Dilemma (shallow but still)

I'd also be wary of having a pup from the same dam. Working labs should be black in my narrow minded opinion! Yellow=pet, chocolate=don't think I'd go there as they seem to often be bred for colour although a girl I know did the full health tests to try to rid the colour of the reputation.


Ooh, outrageous! 😡😆 L/w are far too common round here, there are hardly any b/w bar ours. I wouldn't have another l/w, based on aesthetics purely. B/w are proper gundogs, again in my narrow minded opinion. Yes, I am ashamed of my own ridiculousness!

Our original pair were one of each, l/w still alive and kicking, almost 16!

I would not reject Tawny for her feet, yes she is high maintenance but it is because she is so commited to her work. I actually wonder how much she enjoys it sometimes, she gets so uptight about the whole thing. (She does adore work, but never wags her tail like the others, nor can you stroke her when she is out on a drive). I am not madly keen on chocolate, mainly because of the pink eyes and skin, you do see the odd one out working now. they have hugely improved. Yellow is actually getting very popular for trialling now, fashion is a fickle thing!
 
Only just caught up with your post Clodagh.
I disagree with most of the others. I far prefer yellow labs, the colour makes no difference to their ability as a gundog. I have not known one to have paw trouble so it’s just her. I am sure there are other breeders of high class yellow labs with good looks, ability and temperament. I would be saying no.

I do love yellow, when you get on a gun bus and there are 14 black labs finding yours can be a challenge!
 
I've got four LW and one BW currently. Still wouldn't choose a BW again willingly but the breeder I opt


There's plenty of top level working yellow labs, just look at the line up pics for a championship in any given year :)




I see very few B&W dogs on shoots, more in the trialling community. Mine is the spitting image of his Grandfather, Hattonswood Broc

On our shoot (a very small selection of springers, everyone has cockers now) we have 2 B&W and 4 L & W.
 
Black pup and a pot of yellow paint will do the trick.

You would love Tawny just the same if she was black wouldn't you (anyway I thought she was your son's dog?)

It's the genetics that you want, the colour is irrelevant, the chance to have both Tawny's and Brandy's breeding intertwined is priceless.

A pup will carry yellow gene (dam is yellow isn't she?) so if you know anyone with a nice yellow/fox red stud dog (hint hint) you could have a litter of mixed colour pups in the future.

Toast's mum is black but must carry yellow, his dad is a fox red just like him. They had 2 red dogs (Toast and Bruce) 3 pale yellow and 4 black (one was still born). They kept two of the blacks, a small pocket rocket bitch and a real cobby, almost curly coated dog. They have been breeding labs for generations and reckon this is the best litter they've ever produced, usually keep 2 to bring on and sell the less good one on as a pet gundog, however they say they're both to good to part with. Toasts sister recently had a litter to keep the line going.

You think like OH. I do love your Toast but I don't think I could ever breed a litter, the thought of being responsible for finding homes I rated as good enough for possibly 12 puppies doesn't bear thinking about. Tawnys' mum is black but does carry yellow, so I think the pup will 50/50 carry yellow?
 
I would not reject Tawny for her feet, yes she is high maintenance but it is because she is so commited to her work. I actually wonder how much she enjoys it sometimes, she gets so uptight about the whole thing. (She does adore work, but never wags her tail like the others, nor can you stroke her when she is out on a drive). I am not madly keen on chocolate, mainly because of the pink eyes and skin, you do see the odd one out working now. they have hugely improved. Yellow is actually getting very popular for trialling now, fashion is a fickle thing!


I had two of what is now marketed as chocolate but was originally called liver, Labs. Dam was also liver, litter was liver and black. The sire was black. One of mine had to be pts with non-Hodgekins lymphoma at 15 months, the other lived to be almost 15 but was diagnosed with epilepsy aged 18 months. and had sensitive skin. I would be very wary of having another 'chocolate'. although Buttons was a fabulous dog, full of character.
 
Top