[nagdu] a breeding question

[Tracy Carcione]

My Amba, from GDB, was a donated puppy.  Her sire was a show champion from
California, and her dam was the sister to Keith Laber's field trial lab.
Amba was stocky but did not have that boxy head, which is great, because I
think that head is pretty ugly, myself.  Amba also had the otter tail. 
She was not at all hyper.  She was very determined, and had great
initiative.  She was also very beautiful, in a solid way.

I have a very clear picture of what Amba would have been like, if she'd
been human.  She would be a fine lady of the old school.  She would speak
with that high-class accent of the New York or Philadelphia elite, like
maybe Katharine Hepburn.  She would be involved in good causes to help
other people, and would give lots of energy, time and money to them, but
she would insist that things be done her way, to her high standards.  I
imagine Dorothy Harrison Eustis was such a one.
And when this fine lady's soul had moved on, somehow she saw that I was in
need of her help, so she became my Amba for a while, for which I am
forever grateful.
Tracy



> 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.
>
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