[nagdu] a breeding question

[Jenine Stanley]

Sarah, 

GDF does have lines of what you refer to as "English Labradors" as do many
of the schools. My first GDf dog was one such beast. 

As for American Labs being more hyper, I'd disagree with that. What makes a
Lab "hyper" or not has more to do with what lines the dog comes from. If
dogs in that line are selected for their abilities at field trials, you will
tend to have a much more hyper dog as field trial Labs are all energy. For
them it's about how quickly they can go out and retrieve the bird. 

My first GDF dog was of the English variety, boxy head, large, round feet,
otter tail, squarish body and glossy coat. She was not particularly hyper
per say but she had a lot of stamina. She was raised with field trial Labs
and it took her a while to calm down but that was more a function of her
early experiences than her breeding lines. She was probably on the high end
of the energy scale compared to most guide dogs I see today. This was almost
20 years ago and she came from the line that included Balloo, the Lab who
won Best of Breed several times at West Minster. All that means is that he
had good conformation though. <grin> Balloo was actually a very cool dog,
smart as well as good looking. 

That said, I wouldn't expect an "English Lab" not to be hyper. I've seen
plenty who are and because of their solid builds, they hurt a lot more when
they run into you while playing. <grin> 

I've also seen what I've heard referred to as a Michigan Lab or an American
Lab. Their heads are longer, more pointed with sometimes shorter necks,
longer legs and thin tails that to me feel like ropes. The coats can also
tend to be more soft, stick up a bit or just feel almost woolly. I don't see
any difference in personality in these dogs versus the ones with the box
heads and otter tails though. 

I did used to tease my little English Lab when she developed a wicked left
tendency.