Hijacked ssnl thread, Labrador Retriever Question

[wdeadwyler]

I heard somewhere that brown labs are inbreeds of blonde and black labs, and thus not as intelligent. I am going to purchase a shorthaired lab, and would really appreciate some discussion on the differences between the three colors (blonde, brown, and black) besides aesthetics, if any such differences do exist.

Also, feel free to discuss dogs in general as they are awesome, and I will be purcashing one soon.

[RunDownHouse]

This must turn into a dog picture thread immediately.

[Vote4Pedro]

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This must turn into a dog picture thread immediately.

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http://img179.imageshack.us/img179/5789/image0088814sk.jpg

[CollinEstes]

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I heard somewhere that brown labs are inbreeds of blonde and black labs, and thus not as intelligent. I am going to purchase a shorthaired lab, and would really appreciate some discussion on the differences between the three colors (blonde, brown, and black) besides aesthetics, if any such differences do exist.

Also, feel free to discuss dogs in general as they are awesome, and I will be purcashing one soon.

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I don't really understand aren't all dog breeds inbreeds of there breed? Wouldn't an inbreed dog be a dog whose brother is also his father?

More to the question, I like Yellow labs more but it is just my preference.

[astroglide]

that's pretty cool that ssnl ended up talking about dog breeds

[Georgia Avenue]

wdead,

That's a myth. Labs are all equally stupid. That's why I have a golden. /images/graemlins/smile.gif

Boo/yah.
--GA

[wdeadwyler]

Not quite, we started talking about DJoyces dog avatar and he said it was his dog and then I was about to hijack and I decided to post here.

Any opinions on the merits of the three colors? I was thinking of getting a black lab, but I also saw black/lab dalmation mix and it was awesome, I dont know how to post pics cuz I suck at internet.

[pokerlaw]

i personally dont see the idea of getting a purebreed for $500 or whatever. i got my dog 11 years ago at north-shore animal league for a $50 donation (mix of black lab and hound, looks very much like a black lab).

she has a great disposition, was very obedient and easy to train (no need for a leash after 3 or so years), extremely friendly to strangers and good health.

purebreds have a tendency to be of worse health (think inbreeding) and the 3 purebreds i have seen the most (my sister's pitbull, aunt's yellow lab, and good friend's brown lab) were noticably harder to handle. not to say they werent friendly - but they had more behavioral issues.

i guess my main advice is to not rule out going to a pound, spending a few minutes w the different puppies, and picking one that approaches you in a friendly way. its def +EV /images/graemlins/smile.gif

here's a pic for sh*ts and giggles:
http://cvri-server2.ucsf.edu/~bblack/blacklab.jpg

[Blarg]

The ill health of pure breds is almost always highly exaggerated, but there are some particular breeds that have been bred into massive ill health, such that a very high percentage of them have problems and sometimes serious ones, at least in America. The same breeds in other countries are sometimes kept far healthier because they aren't bred to some absurd cosmetic notions at the expense of everything else.

To the OP -- Labs have a very high percentage of absolute dumbness. They also have a high percentage of being incredibly loving, good natured dogs, too. Our black lab was definitely both. You could get lucky or you could not. But I'm not sure you should pick a dog by its color anyway. Better to pick it for its disposition, health, and confidence observed right there at the breeder's, or, if you can manage to figure that out at a shelter, there. It's a little harder to figure out at a shelter, I would think.

[MrTrik]

I've been around labs my entire life. My father, mother, grandfather, uncles, cousins, all were lab people. Labs of all three colors and some with odd color combos because they were part some other breed. I've owned three myself since being an adult. I've not noticed a correlation between intelligence, behavior, and health with color.

One of my labs was of average intelligence I'd say. The other two were dumber than a box of rocks. What they are great at is finding ways to food. They are persistent and smart at trying to figure out how to get the food bin open or the kitchen cupboard open. They are loving and easy to train (as compared with some other breeds).

But nothing seems to go with a given color. Though I will retract that statement a bit ... in my experience the yellow labs seem more likely to become sedentary later in life and enjoy sleeping even more than most dogs I've seen.

The other dogs I've had in adult life are Alaskan Malamutes (I've had three) and I'd suggest most people would be much better off with labs.

[JihadOnTheRiver]

How much did your golden cost, and where did you get it? My next purchase I believe...

[Freakin]

Our purebred golden retriever was dumb as a post, and had joint problems later in life... this is pretty typical of any purebred.