :)

Vicky,

There are some pictures of FTCh Endacott Shelf on this link : http://www.gunsights.de/pg_news/pg_workingtest/sherborne2004/d_sherborne_2004_gallery.htm
Scroll down to the bottom and you can click to enlarge the photos of him.

You can just about make out from the photos that Shelf has a bit of roughness around his rear end and his tail.

Loads of working bred labs have varying degrees of roughness in their coats. I own one myself. Two of the most prolific stud dogs of recent years have had rough coats. FTCh Haskayne Moss of Glensue was & FTCh Garendon Captain is rough coated. These dogs won the Retriever Championships in 1997 & 1998 respectively and consequently have sired an awful lot of offspring.   

Dudley our youngest bitch has a rough back end as well :) She has Drakeshead in her lines ;)

You can see her coat very well from this photo which is normally at it's worst after she has dried off and hasn't had a brush :rolleyes: You can also see her back left white paw :D

http://i12.photobucket.com/albums/a229/moosesmummy/03cf3131.jpg

Yes Sophie is KC registered and has a very good pedigree, however because the vet was so obsessed with her coat and lean body she told me a KC certificate is worthless! She also said that if the Dam once in pup got free and was covered by say a collie (which she did not as they are all kept in very secure kennels) then the pups could have a mixture of the two Sires??? Has anybody heard of such a thing?

Sophie is lean but also has a head like Shelf as opposed to a large square head.  (was great to see the pictures of Shelf and the likeness is apparent)

I can see the roughness on Dudley's bum and her white paw, she looks lovely!

Thank you all for your advice 

Vicky

If a bitch is mated by more than one dog during her season her litter can indeed be mixed, with some puppies sired by each dog. That's why it's important to keep a bitch carefully confined even after her planned mating, to ensure the whole litter is pedigree.

If she has a KC registration then you shouldn't worry - not sure why a vet would say it is worthless!!!!!

Yes, it's true that a dam can carry pups from 2 different sires at the same time - however, if the breeder knows or suspects this might have happened, it is very easy to do a DNA test of the pups and of both the sires, and then they can say 100% which pups come from which father.  The pups which had the lab as the father would be able to be registered as KC, but the pups with the collie sire would be just mutts.

Not saying this is what happened in your case, but the vet is right on this one.

Hi Vicky
I have a lab by Soames (litter brother to Shelf) and would say he has a rough coat, as havoc has pointed out with Shelf, around his rear end and tail too.  He is also lean and tall  for a lab (and very fast too).  Mine also has a small white spot on his chest.  I've lost count of the number of people who thinks he's a cross because of this. LOL  I wouldn't worry about it - it probably says more about their knowledge than your girls breeding.

JenP

Thanks, dont mean anything bad by this but I am glad I am not the only person to experience so many people with doubts about their dogs breeding, it is just frustrating especially when a vet joins in!

My lab also has long legs and white spots on the back of her front paws which I have been told comes from the Endacott line.

Do you have a picture of your lab?

Hi Vicky
I do have some photos, but not on the web - if you pm me your email I will send them. 
It sounds like your vet is only familiar with show labs, the split between working and show is quite marked.  Bit cheeky to have said the KC registration was worthless.  Perhaps you could offer to take her to a field trial to 'help her widen her knowledge of labradors' ;).

all the labx BCs ive seen have had a Lab coat with BC markings.

from what everyone else is saying,it definatally runs in her lines! so dont worry! ;) what do vets know about breed lines anyway?

A good Lab should be lean anyway, too many in the breed ring are overweight :d :d  Ooooh, not having a go at anyone in Lab's but this is just a general observation !  Have friends who breed them so I'm definitely not calling them :d

Think I would look for new Vet!!!! :rolleyes::rolleyes::rolleyes: