A dog of any breed bred from working lines is going to have a lot of energy that needs directing to something usefull. What suits a working home doesn't often suit the average pet home.

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So a working dog it is then, i train my dogs loads and teach them lots of tricks and go on very long walks, so they are always stimulated and i make them think as much as i can, even when making dinner or a cup of tea, i keep training all the time im with them.

I would prefer a very loyal, protective dog that barks, because im am partially deaf, my old dog did always let me know if someone was at the door or something going on in the street etc. My current dog never barks, i think its because his bark is sooo deep as well as because he's lazy.

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Goodbye my gorgeous boy, there will never be another dog like you.
You may have been the smallest in the litter but oh boy, where you the smartest.

Bless you my loyal friend

2/4/2001 - 06/01/2011

My favorite breeds are Doberman X Labradors, they are a great combination to have.

I get my new lab in 2 weeks from breeder round the corner and she had one black dog left last week. I tend to like the more athletic look but I saw a working lab last week who was both athletic and the tallest Lab I think I have seen.

Mum is fox red and dad is black, both have good health score and dads hips are 0/0. Both from working lines with over 20 FtCh/FtW in pedigree.

May be too far from you but being in Loughborough I would have thought you would have been in an ideal area to get a working lab fairly locally.

My labrador is from working lines. He is very muscular and carries very little fat on him.

He is on the go constantly, he goes to work with my partner who is a farmer and is running around in feilds ALL day. When he comes home he's still up for going for walks and playing and rarely settles to sleep except for when we go to bed

This means, if we have a day when he can't go to work with my OH he is a nightmare becaue he's not getting the exercise he's used to/needs. He's very busy and constantly needs something to focus his engery and attention on.

if i were to have another lab, i probably wouldn't get another one from working stock, as i didn't fully appreciate how differnet their needs are compared to the family pet/show labradors that you get.

Some working dogs do grow big, our un-neutered working-bred boy is quite large at 25" and 30kg compared to Breeze (bit of everything but mostly working lines) at 18" and around 22kg. They're both lean, healthy weights at the moment and don't tend to carry any excess fat:

Scooter


Breeze


Unless they're bred specifically to show, Labs vary HUGELY in build and height, mostly because of the BYB's and PF's breeding them.

ETA: For worker line Labs my two are quite laid back and chilled in the house but Scooter in particular will walk for hours without tiring.

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Scooter and Breeze - Labrador Retrievers
Cosmo - White Fife Canary

Hi Surge,

Working bred Labs TEND to be more biddable, than show/pet bred Labs, that's the main difference. Other than that working bred TEND to be lighter than those you see in the show ring, pet bred can be anything really.

I have two halfies, both half sisters, both with substantial show shires, and a damn who is of mixed breeding. One isn't that athletic, the other is like a cat, and can jump from nothing to several feet from standing, or sitting.

Please pm me, or email me at joanne@tarimoorart.co.uk - I don't mind at all helping you to find a pup.