English vs American Labs

[poutpro]

What's the difference? Pros and cons of each?

[gspman]

The English ones bark with an accent.

Supposedly they have a more calm disposition. I've not seen a British Lab so I can't comment. The prices they get for them are obnoxious though. I would think if you did a little homework you could get a calm "American" lab that performs well and costs less. Just my $.02 from a non-lab guy so take it for what it's worth.

gspman

[Dbl]

We just covered that a few weeks ago. Refer to this post.

http://www.fishingminnesota.com/forum/showflat.php?Cat=&Number=687026&page=3&view=collapsed&sb=5&o=&fpart=1

If that doesn't answer your questions let us know, there are a few British Lab owners here.

[poutpro]

Thanks for pointing me in the direction. Can you email some reputable breeders in MN? Thanks!!! [email protected]

[Dbl]

Is your e-mail address is correct? It was returned back to me.

[poutpro]

sorry for an e

[email protected]

[leechlake]

poutpro, I have a ten year old "american" lab and a 11 month year old british lab. I was in your boat about 18 months ago and can give you plenty of firsthand information, email me at krismartinson at mchsi.com and I'll provide all the info I can. It's good to take your time and pick the hound you want when he or she will be around for years.

[Dbl]

I knew leechlake and hopefully caseymcq would join in the action. How is the "British training" going leechlake?

[leechlake]

I cheated twice on the "british" training this fall. Took her hunting ducks once and pheasant hunting in So Dak. Vic would disown me but I did it. I'll email you an update soon, any "issues" are related to me and not Brit. Nice to hear from you.

Kris

[caseymcq]

Poutpro I sent you an e-mail. We have both a British Lab and an American Lab. Both great dogs and I wouldn't trade either of them for the world.

Our female, Maggie, is the British Lab. She is smaller, only about 18.5 - 19" at the shoulder and right around 60 lbs. She is kind of blocky, relatively broad chest, small waist, muscular butt. Maggie is a great dog. She is probably the biggest people pleaser I have ever seen. If she had it her way she would spend all day retrieving. She is very friendly. She has a great nose (she loves bird upland bird hunting)and loves the water. If your looking for a lab and would like a little bit smaller package Britts are definately the way to go. I actually think the price for Britts now is comparable to the price of any other labs. There are breeders that will aske a pretty penny for both.

[poutpro]

How does a person go about picking a dog out of a litter?

[caseymcq]

I talked with a couple of guys that have had more experience with dogs than I have and this is what I did based on their recomendations.

First I decided between male and female.

When I got to the kennel I seperated out the males and females. I brought the females out of the pen they were in and just watched them. I was looking to see if they were curious, were they just interested in what the other pups were doing, were they interested in me?

Then I walked around to see who followed. How long would they follow? Did they get distracted easily (keeping in mind they are just pups and have a relatively short attention span)?

I also brought a pheasant wing with. I tossed that on the ground to see who was intrested in that.

That was actually a lot of fun. I wish I could do it more often.

[LABS4ME]

Tell the breeder exactly what type of dog you are looking for... calm, big, small, lots of energy etc. etc. What are you going to use the dog for primarily, upland, waterfowl, pet etc. Let them guide you to the right pup. A lot of times you get to see the pups once, maybe twice. It is impossible to differentiate among them with being around them for a total of one hour. The breeder has just spent 7-8 weeks with them and knows them well (or should if they have been well socialized). You may be catching the pups coming out of a nap or just got through a big time rough housing period with their litter mates. They may be hungry or may have just ate, has another person just had them out recently? All these will play into their temperment at that moment... ie: you may not be picking the dog you think you are picking.

When I breed, people get really wrapped up in what order they are picking... as if there is a sliding scale in the litter... the 1st pup picked is the best and the last pup out the door is the worst... Most litters are fairly uniform with some minor discrepensies in their personality. I do the picking for my clients based on what they expressed to be looking for. If they insist they want to pick their pup, I let them pick between two based again on what they expressed to me what they are looking for. It has worked tremedously well over the last 5 litters. Most people have reported back that it was a great match.

So in closing, do your homework, pick a good litter with a breeding geared towards what you are looking for and odds are you will end up with the pup you are looking for, no matter which one it was in the litter.

Good Luck!

Ken

[duckbuster]

I agree with LABS 100% on this. I did exactly what he is talking about with my yellow female. Do your homework on a litter first of all. Look at multiple breedings with different studs or complains. Try and talk to some people who might have a dog out of something you are looking at. Once you have made the choice on the breeding start talking to the breeder. My (Contact US Regarding This Word) came from Kansas City. When talking to the breeder I told him a couple of things I was looking for from a physical standpoint. I wanted the lightest yellow female in the bunch, there were 3 to choose from. If possible I wanted the smallest as well. I then asked him to do a couple of things to see how they would react. From there it is all about the luck of the draw. Picking a puppy is a dump shoot at best. I have often heard of titled dogs that were the last pick or the puppy no one else wanted. You just never know.

GOOD LUCK

[PikeBayCommanche]

Yeah I was the last pick from the litter but luckly the people before me wanted the biggest pups which was ok with me I got the smallest in the litter and from what my trainer has said is the smartest one of the litter. NOt to mention a amazing pheasant dog. I would just let breeders know what you are looking for in the dog and ussaully they can tell who will fit with who.