Labrador color

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Timwald144

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When I was growing up I have always heard that chocolates are not as smart and all this other stuff. I have always wanted to get a chocolate lab but have always went against it for the reasons that was said when I was growing up. Can anyone shed some light on this for me and please put my mind at ease once and for alli
Timothy
 
Never heard of color having an impact on smarts/trainability. That being said, you know what they say "once you go black you never go back!" ;)
BB
 
I have a friend who has some Chocolates that have passed the Master Nationals, There are alot of nice Chocolates around I would say that the non-intellegent chocolate dogs have the same type owners........:D:D
 
I think a lot of the bias against the choc. lab stems from the fact they were discriminated against by the conformation people, and considered to be less "typey", until Lawrin's Hot Chocolate, swept away best in show titles in the 60's I believe. After that they have been accepted. A good dog, is a good dog, period, and you can find a wide selection of chocolate labs to suit your particular requirements. I sure wouldn't let it stop me.
 
Im almost the same way im thinking once you go black you wont go back. I have had two great blacks that were great dogs. My wife and I love the look of the chocolate labs.
 
never heard anything bad about Chocolate Labs...... if you get one please don't name it Hershey :eek:
 
How's cocoa I haven't heard that before anyone else. And I like that sayinen g there Jsdriggs. I havent heard that before.
 
The only thing I have heard in regards to color is that yellow shed differently (more often) then other coat color types. Anyone else ever hear this?

"A good dog is a good dog" - That is a right on. I have a Lab mix mutt I rescued from the shelter. He hunts every bit as the other "blue bloods" in the field. I couldn't be happier, and I have owned a papered black lab.

If I ever get a Chocolate Lab I will name it Charley Brown.
 
The problems with chocolates is that most breeders do so for the purpose of color alone. There are definately good ones out there, just be selective.
 
NCKHusker said:
The only thing I have heard in regards to color is that yellow shed differently (more often) then other coat color types. Anyone else ever hear this?

"A good dog is a good dog" - That is a right on. I have a Lab mix mutt I rescued from the shelter. He hunts every bit as the other "blue bloods" in the field. I couldn't be happier, and I have owned a papered black lab.

If I ever get a Chocolate Lab I will name it Charley Brown.
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it is a true fact that yellow labs shed the worst, i have had a yellow, black, and a chocolate, yellow was by far the worst, my black hardly sheds at all.
 
I have never heard anything about shedding does anyone know why they do shed more? How is the shedding on chocolates. Same or worse than a black. Anyone ever had temperament issues more with one color or the other? As far as papers and stuff I have never had a papered or champion dog I have gotten both of my labs from the pound and they were great dogs. A little more difficult to train since they were around one when we got them and had some horrible habits we had to break. But they were workers.
 
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Sorry I couldn't resist.
 
As someone said above the problem lies in the fact that during breeding sometimes color gets weighted too highly over other important bird dog traits like sound physical conformation, hunting drive, temperment etc.

This is driven by demand. Chocolates have become too popular and from an aesthetics standpoint are probably the preferred color of most people. Fact is if you ask a breeder even most hardcore hunters choose puppies more on eye appeal than anything else.

I had grown up with black labs but my last two have been chocolates. Mostly because my wife liked the looks and in order to grease the wheels I gave in. The results have been mixed. In his physical prime my male chocolate has been the best pheasant dog I ever owned and one of the best I ever hunted behind. Problem is he grew up very big and lankey. With this conformation and the wear & tear of upland hunting there have been lots of orthopedic issues including developing arthritis at only the age of six.

I new this when I looked for a second dog and looked long & hard for a chocolate female that was on the small side and well conformed. I got that with this one. She is physically perfect. Problem is she doesn't have 1/2 the drive and grit my male carries. In fact I'd put her in the borderline washout catagory as a hunting dog.

Moral of the story. Get what makes you happy. But understand the odds of having a great hunting dog will be more in your favor if color is not the deciding factor.
 
You might try looking for a Chocolate out of a Black breeding, were the parents are tri-factored, That way breeding for color is not a option,

If i was looking for a great bird dog i would not care what the color was, i would want to see a good pedigree and the male and female highly involved in hunting the birds i want to hunt, and very good at it,

Alot of becoming a great bird dog starts as a puppy, The BREEDER should have these pups on birds so when they get to there owners they are(BOLD ON BIRDS) Then it is up to you as the owner to continue to feed the dogs bird addiction,
When you get the dog its mind is like a blank notebook,YOU are inputing everything in there (GOOD AND BAD) Make his notebook with BIRDS the most exciting thing in his mind and you will have a awesome hunter......:cheers:
 
Timwald, I've had two black labs and three chocolate labs. My 10 yr. old lab is a black and my 11 month old is a Chocolate if that says anything? I guess I'm trying to say I've gone back to the chocolate and it's not because they have inferior noises or abilities compared to the black/yellow labs.:)

--1pheas4
 
I really don't think color has much to do with smarts at all.
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is a yellow lab from Holzinger Kennels and is one of the most highly decorated dogs in recent history. Myself not being a lab man but the best lab I have hunted behind was a chocolate, owned by my college roomate, sadly he died running around the yard when he was 4 years old. Just tipped over. From what I have seen in my part of the country Yellows seem to be the most popular with the black being the least popular. It seems like with all the dogs I see out in the field around here (SD) and in MN Yellows outnumber Chocolate/black 3 to 1. I think a lot of that has to do with Holzinger Kennels in MN. I believe 7 out of their nine stud labs are yellow.
 
That's kinda funny about the yellos being the most popular. I live in oregon and I would say that the blacks are three to one. You all kinda helped me out alot I think when I buy a pup im boing too look at the abilities not the color. That way im getting what im looking for in a dog. Now just to convince my wife of that:) thanks again. And have a great thanksgiving
 
I think in the late eighties chocolates became way to popular and many "questionable" breeders bred for color alone. This actually can be said about the breed as a whole! I am a lab guy and I hate what backyard breeders have done. I do a lot of research, not on the internet as a fancy website does not produce quality. Buy what ever color you want. But buy from a quality breeder and expect to pay for it.

In my book black is the only color:)
 
Yeah the 80 is when I was growing up. I do believe that the backyard breeders have done so bad for the breed as a whole and also the whole thing about AKC alot of people will see that and believe they have a great dog and go on to breed it to another dog.
 
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