I have a female American Lab and an English male Lab. Your depiction of their nature is right on The female is much more active and has more energy. I am 80 , so sometimes she too active for me. Both have good dispositions and make excellent pets. I prefer black.Labs because they do not have problems with fleas. I have had 3 black Labs and have never seen a flea on any of them.
Lab Life ❤ Yeah all three there have advantages for various pursuits. The English Show Type is far more laid back. Some are way too heavy though. Some look like adorable Newf's. They're better service dogs since they can capably tolerate far less physical activity without going stir crazy. British Working Labs are well suited amateur friendly duck retrievers. Again, not as intense drivey. The perk here is they're more chill and may make a better less intense duck dog. Less work for you. The American Field Lab is your Malinois level Retriever. They are not for anybody that sits at home most days. They can be too much dog for people. They're easy to train. But require consistent activity that involves what they've been bred for. Without that outlet they may be destructive. If someone gets an American Field Lab expect to have to be very involved in some form of active sport. American Field Labs can be too intense. They're meant to go all day and all season. It's vital someone knows when to apply forced rest breaks. There are plenty of them that have no quit and no sense to whoa. They will find that hidden bird! They sprint like a cheetah! It's always incredible to see them work. That's their happiness. With such an intense dog, its vital to understand proper conditioning and maintenance of an athlete. They're like managing a racehorse.
Had an American field trial lab and a British/ American lab.Those 2 dogs were night and day.The American field trial lab would bounce off the walls when she was able to.She was riddled with health problems.To the point I wasn't able to bring her hunting.The British/American lab was so sweet and quiet ,on/off switch,but would turn it on in the field.
A local here from Baldwinsville - I always thought there was just the English and the American, so I learned something new today. I had an English yellow lab from a show breeder in Joshua TX. Lost her at 14 years but she was a beast. Bigger than most male labs, would work all day long and great with other dogs and people. I love labs!
American Field Labs are like the Malinois without the complex temperament that Mals may have. Really anyone can handle a American Field Lab. A Malinois really needs an experienced handler. With the American Field Lab you get all that fire 🔥 and as he said, can take pressure without developing any issues. American Field Labs are generally very forgiving. Mals, not so much. Mals can be aloof and/or suspicious. Labs, any variety, are commonly super friendly with everyone. I've seen a few Mals trained for retrieving ducks. Granted they don't naturally have a soft mouth. Labs don't crunch your bird.
Great summary. The group distinction is only a starting point. As you state… do your research on the parents and grandparents… but be prepared for outliers. I bought a British lab because I wanted a biddable, gentle and smaller dog. I did a ton of research and made a pick. I ended up with a taller, bigger, leggy dog that is about 10 to 15 lean pounds heavier than his parents or grandparents. Super high drive, almost more than I can handle… but… super easy to train in that he has retrieved to hand since birth, marks well, has a great nose, and generally picks up any concept in the first lesson or two. I just have to learn to harness his energy a bit. Very happy with my pup, even though he isn’t exactly what I thought I wanted originally.
I have two SOK dogs 1.5 yr old from HQ (Rio x Ella) and 2.5 yr. old from Bracken Creek (Archie X Delta). They definitley have a gear my English lab dosen't have. The english dose not like practice in less its birds, but has a prey drive like the other two. She is a gamer. They all have great off switches. The British ones love to work no matter what it is training, tests or hunting.
I have an English and American lab mix. She has great prey drive and wonderful hunting partner. Her family tree is from hunting and show lines as well. Great family dog too
Like he says they are all labs , Point of the conversation is not really about American or British or English. I own two of the three, The point is pairings , got to have the correct breeding going on out of any of the 3 to get your desired outcome,
Here in the UK we have the working type & show type different energy levels & build I opted for a Flatcoated Retriever for me the ultimate though sadly overlooked & overshadowed by more popular breeds & no difference between working & show lines
