gnasher16 30,458 Posted January 21, 2015 Report Share Posted January 21, 2015 A friend of mine has just moved out into the country and is on about getting a chocolate Labrador for long walks out in the countryside etc.....are Labs like any other breed in terms of the fancy colours are not normally up to par with the regular colours or does it make no difference ?.....its not going to be a working dog so not terribly important but it will be seeing a lot of exercise and always nice to think your getting a decent specimen of the breed regardless.....any thoughts ? Quote Link to post
Astanley 11,580 Posted January 21, 2015 Report Share Posted January 21, 2015 (edited) Gnash ,my daughter wanted one a couple of years ago and I asked around for her , everyone advised me they were a whole different ball game to the normal lines /colours , She got one anyway and has just had two miserable years trying to cope with a thick ,hyperactive , shit eating , although sweet natured idiot of a dog . edited to add , the son in law is a fitness fanatic and not a bad dog trainer , so exercise and inexperience weren,t factors Edited January 21, 2015 by Astanley 1 Quote Link to post
ryaldinhio 4,745 Posted January 21, 2015 Report Share Posted January 21, 2015 I have a chocolate lab as a family pet not a working dog and she is unbelievably intelligent and not lazy at all. First lab I have owned so do not have the experience to compare to a black or yellow. This being a hunting forum most will say go for black or yellow! I think it comes down to checkin the parents and line. Black and yellow are bred for the inteligence and work rate and as such are used as working dogs. chocolates are bred primarally as pets. Mine came from trials champions though so guess thats why she has some inteligence! My own opinion is if you are getting a working dog then you need to work it or it will become a nightmare. A lab from a line of grafters regardless of colour is not gunna be happy with just long walks. They need to be working to command or tracking and finding things etc. If the need isnt fulfilled then they can become destructive or disobediant. My advice would be if you want a worker get a worker and work it, if you want a pet get a pet and take it on long walks. atb. Ry 2 Quote Link to post
ryaldinhio 4,745 Posted January 21, 2015 Report Share Posted January 21, 2015 Gnash ,my daughter wanted one a couple of years ago and I asked around for her , everyone advised me they were a whole different ball game to the normal lines /colours , She got one anyway and has just had two miserable years trying to cope with a thick ,hyperactive , shit eating , although sweet natured idiot of a dog . edited to add , the son in law is a fitness fanatic and not a bad dog trainer , so exercise and inexperience weren,t factors hyperactivity will come from a lack of mental stimulation, excersize alone is no good for a working dog. Shit eating tends to be due to a lack of something in the diet. A lot of time it is pottasium. Try feeding half a bananna a day to see if it stops the habit. If it carries on it could just be a dirty hound! I have yet to meet a thick lab. you get out what you put in. However there are always exceptions! (sure I will get hammered for that comment!) Quote Link to post
gnasher16 30,458 Posted January 21, 2015 Author Report Share Posted January 21, 2015 Right ok as i suspected.....something normally has to give when breeding for colour......the brains of a Lab is something that appeals to him as he,s never owned a dog before so wants something thats going to be reasonably easy to train........i just didnt know if the colour comes last theory applied to this breed the way it does with others.......common sense i suppose,thanks chaps Quote Link to post
Lab 10,979 Posted January 21, 2015 Report Share Posted January 21, 2015 If it's going to be a pet then colour will not matter. The basics commands that a pet dog will need will be a doodle to it......even if it's a useless chocolate one...lol Quote Link to post
rodp 316 Posted January 21, 2015 Report Share Posted January 21, 2015 Plus the fact .............. they melt in the sun Quote Link to post
tb25 4,627 Posted January 21, 2015 Report Share Posted January 21, 2015 am led to beleave the blacks are the best workers.all the rest make shit workers and pets.. Quote Link to post
beast 1,884 Posted January 22, 2015 Report Share Posted January 22, 2015 my old uncle got a chocolate lab for a pet a few years back, lovely nature, responsive, calm. brilliant pet, but also loves a good walk and run around (they live up near the malverns and uncle is retired, so they get out for a good ramble most days) talking of different colours, saw a woman with one of those silver labs a little while ago, thouhght it was a poor specimen of a weimeraner to begin with! you won't believe what she paid for it.............£1200!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! http://www.silverandcharcoalkennels.com/ Quote Link to post
Gaz6br 193 Posted January 22, 2015 Report Share Posted January 22, 2015 Always had black labs myself Chocolate seem to get fat real easy Gaz Quote Link to post
gnipper 6,543 Posted January 22, 2015 Report Share Posted January 22, 2015 I've seen plenty of well bred working labs still out and about and healthy over ten years old but most chocolates and other pet bred labs seem to be round and struggling to walk well before then. Quote Link to post
relic2 19 Posted January 22, 2015 Report Share Posted January 22, 2015 i have a choc lab & it is greedy & fat even with loads of exercise ( pet ) cheers Quote Link to post
Lloyd90 509 Posted January 23, 2015 Report Share Posted January 23, 2015 Labs tend to come from show lines, the working lined liver coloured ones are few and far between. Show lines are much larger framed and blow up like balloons. People I know who have had both working lined livers and black and yellows said the liver was slowed to come on and generally not as good. If it's just a pet it don't matter all that much mind! Just don't feed it too much and keep it trim and fit Quote Link to post
sussex 5,777 Posted January 23, 2015 Report Share Posted January 23, 2015 My pennies worth ...yellow (my favourites) & black from good working lines are in a different class to the chocolates .. I have yet to see a really top class chocolate lab , they may be out there , I just haven't seen one yet ..As a pet I cant see a problem with one , other than they do seem prone to put on weight easily ... Quote Link to post
navman 126 Posted January 23, 2015 Report Share Posted January 23, 2015 There has never been a Chocolate lab made up to FTCh, that says it all really, some are used in competition but only rarely as the chocolate gene is more prolific in the show strains of the breed, the two types of dog are completely different, often crossed, this is where the colour may come from in some working pedigrees. Coat colour is personal preference but buyer beware with the chocolate gene as they don't show the same natural ability as blacks and yellows, but then there are always exceptions to every rule! All Labradors are greedy and easily put weight on if not exercised properly, more so than some other breeds, they all are generally excellent pets but some excel more than others when trained properly. Most important thing to consider is a healthy pup from proven parents with low hip scores regardless of colour, just be aware that the chocolates are often from a show background rather than a working strain. 1 Quote Link to post
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