English or American labs

[Pogie]

I have been reading about the differences between the English and American labs. I googled the difference between the two but I'm really not seeing any difference between them lol.

Anyone have side by side photos of the two?
The photos I am seeing online comparing the two, they mostly look alike to me. Some of the American ones are a bit more slender but not all of them.

I actually never knew there was a difference until I decided to get Brain.

I know the English is more of a show dog, or rather that is what I'm getting out of reading up on them, and the american is more of a working dog (hunting and such).

And if they are so different wonder why it don't show on their AKC papers...

I have no idea why I'm even wondering about this lol. I just got to thinking about it and started looking it up.

[JenC]

English or American Lab?

It doesn't show on their AKC papers because both are labs. Just one group of breeders took it down the tall/skinny side looking for drive, the other kept to the standard and produced the short, medium-sized labs.

[Jeff]

They more traditional names are Bench Bred, which is English or Field Bred, which is also know as American.

Bench bred are your more show dogs yes. They are going to be bigger and heavier, they will be calmer, however calmer is relative term when it comes to labs. They are going to have a thicker coat usually the full double layer waterproof coat. Significantly bigger head.

Field bred are leaner, usually lower in fat, higher in energy, the coat is typically not as thick.

However, you are correct they are very close and very similar. A very lean and healthy Bench bred lab will pretty much look identical to a heavier less in shape Field lab.

Pictures from The Labrador Retriever - Everyones Best Friend | Canine Habit

The one on the left is Field Bred, the one on the Right is Bench Bred. Or American vs English


And in black the one on the left this time is Bench vs One on the right is Field.

[Pogie]

They more traditional names are Bench Bred, which is English or Field Bred, which is also know as American.

Bench bred are your more show dogs yes. They are going to be bigger and heavier, they will be calmer, however calmer is relative term when it comes to labs. They are going to have a thicker coat usually the full double layer waterproof coat. Significantly bigger head.

Field bred are leaner, usually lower in fat, higher in energy, the coat is typically not as thick.

However, you are correct they are very close and very similar. A very lean and healthy Bench bred lab will pretty much look identical to a heavier less in shape Field lab.

Pictures from The Labrador Retriever - Everyones Best Friend | Canine Habit

The one on the left is Field Bred, the one on the Right is Bench Bred. Or American vs English


And in black the one on the left this time is Bench vs One on the right is Field.

Thank you, this is exactly what I wanted to see! I can actually "see" the difference in the side by side photos. Sometimes I am a bit dense and I need a visual lolol.

[Tanya]

Edited: I had asked who the dog on the right is - clicked the link....doesn't say!

[ZEKESMAN]

JenC, lets be a little more honest. Both the field side and the show side have drifted from the early labs. the field have gotten taller, leaner, more whippet like at the extreme. The bench lines have gotten shorter in leg, bigger boned, and fatter. to extreme because this is what was winning in the ring. We can see this by looking at FC, Ch's in the past. The difference being bench people think the pretty one gets the ribbon. Field people think the one with the ribbon is pretty. Vic

[charliebbarkin]

Both are fabulous!

[dxboon]

At this point, Labs come in all shapes and sizes, with extremes on both ends of the spectrum. I believe when you look on the internet, many dogs are described as being "English"/"Bench" or "American"/"Field" when they are neither as evidenced by their looks and by their pedigrees. They are simply dogs that are registered as Labradors with the AKC, but not bred with any purpose other than to be pets. Many breeders just want to capitalize on stereotypes we have of the dogs. When I look at past dual champions I always consider that 1) early examples of any breed -- when breeders were still setting type is not IMO really an apples to apples comparison with modern dogs. Those dogs may have been the best for their time, but I think lots of field and show breeders would say that they have made progress on improving the structure of their dogs vs. many of those early dual champs; 2) do the field trials of today reflect what this breed was bred for and how it traditionally worked? A lot of people have decided Labs are the breed for every game under the sun (field trials, flyball, agility, etc.), so there's a lot of specialization in creating lines that aren't really reflective of the breed's original work style. I don't put much weight behind how people are labeling Labs; in my experience, most of the time those labels are more for marketing purposes. I do admire field breeders who are putting conformation certificates on their dogs, and show breeders who are getting hunt test/performance titles on theirs. Competing in multiple venues can be expensive and time consuming. There are nice, moderate Labradors being bred out there who can do well in the show ring and who are great hunting companions/hunt test competitors. That's my preference, but those dogs by design tend not to be the most stylish in the field or the flashiest in the ring.

[barry581]

Just as in the US, there are 2 distinct types of Labs in the UK. Field and Show. English Labs come from England. Or bench or field work, and they look similiar to the two types you'd find here in the US.

[silverfz]

I mentioned in another thread i have ran into few owners who have smaller labs from a local breeder. they are beagle size and was told because they are american labs. This breeder sells alot of them from the look of how many people have them. then again gigi plays with a chocolate lab the other day who is the biggest and tallest i have seen. He also is described as being the american lab by another owner. All the above are brought from breeders. So many labs.