Labrador Retrievers continue to be the Most Popular Dog Breed in the American Kennel Club’s yearly ranking. What is there not to like about the Lab? They are intelligent and easy to train. They have a goofy, cheerful personally, making them ideal family pets.
If you are thinking of getting a Labrador Retriever, however, you need to consider the type of Lab that you want to be your and your family’s companion.
Let us take a look at the different types of Labradors according to Breed Lines and Color:
Types of Labrador Retrievers Based on Breed Lines
Historically speaking, Labrador Retrievers were developed by English aristocrats in the 1800s for hunting and retrieving game. Over the centuries, while the breed retained its original retrieving instincts, breeding has led to the development of two distinctive Labrador breed lines, namely the American Labrador Retriever and the English Labrador Retriever.
American Labrador Retriever
The American Lab is also known as Field, Working, Hunting, or Pet Type Labrador Retriever. It retains the desirable attributes of its progenitors, particularly its instinct for retrieving and as a working gun dog for its human.
As such, American Labs are characterized as having a quick agile body, longer legs – thus making it perfect for running after game – and greater intelligence, so that they are highly trainable. American Labs possess strong hunting instincts so that they often dash off whenever they catch sight of or sniff potential prey.
Although they make great family pets and are good with children, because of their boundless energy and drive, American Labradors need to be taken out for walks or runs. As such, American Labs are more suitable for homes with active lifestyles.
English Labrador Retriever
The English Lab is also called Conformation or Show Type Labrador Retriever. As its name obviously denotes, these Labs are developed for show purposes, so their physical appearance is of greater importance than their performance in field trials. Take note though that even English Labs still retain their working dog instincts, although not as pronounced as American Labs.
English Labs are chunkier, heavier dogs, with moderate-sized heads, shorter snouts, and short, wide-set legs. Their otter tails are also thicker than their American counterparts.
Owners of English Labs claim that this breed line usually starts off energetic when young, but become mellow and slower as they grow older. They are also said to be not as intelligent as the American Lab and may prove to be a bit difficult to train. There is also a greater tendency for them to bark or whine, a trait that is ‘bred out’ of their American or field type counterparts.
Their mellow, more sedate personalities make English Labs suitable pets for regular households. They are also very playful, affectionate dogs so they are great with kids.
Types of Labrador Retrievers According to Coat Color
Among the international kennel clubs, there are only three accepted colors of Labrador Retrievers, namely Black, Yellow, and Chocolate. Other coat colors include Silver, Red, Dudley, and White, however, these are considered as “faults” and are not accepted for field trials or show.
Many Lab owners have asserted the existence of personality and temperament differences among the Lab coat colors.
Black Labradors are said to possess the patient hunter temperament that is characteristic of the breed, in general. Because of this, they are considered to be highly trainable compared to the other coat colors.
Yellow Labradors are considered to be the sweetest and calmest among the coat colors, thus making them the ideal dogs for families with kids. It is because of their yellow coat and affectionate temperament that they are often mistaken for Golden Retrievers.
Chocolate Labradors are said to be hyperactive and somewhat wilder than the other coat colors. Because of this, Chocolate Labs are considered somewhat more difficult to train and can be very stubborn.
However, in a recent 2019 behavioral study conducted among Labrador Retrievers in Australia, the results showed that Chocolate Labs are actually less aggressive than dogs of other coat colors. However, what the study did reveal is that coat colors exhibit differences in familiar dog aggression or dog rivalry (aggressive behavior toward dogs in the same household or neighborhood). When it comes to this trait, Yellow Labs display greater familiar dog aggression behaviors while Chocolate Labs are the least to show aggressive behaviors.
While Labrador Retrievers make great family pets and companions, it is still best to determine the type of dog that matches your lifestyle.
SOURCES:
1) Different Types Of Labrador – Which Is Right For You https://www.thelabradorsite.com/types-of-labrador/
2) The Different Types of Labrador Retrievers https://www.animalwised.com/the-different-types-of-labrador-retrievers-3543.html
3) The Different Labrador Retriever Colors https://www.animalwised.com/the-different-labrador-retriever-colors-3545.html
4) Does Labrador Color Affect Their Personality? https://www.lovingyourlab.com/does-labrador-color-affect-personality/
5) Association between coat colour and the behaviour of Australian Labrador retrievers https://cgejournal.biomedcentral.com/articles/10.1186/s40575-019-0078-z
