Show Labradors

[SAujla]

I am considering getting a Labrador that is more show than working. The one thing that concerns me is that show Labs are chunky as puppies and more stocky, does this mean they are more prone to becoming overweight? I understand that a lot (if not all) depends on diet and exercise but are these types of Labradors predisposed to weight issues?

Thanks for any help and advice

 

[twiggy2]

Yes they are, I believe that their is a gene that many labs carry that predisposes them to being obese. However the working labs can be very much higher energy and drive and not as suitable as a pet.

 

[Pearlsasinger]

All Labs can put weight on if they are allowed to, they don't usually know what "stop eating" means. Working strains are usually more fidgety and need to be kept busy, or they will make their own entertainment. Show strain Labs tend to not be quite so busy, although they do still need to be given things to think about.
Our pups are from the same litter and of different builds and temperaments.

ETA show bred pups are usually easier for a first time owner. Some litters are intended to be dual purpose.

 

[GSD Woman]

In the USA the show Labradors are sometimes called Flabradors. My friends that have them are very careful to limit the calories in and work very hard to keep them fit.
Labs are also known for eating anything. One friend had to pay for 3 foreign body surgeries before her Lab was 2 years old.

 

[gunnergundog]

In the USA the show Labradors are sometimes called Flabradors.

....or Slabradors here!

Show labs are generally stockier in build skeletally and. in my opinion, have the work ethic bred out of them so are more inclined to lie around and pose than run around and exercise. Yes, there are exceptions that prove the rule, but they are exceptions.

If you want a pet, that has none, or few of the gun dog instincts, then it is a show bred dog that you should go for.

 

[Stiff Knees]

Our Spot was the exception that proved the rule. A show Labrador through and through but with as much energy as our field trial bred Labrador. Built like the proverbial brick outhouse when we first got her at 44kgs, aged 9, slimmed down to 28kgs within 6 months and unrecognisable from her previous flabrador self. Great work ethic, no instincts but she picked those up by watching our working Labrador. Her breeders would have been so disappointed. We loved her either way. Gone but never forgotten. 🐾😍

 

[Blazingsaddles]

I wonder if it is the owner of a show type lab that has more influence over its weight/behaviour than its genetics? I’ve known show type yellows that are, quite frankly, mad as a box of frogs, due more to their idiot owners than genetics, I suspect.

 

[Pearlsasinger]

We have had several Labs over the years with Dual Champions in their pedigrees, which imo is what a 'proper' Lab should be (not necessarily a champion but fit for both jobs). I am very uneasy about any dog being bred purely for showing aas that is when the 'desirable' features become exaggerated and the show dogs become unrecognisable from their working counterparts.

 

[Goldenstar]

I have had both types I never let any of them get fat .
I have settled on the working type now I prefer the lighter faster type and they are so sharp to learn .
Don’t get a lab unless you
Like sweeping the floor
Are good at diets
And don’t get too attached to the things in life labs like to chew glasses tv remotes the furniture , walls etc.

 

[Stiff Knees]

It's peculiar isn't it, were all Lab owners but all have had different experiences. None of mine have ever chewed anything, including their food!!

 

[Goldenstar]

You are fortunate I am fond of telling people that Dram was an easy puppy he only ate two things MrGS is fond of reminding me that those two things where a fortnight old bespoke Italian leather chair and the other thing was a bang and Olsen speaker.

 

[Stiff Knees]

You are fortunate I am fond of telling people that Dram was an easy puppy he only ate two things MrGS is fond of reminding me that those two things where a fortnight old bespoke Italian leather chair and the other thing was a bang and Olsen speaker.

Ouch, Dram has expensive taste!!

 

[Pearlsasinger]

And don’t get too attached to the things in life labs like to chew glasses tv remotes the furniture , walls etc.

My parents 1st Lab could open the fridge and did! He helped himself to a Christmas cake, left out to cool once. I had one who liked eggs and butter and used to help herself to them from the dresser. She would carry the egg around until I had seen her and then drop it heavily on the floor, so that she *had* to eat it. The same dog ate through a wall. Then there was the time Mum had to take pieces of £5 notes into the bank to get replacements - and that was when £5 bought you quite a lot!

 

[Goldenstar]

Pearl our old girl now once ate an entire Christmas cake on Christmas Eve I was furious she did not even get an upset tummy .
We have two bolts on our bin cupboard ( yes we have a bin cupboard) pearl learnt to open the first one so I had fit another the door is interestingly patinated by her claws

 

[twiggy2]

Well other half has just come in from the workshop telling me that Maz (the lurcher-she lab there) has been eating chain saw chain oil! Repeatedly despite being told not to! I did ask why not put her in the truck so she could not eat it.

 

[Pearlsasinger]

We have had Labs eat whole boxes of chocolates with no ill effects! I once had to apologise to my aunt that her Christmas present chocs had gone into the dogs that morning (Christmas Day), they had got upstairs which is meant to be a dog-free zone

 

[Goldenstar]

We have had several fridge raiders
The most amusing was done on Friday night while,we where at the pub when we where expecting guests the next day and I was on a diet .
They had feasted on salmon ham eggs cheese they looked like ticks but tossed to the side where my weight watchers bits .

 

[Pearlsasinger]

We have had several fridge raiders
The most amusing was done on Friday night while,we where at the pub when we where expecting guests the next day and I was on a diet .
They had feasted on salmon ham eggs cheese they looked like ticks but tossed to the side where my weight watchers bits .

That fridge had a handle which pulled down for access. We learned after that to buy fridges which pulled open, with a handle at the top of the door, rather than the old style.

 

[windand rain]

We have always had golden retrievers up until we bought Willow. She is working bred through and through but is chunky and a bit lazy, I do not recognise any of the typical lab features
She is the fussiest and slowest eater I have ever known
She was house trained by the time she had been here for a day
She has never chewed anything
We were called out as first responders and left our chicken dinner on the coffee table it remained untouched while we were out
She only needs walked 3 times a day and will happily potter about in the garden.
Only wees and poos in the field
her bad points are she is difficult to feed and seems to be allergic to a few things
She loves paddling in the river
She is a bit bouncy around the litle kids but has never hurt them
She is smelly compare to other dogs we have owned

 

[Clodagh]

Ours thankfully tend to kept so busy that they rarely chew, a couple of library books and the skirting board at the bottom of the stairs.
Oh and several shoes, pairs of glasses, kitchen drawer knobs, table legs...

OP they are gorgeous and I would never be without a lab! They do grow out of the chew stage.

 

[wren123]

I've got a show lab and she's lean, it's just like a horse you look at your dog assess their weight and build and adjust their food accordingly.

I've never had a working lab but would absolutely get one if the right one came up. I'd like to get into the whole training thing.

The moulting is something to behold, the hairs get everwhere!

 

[tatty_v]

Ours has show breeding through his father. He is a fab dog but we do have to watch his weight like a hawk! He has one small meal a day and tidbits are rationed. Thankfully he’s not as bad as some for non-edible objects, although he has a vile liking for horse poo! 😂

 

[wren123]

Ours has show breeding through his father. He is a fab dog but we do have to watch his weight like a hawk! He has one small meal a day and tidbits are rationed. Thankfully he’s not as bad as some for non-edible objects, although he has a vile liking for horse poo! 😂

What a handsome boy.

 

[GSD Woman]

We had 2 labs that were in the ICU last night for eating non food items. One had eaten a sock and the other a tennis ball. I kept thinking of this thread every time I did their treatments.

 

[Moobli]

I knew Labs were greedy but had no idea about their penchant for eating anything in their path (edible or not) 😮

 

[Pearlsasinger]

I knew Labs were greedy but had no idea about their penchant for eating anything in their path (edible or not) 😮

Oh yes, they're famous for it!

 

[Clodagh]

On the plus side they can digest things that would kill a Tasmanian Devil.

 

[SAujla]

Thanks for all the replies, its equally entertaining, informative and alarming! I have wanted a dog for a long time, now I am very close to getting one I've become very nervous about the whole thing!

 

[TheresaW]

Is the eating anything purely a lab thing? Nothing was safe around Luna when she was a puppy. Only one vet visit thankfully for eating something she shouldn’t, which were blood pressure tablets which were stolen out of the bathroom when my back was turned. Was in the vets within 15 mins and no lasting harm done.

She did destroy endless phone chargers, a cheque that came in the post, many trainers and shoes. Stripped some wallpaper for us, the list goes on. Thankfully she’s grown out of the habit now, or are we just more careful about putting things away?

 

[Auslander]

MY lab once disappeared on a walk. Finally found him, working his way through the dumped contents of someone's freezer - he was half through a partially defrosted chicken when we discovered him.
He had absolutely NO ill effects whatsoever. Vet was on standby. I didn't sleep for 24h for worrying - but the bloody animal just slept off his gargantuan, high risk feast, and woke up the next morning all bright eyed, bushy tailed, and ready to go scavenging all over again!