black or golden labrador

dean

Well-Known Member
what do u think want to use for stalking and ruff shoting . am thinking golden as would not stick out like a sore thumb . least it would blend in with the cover most of the time unlike the black
 
dean I think you mean yellow labrador.
Labradors come in three colours - black , yellow or brown.

Townies call yellow labradors golden (as in golden retreivers) and hairdressers buy chocolate labradors rather than brown ones. :lol::lol::lol:
 
don't forget the fox red labs as well, forget about chocolate ones ive never seen a decent working one yet
 
Dean,it shouldn't matter what colour you choose as long as it works,personal preference counts.if your looking for a lab to blend in you could use a cammo coat,lol,yellow shows up at certain times as does black,brown don't go there,tend to be more scatterbrained,I have black and dark yellow dogs that I use to the deer,as long as they don't fidget no probs with deer seeing them.movement is what deer spot not colour,fox red are dark yellow dogs by the way
 
I wouldn't bother so much about the colour and instead look at the capability of the sire and dam. My father picked up a very reasonably piced lab from the Baccleur lines which has potential like you wouldn't believe. £450 and 39 trial winners in it's line. The only thing spoiling it is him; the dog practically trains itself. It's almost like a lightbulb goes on in its head when training 'of course, that's what i should do,' and it moves right on to the next lesson.
 
Scotsgun is correct however Ftchs don't guarantee you success on deer,they are biddable and sponge like with training but that doesn't mean there pups will be,there are no guarantees in this life,having a good pedigree definitely helps but I think it is more important how you bring a pup up and a good dose of luck.Litter brother and sisters are vastly different from one another in terms of workability and temperament,as I said because they are trained to birds doesn't guarentee you they will do the damage on deer
 
aye fox red you cant leave them out!!!
what do u think want to use for stalking and ruff shoting . am thinking golden as would not stick out like a sore thumb . least it would blend in with the cover most of the time unlike the black
 
Save yourself some money . Instead of buying an overpriced pedigreed pup get yourself a springador,ive used them for everything deer driven pheasant wildfowling etc for the past 15yrs and wouldnt go back to a pedigreed dog.
 
Solid black items stick out more than people think in most daytime environments. I aggree with the other lads, who cares what colour your dog is as long as it fits in with your requirements, home, family, work, sport etc. JC
 
I've had black, yellow[from near white to fox red] & choc labs, colour doesn't matter a dam.

I always liked having a yellow and a black, thought it looked smart:cool:
 
I would agree colour doesn't matter. But you get what you pay for, I had a black lab that I got given f.o.c. all it wanted to do was please it's self
I was advised my a mate of mine who trains dogs to get rid( it has since made a lovely house pet)
so I got lab from the Baccleur lines and haven't looked back since.

John
 
I would not worry to much about colour although i have a black one myself.I wouldn't be to botherd about having a pedigree as long as your arm.In my limited expeirence with labs is that dogs with lots of ftch in there pedigree is that they tend to be a bit hot.I would personaly go for a good home bred lab where the parents are used for a bit of rough shooting and picking up and of course stalking.A dog normally turns out as good as the amount of time you put into it.One thing to remember is that a average dog is better than no dog at all.As long as it is steady and obiedient it will be a joy to stalk with and something to blame when you bump the deer:D
ATB SEAN
 
Colour doesn't actually matter at certain times of year when the cover is up
but something you might want to consider is
as you will probably be cammoed up to the high teeth to blend in...
a yellow lab against a dark hedgerow will light up like a beacon as it moves along the hedgerow whilst stalking
since deer seem to only see in black and white
your yellow fello will almost definately give your position away more often than not, that does not mean you won't see or shoot deer
just might limit the times you do
where as a Black lab will blend in a treat all year around, except on those real sunny morns/eves and those beautiful red sky moments
they seem to make a black dog's coat glisten, mainly more to your stalking partner eyes as he/she watches you from a distance of your progress
Not actually sure what a deer sees , but they must notice some thing
Personal thoughts on purchasing a Lab would be to buy a pedigree dog , from a creditable breeder where you hav an idea that their dogs actually work to a standard you would like or expect and can also trace the breeding lines incase of genetic defects and interbreeding from to close a line or cross breeds
this way if your dog turns out to be an exceptional dog
you will hav a firm basis on which to carry on that breed line if you so wish for future generations to come
but more importantly i feel in choosing which line of dogs, will depend on exactly what you want from the dog
as most dogs will track but may not hav that determination to track for ever or that body strength and aggression to bring a deer to bay or hold one if ever the need arose
you may hav that dog for ten years+ as a working dog , so a little wiser choosing at the start should give you many years of pleasure working it and reaping the benefits
ATB
 
+1 with stone about health tests,lot of horror stories about problems with hips,elbows and eyes.All my dogs are tested and I have turned bitches away from my stud dog if they have no hip or eye certs.The problem lies with the K.C. they should make it compulsory before a litter is bred.quick enough they are to take registration fees.
 
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