British Lab Puppies

I have been given the go ahead by my better half to get a dog for our family and I am set on a British Lab. My wife really wants a chocolate, and I really don’t have a preference on color. I am just looking for a good family dog, a dog that will perform well in the field, and will also just hang out in the fish house with us and not make me too crazy. I have done some reading and Chocolates seem to be the hardest to find, and have the most recessive genes. The breeder I have been speaking with also said that in general, chocolates are the most energetic of all the colors. I am just curious to see what other peoples experiences are with their British Labs, and what advice you have for us as we start our search for a new member of the family.

I’m a big fan of British Labs. My only advice (and this would obviously apply to other breeds as well) is to do plenty of research. On the breed and on the breeders. We had a black British for 12 years. She was the best family dog you will ever find. Mild temperament from day one. But, she lacked the drive for hunting. I hunted upland with her and she did ok, but just wouldn’t cover ground. I didn’t have a chance to research her breeder ahead of time. My wife found them through a coworker and bought the dog as a Christmas present. Awesome present, but in hindsight I would’ve preferred to do more research. Turns out they were breeding more for show than hunting. That being said, I will have another one some day. Good luck!

Only personally known 2 chocolates in my life, and they were both high strung. But I doubt that color has anything to do with that. More likely training and exercise.
If you are from the metro area… I would 100% no questions asked.. take my new pup to the “introduction to bird and gun” class at Cannon River Kennels. It is a 2 week course if I can remember, and although it is tough to send you pup off at that young age… HOLY COW. when I got my black lab pup back it was like a different animal. Was all about the hunt from very early on. They do an awesome job.

She then went to an Upland course at Vermillion River Kennels. And that was a longer more expensive course, but the results were also stunning. My pup had over 100 wild pheasant retrieves before she was 1 year old. Mind was blown.

I have a chocolate lab, not of the British variety however. She was never high strung. She just likes sleeping in suitcases, and closets. I night add she’s a bit spoiled.

sktrwx2200 wrote:

Only personally known 2 chocolates in my life, and they were both high strung. But I doubt that color has anything to do with that. More likely training and exercise.
If you are from the metro area… I would 100% no questions asked.. take my new pup to the “introduction to bird and gun” class at Cannon River Kennels. It is a 2 week course if I can remember, and although it is tough to send you pup off at that young age… HOLY COW. when I got my black lab pup back it was like a different animal. Was all about the hunt from very early on. They do an awesome job.

She then went to an Upland course at Vermillion River Kennels. And that was a longer more expensive course, but the results were also stunning. My pup had over 100 wild pheasant retrieves before she was 1 year old. Mind was blown.

I have a yellow british lab and I sent her to Cannon River Kennels for basic gun/bird/obedience training too. Incredible job they did there in just 2 weeks time!

The primary reason I chose a british over an american lab was the temperment and submissiveness. I have NEVER seen her get aggressive in almost 8 years, ever. Most dogs will get defensive when you try to take their food or a bone from them, she does not. Part of the calm demeanor also may be because she is a female.

It’s a lab, they are what you train them to be. I prefer the american labs leaner look over the stockier british labs, but that is just personal prefereance.

I’ve had labs my whole life and they are great family dogs, that can be awesome hunting dogs as well. It takes a lot of work and maintenance to have it be both. Sending them off to school can give them a great head start, but that is only maintained by your continual effort reinforcing what it learned so make it a part of your daily routine and don’t deviate from the plan. Also, labs have puppy level energy until about 4-6 years old, so make sure a lot of daily exercise is a part of the plan.

Congrats on getting the green light. All types of dogs can be great dogs it just depends on the work you put in to them. That being said we’ve had American labs for 40 years in my family and while they’ve differed in personalities and hunting ability all were good dogs. We’ve always had females and chose them because of the size difference and the type of hunting we do. Our current lab is a British and she is amazing in her intelligence, demeanor, and just a joy to have around the house. She is really laid back and will just chill if you’re in the boat, wheel house, garage or home. Doesn’t seem to shed as much for some reason compared to our American labs. British labs, English labs… IDK if they are the same but ours is a streamline profile and can run like crazy when she gets going. She is around 52-55 pounds depending on the season. I remember them having some in the 42-45 lb range as well (females). She isn’t the hunter ( but still does well ) that my other labs have been but that’s my fault as I haven’t been able to put in as much time with this one as in the past. The heaviest male he bred at the time was only 70 lbs. Mosly blacks and yellows. The breeder I got her from is Royalty Brisish Kennels out of Milaca.

https://www.royaltybritishkennels.com

I think his Kennel was on Kent Hrbek’s show a few years ago..

Good Luck in your search and have fun with it!!

I have had two yellow labs and done a fair amount of research on labs in general. Awesome dogs. It is important to look at the hunting lines if you want a good field dog.

Also, if you have your heart set on color (particularly chocolate) it does make the job of finding a good pup harder. Most of the breeders I have worked with do not specifically go after the chocolate trait as it’s a shallower pool. I initially wanted a chocolate also, but changed my mind when I started researching. Having said that, I would take a chocolate if the other background stuff lined up.

Good luck.

My last two labs have been british and I will stay with them forever.

The first one was from Welcome Home Labs up by duluth. Scout was a chocolate female, Absolutley the coolest dog I ever owned. Independent but happy, easy to train, a great family dog and a great upland hunting dog. Never really worked ducks with her, she retrieved decoys like the hell though. Lost her to a car on a busy road in front of my house last February. I would give anything to have her back. I know other people who have dogs from Welcome Home Labs and they love them. I think they sku towards great family dogs and good hunting dogs.

Devastated I set out to find a new British. Talked to many at the Sportshow and then found KT British Labs in Alexandria. Boom! He had a pup available so we brought him home in May. Fletcher is a Black Male. He is a great family dog, soft mouth and has a good nose. He has been at the trainer, I am picking him up Friday. He is only 8 months old but the trainer (Wings and Whistles in St. Bonneventure) says he looks real good. Big motor, soft mouth and trainable.

Both of these dogs are/were about 60 lbs and both were full of personality.

I love both of these breeders. Hard to say which one is best but both of these breeders gave me a dog that I absolutely love. RIP Scout. Happy Decoy Retrieving Opener!

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I should also add that my british lab is quite often my fishing partner in the boat.

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The yellow English lab in my avatar is Ammo, and he’s 7.5 years old now.
We got him mainly as a family dog, really as my sons dog, who was 10 at the time.
But, he had great bloodlines and hunting background. We got him from Carol Nyholm at Roaring Winds kennel in Babbit, who started her kennel with help from Joe DeLoia.
His father was black and an almost 120# tank, while mother was almost white and maybe 60#’s.
He has been the perfect family dog, mellow to a fault (vet swears hes on sedatives), but once you put him in a pheasant field, he becomes a totally different dog. 2 weeks in North Dakota putting up hundreds of pheasants, some incredible retrieves, all with very, very little formal training. He’s not quite as good on grouse, but is no slouch either.
At 85 pounds hes a bit big for alot of folks, but we live out in the woods so he has room to roam. My only issue is the amount of hair he sheds. Good lord we take a few small dogs worth off him each month. Not sure if all English’s are like this or just him.

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gim wrote:

I should also add that my british lab is quite often my fishing partner in the boat.

Maybe just me but is my lab a twin to yours? I love labs!

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Thank you for all the replies! I guess I should’ve said that I have had labs before. I love the labs however my first one was a wonderful dog. Our second one was an absolute nightmare. She was a free dog and it was a very unpleasant experience. She is the reason I have decided on a British Lab and will spend money for a better chance at a great dog. Am I correct in British/English labs are the same? I have seen both on sites but do not know for sure. I have looked very hard at both the Royal and the KT sites. Both seem to have really nice dogs. I live in Willmar and am not far from Diamond J labs. I took my wife and kids there last week and she got a better understanding of why I want a British Lab. They truly are a different dog and it was really enjoyable to be around them. Is there anything good/bad I should be looking for as we try to speak with and visit different breeders?

An approach would be to
1: Pin down a color and a gender
2: Determine what your budget is whether it’s just the cost of the pup or having it professionaly trained. Can add up fast..
3: Find out what the waiting list is for each Kennel your considering and what/if the deposit is.
4: Good idea to visit a couple of Kennels and see if the sire and ‘mom’ are on site to get a look at. Also gives you and idea of the environment the pup will be in for the first 49 days of it’s life.
5: Ask what the breeder will guarantee on the dog such as hips, eyes, etc.
6: If considering a female, ask the breeder about the hunting background for both sire and ‘mom’. We ran across some kennels that only had the ‘moms’ there for breeding and never hunted them. Was kind of a big turn off for us. Their genes go in to the dog as well.

Im starting the process of getting a puppy myself. Having gone through it a few times I approach it a different way. Good dogs are born not trained. And individual personalities and intelligence varies in a litter just like siblings do in humans. There is a certain amount of luck involved but if you go with a reputable breeder that has a good blood line your chance of getting a good one increase dramatically. My wife and I are in the process of locating a breeder. We have an appt to check out some breeding stock at one this weekend. I want to meet the parents long before I decide on one of their puppies. Some breeders, especially woman, can be very fanatical and that is a big turn off to me but that doesnt mean they dont have good dogs. Our last great dog came from such a person.
However one I spoke to last week was so weird I took her off the list.

My fox red British is the exact personality you’re describing, Darin. Max is great in the field, but if we aren’t working he can sleep in the boat or the fish house just as easily. I hunt with many ‘hardcore’ guys that insist you need a wirehair, shorty, griffon to properly upland hunt, and I’ll admit Max (and I think most labs) doesn’t have the nose of those breeds. I also didn’t want the typically high-strung pointer personality the 350 days a year I’m not hunting. An added benefit is not needing a medical kit after every cattail hunt like my pointer buddies, as Max has that stockier build with what I like to call ‘loose-fitting’ skin. Everyone comments on his big blocky head, another differentiation from the American version. I worked with Dan and MaryJo at Whispering Pines and they were wonderful. I imagine I’ll be looking at their litters in the next year or two, as Max is now seven and I’d like them to overlap (mostly so Max can do the training!). I have never had him professionally trained and my abilities are extremely limited on that front, but I agree with Suzuki that a well bred dog can make anyone look like a good trainer!

Gimruis – Where did you get her? She’s got a beautiful build

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this thread keeps me thinking on when to get another pup, as ours is going to turn 9 soon. I contacted the breeder we got ours through-River Valley British labs, but even with the 1-3 year time frame we are looking, they are booked. So I contacted KT british labs, and they actually have a few female pups ready to go now…

Our current/first dog is awesome and couldnt ask for anymore for the work I put into him. Duck hunting, he could be better but for the amount of times I go after them, he works just fine, pheasant hunting is so much fun with him.
I actually thought about getting a Pudelpointer for the next dog, but they are so dang expensive and the transition from a flusher to a pointer would be tough for me I think, so the next pup will be another british lab

suzuki wrote:

Good dogs are born not trained. And individual personalities and intelligence varies in a litter just like siblings do in humans. There is a certain amount of luck involved but if you go with a reputable breeder that has a good blood line your chance of getting a good one increase dramatically.

I agree with this. To make the point on luck, the best hunting dog I’ve had to date was a lab cross (mixed with I don’t know what). Got her as a pup and did basic obedience training myself. She was just a natural hunter. Pheasants, grouse, and ducks. At about 5-6 years, she even started pointing.

haleysgold wrote:

<div class=”d4p-bbt-quote-title”>gimruis wrote:</div>
I should also add that my british lab is quite often my fishing partner in the boat.

Maybe just me but is my lab a twin to yours? I love labs!

Haha yes the twin

Blood hound is #1 with best nose lab is 6 shorthair is 9. So labs win againts pointers!!!

My pup radar is 8 years old and a freaking duck and pheasant machine sleeps with me and my woman every night big ol baby. Last year in nd he retrieve every bird 54 birds in 3 days 3 guys. Last day with 18 birds I n the boat were are pushing it through the creek back to the truck radar disappears…. i start calling him. Then rooster rooster rooster from the cattails he wasn’t done for the day he flushed 4 roosters and 2 hens… let’s just say im buying a rooster license this year!

Labs are the best!