Lab colors

Can anyone tell me the most popular and least popular color. Pros and cons to each color, and as pet and possibly as a hunting dog? Thanks

Black most popular. Yellow is second. Chocolate dogs need love too. Light colored yellows stand out when you are hunting. Chocolates blend best. Blacks are next.
Chocolates have a rap of being inconsistent where training to high levels is expected but there are some very good chocolate bloodlines.
All of that being said I have owned all three and run tests with all three and titled them in HRC. The chocolate was the toughest to train but the best hunting dog I ever had. I now have a chocolate female off of a GRHCH and HRCH that has all of the best bloodlines you could hope for from the chocolate kingdom of years past. I don't trial anymore but this dog is a good one!
Geezer should add to this thread...He has seen way more of them than me.

Silvers are the most beautiful out there. I have a chocolate and think they're just flat out prettier than blacks and yellows.

From what I've heard from trainers blacks make the best hunting/field trial dogs, yellow some where in the middle, and chocolates are dumb as chit and stubborn.

bullchitt.

Silver labs have been cross bred to get the color. There papers are actually labeled chocolate.

Silver labs may not even be labs>>>>cross bred with a Weimerainer is what the were crossbred with. They have a very very dubious lineage

With labs, I wouldn't worry about color. If you want calm then find a calm sire and dam. If you want a duck dog then find that. Define the characteristics you want and buy puppies from dogs that exhibit those characteristics.

con...all of em will chew up everything in sight till they are a year old.

Worst dog ever bit me was a 10 week old lab. I was laying on the floor belly up and she pounced on my chest and decided my nose needed shredding! LOL Those little needle sharp teeth had blood draining everywhere!

I've got a 15month old chocolate male who is freaking awesome. Never chewed a thing in the house and obedience is incredible. My boy had an tremendous first duck season this year. Truly man's best friend.

My parents have his litter mate that is a yellow male. He is a great dog, but he's not the same as my dog. He's a barker and will almost 100% break. He's still a great companion and friend.

make that 2 years old

X2 on 2 years. Mine destroyed several hundred dollars in stuff,including eating the seat on my son's go cart. Anything you don't want destroyed better be locked up.

This is the same experience I've had with my chocolate lab so far. She's full of energy but not at all destructive and she's very smart and obedient. I do something with her every day though to help get some of that energy out of her. I think that makes a big difference. High energy dogs have to have a way to release some of it or they become restless. I think I'm wired the same way as a human.

Unfortunately, if I was a dog,I would be a Basset Hound.

I can't hold my breath any longer as all I hear is labs chew everything . Look a lab will chew as well as a lot of other dogs if given the opportunity especiallywhen cutting k9s . Keep them crated up and don't let them have that option. And you'll never have to worry about a chewer.

black lab is the better of the three then it goes yellow then chocolate. Just my opinion

I’m sorry but I gotta call bullchit on this one. I just don’t see how the color of the dog would have anything to do with it’s temperament, drive, trainability, etc…..The litter that my chocolate came from were roughly half black and half chocolate. Y’all are really gonna say that the black ones in the litter have more potential than the chocolate ones even though they had the same mom and dad?? Someone is gonna have to splain this one to me.

Black dogs are the true breeding of a lab. Let's put it this way I have 5 master dogs that are black and one choc. And you can't argue with history buddy there are only anout two hand full of choc dogs who have a made field champions along with about 140 black dogs so argue and call BS there but your in a loosng argument with no way out. Black dogs have way more trainability and drive. I've trained over 100 labs how many have you ? I've gotten so many choc dogs that may have drive but dumb as a brick. But more that have zero drive.

And to answer your question On a the half choc half black litter. Your missing the point or blind to it one. We are talking about pure black bred dogs who's 5 generation and beyonds pedigree is black , that's when you get into a true black dog. Do not get me wrong a there are a few good bred nice choc dogs that have it all. But to argue history you can't. End of story. I don't intend to hurt any choc lovers feelings in this thread but to sit here and watch people post about things they don't know drives me crazy sometimes.

Quesiton:…..Did the chocolate ones come from good blood lines like the black ones did or did they come from lines where folks where just trying to breed chocolate dogs to sell to the public because they’re pretty??

Maybe I just go lucky with mine but what I’m seeing out of her just doesn’t line up with what folks are saying that they’re dumb, crazy, no drive, etc….. She came from a really good working dog line. Granted now, I’m training mine to be a blood tracker but she’s been outstanding so far with everything we’ve worked on. She has learned her commands and obeys them just the same as my Kopov did and her drive is unlike any other dog I’ve been around. The biggest hurdle we’re trying to get over right now is actually due to her having SO MUCH drive. I picked her out of the litter over other black ones because she showed the most interest as a puppy in following a liver drag. Her nose and interest in it lit up compared to the other pups. It didn't have anything to do with her color.

maybe since yours is just blood trailing it doesn't really make any difference. I have t trained but two blood trailing dogs and with my experience is you want a nosey independent dog who will trust his nose and go with it. I'm the hunt test trial game both of those traits ( nosey and independent ) are terrible. Almost like a bomb dog. It's no difference from a horse. If you went and ran the Kentucky derby what would you want ? A thoroughbred or a Clydesdale. That's why most trainers prefer black dogs. They are proven and way more consistent. But at the same time if you like the big choc blocky head dog and it's your flavor then stick to it. Everybody has there own opinion but for somebody to speak that a choc dogs in general are just as good or better than a black dog shows there whole lack of knowledge of the breeding. I could care less how the dog looked long as he could go smack a master test consistently.

And maybe your opinion on a smart driven dog is way different than mine. When I say smart I don't mean can he sit can he stay can he shake. Any dumb dog can be taught to do that. Is he smart enough to Recognize factors and how to fight them. Can he recognize suction and stay away? When I say drive I mean can he stretch out 300 yards and for one see a bird and two have the juice to go out there to get it and fight the factors on the way ( cover , terrain, trees, wind ) . My bet would be you have no clue what some of that means. That's my definition . And going back to what I said I don't mean to hurt anybody's feelings whatsoever. Just facing facts. Not everybody is in my venue and I realize that but that being said Most any trainer with any knowledge will tell you the same.

Again, I’m just not seeing these things with the one I have. Maybe it’s due more to her breeding than her color??

I was saying that in regards to most people who buy choc buy for color and head ! Not geared specifically to you. I do not like publicly posting about dogs but had to intervean on this matter. Just because it's history and can be backed up with evidence

You’re correct….I don’t know what some of those terms mean. I’m not really into playing fetch for a score.

This is the point that I’m trying to get at. Lots of folks in this thread are just casting out generalities that a black dog is better than a chocolate dog. Now maybe there have been many more quality breedings of black dog lines than there have chocolate ones but just the color alone has nothing to do with it...does it? It is simply a color…..no?

“Drive” to me in the tracking world is short for prey drive. The best way I know of explaining that would be to think about the look a cat gets in its eyes when it spots a bird or a mouse it wants to eat. It’s that intense instinctive behavior that makes them want to pursue the prey. Same with a wolf or the ancestors of the dog.

When I think of drive in my hunting dog…..I’m thinking about how much of that natural instinct to pursue prey does it have bred into it. They say that Texas Blue Lacy’s actually had a coyote introduced into their bloodline in the beginning breedings to really increase their prey drive. You want the drive to be able follow a 12-24 hr old scent line for a mile… sometimes more..... and the focus to stay on that line for 1-2 hrs if need be.

To understand the chocolate lab first requires a history lesson. Chocolate was not always a recognized lab color. The only recognized colors way back when were yellow and black. Breeders drowned the brown ones at birth and denied they even existed. The breeders kept it quiet and didn't breed the dogs that produced the color.

Fast forward 100 years and suddenly chocolate is a popular color. At first breeders producing chocolate pups simply bred for color. Any 2 dogs that produced chocolate pups were paired simply because chocolate puppies sold for more money. Black labs have never been more expensive than other dogs so they were always bred for traits other than color.

There are now several bloodlines of chocolate labs that are bred specifically for field work. These chocolate dogs are nice. I have judged a lot of these dogs and the talent and trainability seems to be on par with any other bloodline.

That being said, I personally purchase black labs. The price of chocolate puppies is still significantly more than black puppies for comparable pedigrees.

Agreed here

So what your saying is the only way to have a real lab is to have a black dog and run hunt tests. Other than that they are sub par. Makes perfect sense

You, obviously didn't read all of my post. I said everybody has there own wants In a dog but if you want to up your chances with a hunting dog or test dog then buy a black or yellow dog. Once again there are good choc breedings but very few. It's unresponsible breeders who wanted to make a quick buck to breed for looks and color, is why we have choc labs anyway.The working lab is being bred out. And that's WHAT they were bred for to work. These breeders have no clue if there dog is bred healthy or not and don't even know what a health clearance is. With all due respect.

I bought my chocolate male from a breeder who has specifically breed the best chocolates for over 30 years. My parents have a yellow who has all the drive but no brains to go with it. Hips, elbows and eyes for both parents had been tested and gave a written 26 month warranty.

I can guarantee my chocolate will run 300 yards through whatever and bring it back to heel while holding until I tell him to drop.

What titles does your choc have and health clearances ? Also what is his 5 generation pedigree

By the way, I like all labs except these so called silver labs.

If you're talking to me, I'm not getting into a pissing match. I don't have his paperwork with me (in the middle of moving back to AL ad everything is packed up) but your welcome to swing by the farm in Boaz and watch him work.

I'm not saying none can do the work but ONCE again not as many as blacks or yellows. I'm not speaking of it again as to I'm done me with this conversation. It's obviously done no good with some of you guys who don't want to understand. Just tried giving knowledge to some that didn't know

Btw...he's not titled yet. I plan to run hunt tests this year.

I understand where you're coming from with blacks, but to say chocolates can't do the same work is silly.

So you don't know if he is eic Cnm clear or what his hips and elbows rated ? Or one choc dog in his pedigree. Prime example of the lack of knowledge. And I told you I have a choc female on my truck who has a master pass and HRCH before two years old. So how could I say they can't do the work she can. But most can't

I'm not knocking anybody's dog on here so to the guys who took offense to anything I posted shouldn't. I didn't mean it offensive in one way possible everybody has there own wants and likes. I'm just stating facts

If you plan to run hunt test your more than welcome to come to Saturday training days here and myself and other knowledgeable guys will be more than glad to help guide you in the right direction

My dog has not had the health clearances yet, only the sir and dam. I don't know the results of the parents off hand.

I didn't take offense but there will always be dogs that buck the rules and turn great no mater the color.

Oh goodness. What did I get started?

I agree with the crate or pen when you can't work them.
I'm sure a lot of dogs will chew things. I had hounds all my life,Black and Tans, Walkers, Red Bones, and I never had one destroy anything by chewing it up until I got a Lab. I'm talking about she went into my shed and chewed the handles off my shovel and rake,kind of destruction.

This is one of the dogs that shows up multiple times in my chocolate female’s lineage on both her mom and dad's pedigree. I think it’s where she gets a lot of that race horse look. I don’t know much about it but he’s apparently a pretty good fetch player.

http://www.huntinglabpedigree.com/pedigree.asp?id=151

Haha totally understand hey you I know exactly what you mean I had somebody bring me one that said he chews everything I said ah can't be that bad. She replies he tore all the gutters off of my house from to back. Grabbed the drain and pulled it the whole thing off all the way down the house. I hope nobody took offense to any of this cause all there can be great dogs In all colors ive seen it. Just seen more in black. Hope everybody has a blessed night. I will say the best blood trailing dog I ever saw bar none was a big choc male

CNC
Very nice lean mac is responsible for prob more titled offspring than any other dog in history ! Congrats
Lots of people would argue he was the best fetch player lol. And yes I'm sure that's where she gets her spunk I've delt with that lineage

I picked the litter for the pedigree, but I picked the individual dog based on testing the pups. I chose her over the black ones because she showed more interest in what I wanted her for. To really be good at blood tracking requires a quality dog too. I feel like I have one even if she is chocolate colored.

You may very well with her breeding!!! and I hope you do maybe calling you to come fetch a deer for me with her lol.

In all seriousness, her desire to play “fetch” is freaking insane. I’ve got a ball laying in my lap right now as I type and she is giving me an intense stare wanting me to throw it. This is where I’m coming from with the crazy prey drive. She almost zones out and her teeth start chattering she wants it so bad. My biggest issue with her dfrom a tracking standpoint right now is trying to make her throttle back and not want to get the deer leg so much that she completely abandons technique. She’s only 11 moths old though so I’m expecting on a lot of that to come with age. It typically does with most any breed of tracking dog. They have to mature to get truly good at it.

Wow that is insane. She like blood?

Oh yeah……One of the things you do with a tracking dog is play with them with a leg making it their favorite toy and making it where they really WANT to find it. When I run her on a training track we always play fetch and tug of war with the leg after she finds it. She starts tearing into the leg to the point that I’m afraid she's gonna get my finger and take it off. I’ll likely have to use the E-collar with her some on live deer to keep her off of them. That is my biggest concern with her moving into next tracking season. She’ll start running at lot of real tracks next year and I know were gonna have a learning curve on dealing with the ones that are still alive. Being too aggressive with live deer will get a dog hurt. She’s got a great nose though. She actually puts and keeps her nose on the ground a lot better than my Kopov (hound) did at that age.He probably has a stronger nose when it comes to old cold lines but my lab still seems to have plenty of nose from what I've seen.

Color doesn't make a hill of beans IMO. If the dog is bred well you've given yourself a chance. I own a chocolate male, he's nothing special talent and intelligence wise but he has an HRCH and is QAA. Pretty well stopped running him in trials due to lack of training time but he was getting to the end of some opens and AM's when we scaled back. I own a black dog that is much more talented and more intelligent but he's not that way because he's black. He was just born with more to work with.

Buying a well Bree black dog is easier because the options are endless, it's tougher to find well bred chocolate dogs. Plenty of people breed crappy chocolate dogs because of color but the ones bred for the right reasons are just as talented as any black dog you can find.

I've got a English fox red lab and have never had a minute trouble out of her chewing or barking. I never meant to use her for blood tracking but she took to it on her own. The biggest difference I see is the English labs are more laid back and not so "high strung".

My girlfriends family raises British labs and I have noticed that also.
When the time comes I want/ready for a dog I'll be getting one.

I have no idea what my Yellow lab's blooline is but I wouldn't trade him for all the high dollar dogs in the world.
The smartest dog I ever seen was a half black lab/ half GSP I had when I was a kid. Retrievie ducks in the morning and point quail or flush pheasants in the afternoon. Even taught him to fish.

As someone who just had to put my chocolate down, this is the popular mantra out there. Every dog/bloodline is different, but this concept has some truth in it.

I've hunted over 50+ duck dogs ranging in ability from crap to world class over my years and this exists for a reason.

I've heard those British labs make great service dogs. I had a yellow lab years ago that weighed 100-110 pounds. Vet in Montgomery said he was the biggest lab he had ever seen. That dog sure was smart. Use to climb the chain link fence and walk on the top rail to get out

Question - can pure bred labs a a white mark down their chest and on their feet? [img:center]http://[/img]

Long as the roof of the mouth is black it has potential.

Do what?

Legend is a smart dog has a black mouth. Pink mouth is signs of dog that isnt high level. Meant as a joke, but a lot of guys swear by it. My BC is all black roof of mouth.

Yes they can but according to the akc it's not Desired l. It's called bolo spot. However if the mark is huge and there's lots of white I dk only thing you could do is get DNA sample

my dog is smarter than yours...he picked me as his owner...best of everything for "Fritz"...big yellow male(to be)....and he is very smart to know when and wherte to get his treats.....been traing dogs off and on since 1957...Chesapeakes as well as Labs...both have their qualities...

Reading this thread reminds me why I love dogs, and don't much care for most trainers/breeders these days. A retriever is never arrogant or condescending or bigoted about its lineage, but it probably should be.

If you're breeding for ability and personality traits, the color doesn't matter. It can't, logically. If you're breeding for color/physical appearances, then nothing else much matters.

I'd take another red (or any color) Brit pup from hunting stock in a heartbeat.

I don't say black are the most popular it is just they are the dominate color there are more black labs than any other There was a couple who bread only chocolate labs and they placed labs all over the USA there are a lot of Grand Champion chocolates. You can not say one color is smarter than the other. I have seen a lot of dumb black ones. Oh I see where someone ask about white on a labs chest and toes. That is a through back to the original labs. They have sense been bread to where the white is gone in almost all cases but sometime that gene comes back.

One of my cousins trains dogs for a living. It is his sole source of income and he makes a good living doing it. Trains them for both hunting and field trials for people from all over the country, and has trained several champion dogs. He would tell you there's not a whole lot of difference in a black or yellow (he says he'd prefer black if he had to choose, but they're close), but he swears that chocolate labs are, as a whole, more difficult. He all but refuses to take one. I trust his opinion on the topic more than most.

I've had two labs, a lighter yellow one and a chocolate. They both had just rudimentary behavior training. The yellow turned out to be a natural retriever except she never learned the concept of only retrieving my doves. That meant she didn't go on shoots unless it was just a small group of friends. She also never learned that every time I shot a dove wasn't coming down. She would have been great with formal training but we more or less discovered her talent for it by accident.

My chocolate has no interest in hunting and after being in my shop when it was struck by lightning and caught on fire, she is terrified of loud noises. She was either jolted by the lightning or so terrified she was frozen because I had to go in and carry her out. She is a great pet though and has two different coats. Winter is lighter like a grizzly bear and summer is dark brown. Pretty dog.

It means nothing really, but just going by this, yellows make better hunters than chocolates and my yellow would seem smarter to me, but the chocolate isn't dumb.

Both chewed and dug like crazy their first two years or so and then calmed down nicely. The yellow died when she was 15. My chocolate is 10 now and going strong.

Nothing is truer than the saying that labs are the worst puppies but the best dogs.

If you have a 15 month old lab thats never chewed anything up, then you don't have a 15 month old lab. LOL

Shelby isn’t a chewer either. I think she’s learned a lot from Otis though. I can leave her alone at home while I run to town or something and when I come back she’ll just be laying in her bed waiting on me to get back. I don’t know how well she would do with field trials and such but so far she’s done outstanding with her blood tracking training. She’s super smart and got a lot of hunting drive. We’re about to find out what kind of tracking dog she’s really gonna be in another month or so when we get back on the real thing. #readytotrack

My chocolate has NEVER chewed anything, nor has his brother (yellow) that my parents have. My dog is incredibly smart and a great retriever with great manners. These dogs come from an awesome kennel with excellent hunting stock.

My chocolate never chewed anything. My silver chewed every piece of wood he could find when he was younger. Now he only chews what we give him. He is 1.5 year old and 115lbs. But we take him to different bodies of water several times a week and throw a decoy for him to retrieve. He is obsessed with fetch.

I just got my first lab. A yellow male. I wanted black but this one was available at the right time for me. He's 13 weeks. Seems smart as a whip but of course he's doing all the things you dread from a lab puppy. He eats everything, his bed, shoes, door casing, furniture.

How about some red dogs?