Brits and Americans

[greenheadgrimreaper]

Where can I go to look at the differences b/w british and American labs. I have been wanting to learn about the differences b/w the two.

[goosebruce]

gonna be a tough thing to do, to get an objective opinion. Depends on who you ask... a brit lab fanicer will brag about gentle, naturaly heel & hold, quiet etc. An american lab fancier will brag about speed, desire, and strength and talent. Typcially neither see any merit in the other.

Remember folks who want to sell you something, will tend to point things out from their point of view (be it american or brit, a breeder is only gonna point out what their ads say). I've seen the best (and the worst) of both, and will tell you the ONLY thing for sure, is your better off buying from a repetable breeder with health clearneces and gunaretees no matter which way you go. What you want, and will be happy with both in apperence, desire, and end goals will dictate which direction you go and end up being happy with. My ideals of a dog both in apperence and temperment, might not g-haul with yours... therefore my opinions (or anyone elses) wont really fit you. Decide what you want, then figure out if the breeder your looking for offers it. travis

[greenheadgrimreaper]

Well I'm definitely not plannin on getting another dog anytime soon, it's all my poor strapped for cash collegenself can do to keep this one fed and he is still a pup. I don't really know if he is American or Brit or both or what. I just have heard all kind of different things about how they look, act, etc. I just am wondering how to figure it all out. Preciate the help.

[skuna]

Do a search on here about it. Bet you find something to chew on.

[D1]

Dang!!!!!!Travis hit the nail on the head with that one.......although I think brits are better

[Chocolate Seal]

HERE WE GO!!!!

[B3]

I would agree with everything GB said. Its hard to generalize about brits or US dogs because there is wide variation among brit dogs and in US dogs respectively. I own several brit dogs and have worked with and seen many others. There is huge variation among these dogs most of which was influenced by socialization and training, just like US dogs.

In general, I have some observations that I am reluctant to share because people will naturally take it as a reference to their own dogs breeding. Keep in mind that over 50 years ago the dog games diverged in the way they were played on each side of the Atlantic. These games greatly influence which dogs are bred. These games are definitely going to influence the breed to some degree and produce some GENERAL differences but there is still variation and overlap between the US and Brit dogs.

For example, in a general sense, the brit dogs I've seen are less likely to have noise issues but I've seen some british whiners. Most of the brit dogs are stockier but I've seen some leggy ones with a pointy face. Conversely, since the US games are won on the water, I think generally a US dog might take more naturally to crashing into the water but not in all cases.

For most hunters and hunt testers, I think that either a well bred brit or a well bred US dog is likely to be fine. The most important thing is that they come from a healthy high performing field lineage. I do think its a different story if you want to play at the highest levels of the respective dogs games on either side of the ocean. If I had visions of competing in the national open then I wouldn't start out with a british puppy. Likewise, if I wanted to win the british championship, I wouldn't try to do it with a Cosmo pup.

I hope this is PC enough and doesn't start the usual brit vs US dead horse beating. If it does, then fine because its been slow around here.

Bill

[Chocolate Seal]

WHAT ABOUT IT MEEKA, I KNOW YOU GOT SOMETHING!!

[Meeka]

Whut Bill said.

[chip laughton]

I can help you out. If you just want to compare how they look.

go to http://www.daysafieldphotography.com

Go through each page on the site there are both Brit labs and US labs on there. Tell me if you can tell the difference.

Chip

[chevy01234]

I love my little british dog, I took him out to the farm yesterday and let him run a little. Here are a couple of pictures.








Click to enlarge pictures