Did anyone watch the dog whisperer today on Sky at Lunchtime?
Cesar visited the owners who had Marley from the book "Marley & Me", since he died a couple of years ago they have gotten another Lab, this time a bitch, yellow one. Her problem was shes a bit naughty on the recall and kept killing the familys pet hens.

This Labrador bitch was really nice and just how I remember Labs years ago when i was growing up, so about 25yrs ago! Yikes
What Im posting about is the type in Labs, when and why did they change?   This lab on the tv today, was Id say a medium size dog, with decent length of leg, length of muzzle and didnt have a big broad head as seen today in the labs at shows, she looked athletic.

The labs I see today, show and general pet labs are so short and stocky, barrell like, with really big broad heads, sometimes when Im out walking mine I think its a Staffie coming towards us, what has happened to Labs?  Is this right?
Now I know working labs are a different type to these and I suppose more like the old type I remember, but Im just wondering, when they changed and why they changed? 
Maybe lab breeders on here can answer this?  

Please dont take this as an insult Im not dissing your breed I do like labs but do prefer the earlier type just wonderin why they have changed so much?

 


thi

You haven't seen mine then ;)

Show us a pic Jolene

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Ohhhh she's gorgeous!!

I much prefer the less stocky Labs too - some of them look almost stocky enough to be not very athletic but your girl is beautifully graceful looking :)

Ooh yes nice length of neck, though cant tell leg length to height in that shot.

Sorry Barbara, I have added it there too now :)

That will keep admin happy, as it won't bend TOS.

That's a lovely-looking lab! One of the nicest-shaped chocolates I've ever seen. :)

That is the best looking chocolate lab I have ever seen. She's a beauty.

Working labs and show labs do look very different in shape. Are there any chocolate working labs? The ones I've seen have been mainly blacks and occasionally yellows.

>Are there any chocolate working labs?

Very few - it's not a popular colour with the working side. As far as I know there's never been a chocolate FT champion.

The lab on Dog Whisperer was a working bred one - with very strange coloured eyes. 

Same with many breeds isn't it - exaggeration - too much bone, too much coat - certainly most labradors I see aren't very athletic but then I suppose the same could be said of most people.

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Mars my first lab was half American as the dam was an import. She was a very big rangey girl and her pup Min also had the same characteristics.

Moose my oldest girl now is also a big boned girl but not as long in the body or the legs as the other two. She though is quite lean as don't keep alot of weight on my girls.
Dudley however is from working lines and is much smaller on bone density but has a bit of a saggy under carriage due to her HD. Haven't really got any good standing photos to show you though :rolleyes:
Interesting link about the differences

http://www.britishretrievertraining.com/britishway/brit_vs_us.html

Very interesting article about the differences in the way they are worked between USA and here but not the type physically of the dogs (the OP's question), the articles are all about the working types in both countries.  Great read.

http://www.labbies.com/history.htm

http://www.canadasguidetodogs.com/labrador/labarticle6.htm

More interesting reading :)

You should see the labs they breed around Pasadena, California. Huge! The breeder my sister bought her dog from works her dog in long grass mostly so likes them tall. You'd swear he was part great dane. He looks like a lab but very tall and is 9 stone (very thin, athletic and a very capable worker though).

I have a lab and I'm very interested now as to what barrel or athletic is, i can't see the picture of the lab i think they've deleted it. Where can i see two seperate pictures to see which my lab is? Thanks

it's you know where now ;) :D

Jet and Oban's breeder says the breed standard in Canada is undergoing revision, which she is working on along with many others.  We too prefer a more moderate, in between look.  Not too lean and rangy but not really low-slung, broad and ponderous in appearance.  We really like the look of the chocolate girl linked to here and Oban's parentage should give us that look, we hope.  Not that we are going to show but it is nice to have a proper looking Lab after going to the time and expense of checking out good breeders. 

However we nearly didn't get a Lab at all because, with all the lifting we had to do in Jet's later years, we were leery of having to lift a big dog when we are in our 70's.  Assuming new dog lives as long as Jet, 14 plus years.  I think in the UK you do not have a weight limit?  But here we do and for males the CKC says it is 60 to 80 lbs.  AKC allows up to 85 lbs.  BUT, many males are much heavier and we saw none at all at the lower end of the scale.  Everyone we contacted was very honest and expressed doubt that we would find a male maturing at the lower limit.

We got Oban anyway.  We may have to reconfigure our canoe loading protocol and find another place for baths if we can't scrunch him into the laundry tub when he is an adult.  :)  Oban's Pop weighs 85 lbs.

>I think in the UK you do not have a weight limit?

No, the UK standard only refers to height:
"Size
Ideal height at withers: dogs: 56-57 cms (22-221/2 ins); bitches: 55-56 cms (211/2-22 ins)."

Incidentally we have a very nice working-type lab on the books at work, and he weighs in at 25kg (about 55lb). At the other end of the scale there's a hugely overweight one at 40kg (about 88lb).

My Henry weighs 33kg.  He is a show bred lab and looking at his family pictures they are all so stocky.  I try and keep him as lean as possible (not an easy task!).  He is broad set but doesn't mean to say he needs to be broad everywhere!

That was a stunning lab wasnt it! :) I loved the colour eyes she had, Im also going to buy that book' Marley and me'!

I have a stocky lab, he isn't shown or anything just a pet and we do watch his waistline as much as possible but he isn't typical of a lab and eat anything he's fairly fussy!  Pictures on my profile but don't think you can see him too well.

Biscuit is very much like Dudley as he has a longish thin muzzle by the look of his photos. She is from working lines :)

I wouldn't say he is stocky just compact :D

Lucy
xx

Thanks for that Jolene, our Elmo is the same but she has put a bit of weight on since we got a speyed a few months ago will have to keep an eye on that. I know she is a working dog and we know the breeders very well. Has anyone ever done the family tree for their dog? We did it with our other one and its amazing how many people you are related to, i bet half of this forum are dog related.

I have an 8 gen pedigree for mine :D

I followed my dogs' pedigrees back to the original two dogs used to start the breed in the 1800's. (blame Marianne, she got me started ;-)) It's a little addictive when you can follow lines back to Belle and Nous even if it's meaningless from a breeding standpoint. :-D

Edited to add, it was Marianne's question about common ancestry that got me started so your comment about related dogs was true in our case.

Totally agree its addictive

I did get as far back as 1870's, but not for all the lines in her pedigree, it is very interesting...................I wish there was a thank button here, I could "thank" people for their nice comments then