Question for breeders.

[Mudlark]

Having come into labs late in life after a lifetime with herding breeds, I'm intrigued that I am constantly told that lab stud dogs are much easier going with their rivals than the average herding breed dog.

No matter how good the dogs were with each other, relationships were always tested to the limit and past when bitches were in season, understandably. Are labs more laid back about this as a rule?

My current male is too full on to be a typical example of the breed, so just interested to hear from those who have experience at living with multiple dogs of more intense breeds and also with labs as to whether this is true or not.

[SunDance]

The only dog I've ever owned who had same-sex aggression was my first Lab. Brutus was 3 when we got him....not a stud dog, just hadn't been neutered. He had severe male dog aggression...all he had to do was smell one close by and he'd go crazy. After neutering, his best friend was an intact male German Shepherd.

Brutus got along very well from day one with our very dominant, but agreeable, female Akita.

[Berna]

Cookie is intact (not a stud) and I have to be very careful with other intact males. However, some of his best buddies are actually intact males. It comes down to whether he is familiar with the other dog, the other dog's attitude (dominant/submissive) and for how long they have known each other.

[Shelley]

Having come into labs late in life after a lifetime with herding breeds, I'm intrigued that I am constantly told that lab stud dogs are much easier going with their rivals than the average herding breed dog.

No matter how good the dogs were with each other, relationships were always tested to the limit and past when bitches were in season, understandably. Are labs more laid back about this as a rule?

My current male is too full on to be a typical example of the breed, so just interested to hear from those who have experience at living with multiple dogs of more intense breeds and also with labs as to whether this is true or not.

This really depends on the selection for good temperaments that the breeder has done. I know how generalized that sounds, because you can have wonderful temperaments and really crappy temperaments but you still have to take into account individual personalities and experiences, (such as a bad experience that made a male dog aggressive when he had a fine temperament before) etc...


That said, I know other breeds frequently have issues with male to male aggression because the breed(s) has that type of temperament inherent in their breed. Intact Labrador males, typically, are laid back and goofy and do fine in groups even with bitches in season. The sire of my chocolate babies had arrived to his new home, a week before a specialty when I first met him, and he was in an exercise pen with two other intact males (his new housemates). There were bitches all over in various stages of estrous and one of the bitches he lived with was in season, and they were perfectly fine together. I already knew I wanted to breed to this boy, but that sealed the deal for me. (I always meet the sire before I agree to breed to him, going to Potomac helps :-) )

So, if your male is atypical, and his close family relations do not have solid temperaments, or he has had poor experiences that shaped his personality and temperament, then he may not. Lots of breeders breed Labradors for lots of reasons, and not all of them are breeding to preserve a fantastic temperament. Temperament in Labradors is So important, it is a significant part of our Breed Standard.

[JenC]

I've had 3 intact males living in my house at once, at different times. No issues other than some marking. I've had Jagger in the house (he doesn't live with us full time) and he gets along fine with Jed, both of them intact. I've had to keep strange intact dogs in the house for a few hours here and there when I've helped folks. For instance I picked up Tickle from the handler yesterday and I brought another boy down to my house from Denver, his mom lives in Pueblo and it made a shorter drive for her. Sarge was just fine playing with Jagger and Jed. Jagger used to go in the handlers van with other intact boys, no issues. So I agree, breeding for temperament probably makes the difference. Also routine exposure to all sorts of dogs too. But that's what I expect of Labradors.

[Meeps83]

Not a breeder, but I have 2 intact males that spend a lot of time with a third intact male and they get along great.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

[piccadilly]

As others have said, well bred labradors get along with everything. I usually have 6+ intact males who hang out with each other in a paddock during the day. When I have girls in prime season, I do separate most of them when unsupervised simple because they get really goofy about humping each other and I don't want someone to get hurt (twisting or falling, not out of aggression).

When "drive" is a main focus in a breeding program (herding breeds or unfortunately performance/field labradors), temperament often falls by the wayside, especially with same sex interaction.

[Mudlark]

Thanks everyone for your input, especially piccadilly - six studs running together while bitches are in season - that's def not something I'd do with Shepherds!! Very interesting food for thought on the concept of drive affecting same sex tolerance.

[Tanya]

When "drive" is a main focus in a breeding program (herding breeds or unfortunately performance/field labradors), temperament often falls by the wayside, especially with same sex interaction.

And this is my ... concern with getting a herding breed (I will one day!). But with labs too, wanting a more sport focused lab with drive but I don't want to sacrifice temperament for it (I also don't need CRAZY drive as I don't plan to compete at high levels! just for fun).