Differences between Yellow and Black labs? [Archive]

bubbatd

10-28-2007, 07:04 PM

I've had 2 yellow labs and 1 black lab " granddogs " ..... it probably was the breeding , but the yellow labs were less aggressive . As to chocolate , I've heard that too , but I know one owner whose chocolate was a perfect lab and her heart dog . I guess at this point I'd go by what color hair you want on your clothes and couches etc !

Zife

10-28-2007, 07:47 PM

I think they may be some truth to color temperment. My aunt has a black lab, and she's a calm sweetie, while her chocolate lab is hyper, loud, and rather unruly.

My neighbour has two labs and a border collie, and I find her yellow lab much more mellow than her chocolate one.

BostonBanker

10-28-2007, 08:07 PM

I've also found the chocolates to be the most difficult of the three colors. I've heard that some people think some Chessie was added to the breed to introduce chocolate, and that it wasn't an original color. Anyone know if there is any truth to that?

milos_mommy

10-28-2007, 08:12 PM

i'm not sure, but now that i think about it, the yellow labs i've known have been more mellow...but it's likely a coincidence, as i know more black labs and they're younger than the yellows i know...the yellows have been owned by dog people, too.

i've only known three chocolate labs in my life, and two of them were working dogs, brilliantly behaved, and one was a total sweetheart.

i don't think it's particularly true about temperment differences.

Lilavati

10-28-2007, 08:15 PM

This will sound awful, but my father was talking to an English breeder, and for some reason labs, specificially chocolates came up, and appearently, in some circles, if a chocolate happens to be born, they are put down immediately, because they are 'crazy' . . . I would take that to mean more hyper and unfocused. This was years ago, and the breeder in question bred for field work . . . but . . . well, that's what I know on the topic. I've heard that silver poodles are supposed to be flaky . .. there are alot of those breed/color myths . . . I suspect they have some truth in them, but only because the original lines bred to get that color had a temperment issue . . . I doubt its the COLOR that does it. So, I would suspect that there are plenty of just fine chocolate labs out there, whatever this guy thought. But if you had a line where there were lots of chocolates, bred only to chocolates, for a long time, then the 'craziness' might come out.

As for all breeding for color being byb, that might be a bit much. Yellow and Chocolate are legitimate lab colors, and assuming conformation and temperment are good, I see no reason not to breed a yellow to a yellow rather than a black . . . after all, if we didn't do that, all dogs would end up one of the dominant colors, except for occasionally throws (black is dominant, so two black dogs bed together, or a black and yellow, can produce a yellow, because they can carry yellow). I don't know about you, but a world of black, brindle and merle dogs would get pretty old (those being the genes I know to dominant for color, I'm sure there are few more). Breeding purely for color, like breeding purely for certain conformation traits (as opposed to good solid basic build, with the breed traits tacked on) it of course, very unwise.

Baxter'smybaby

10-28-2007, 08:17 PM

I can only speak to my girl...but Traveler(obviously a black lab) has been the most even tempered dog I have ever known. I've said it a milliion times--if she weren't such a great dog, I don't think I'd have any other dogs--she made it so easy!

Julie

10-28-2007, 08:31 PM

Two yellow labs will only have yellows.
But depending on genetics a yellow/black, black/black, black/choc, yellow/choc, etc has the possibility to produce all three colors.
Choc/Choc I believe can only produce Choc and yellow.

Here is a great genetic chart for those interested...
http://www.blueknightlabs.com/color/coatcolor.html

I think excitability and temprament have alot to do with the way the dog was raised and what lines they came from... hunting vs show or pet. Not coat color.

In my experience my choc lab is calmer, and my yellow is more energetic and more hard headed. The yellow is from strong hunting lines. The choc was "rescued" from a backyard breeder at 12 weeks old.

Zoom

10-28-2007, 08:54 PM

In my personal experience, the chocolates are by far my least favorite of the three colors. They do have a different mental state (straight up crazy) to them and it's not something I would want to own. Of course, there are many dogs out there that disprove this, but the majority of my experienes with chocolates has not been positive. Yellows seem slightly more mellow, though more hard-headed and singly-focused on something, whether it's a ball or humping the daylights out of someone. Blacks run the gamut from mellow to Superball, but being the dominent color, it's expected to have a wider selection.

Julie

10-28-2007, 09:21 PM

Ahh Zoom, I wish you could meet my Charlie. He is a loverboy. He will lay his head on your shoulder and will stay that way for as long as you rub his neck. Lol But on the other hand, if you throw a ball or shoot a gun.. he is ready to go. He really doesn't know his own strength either. But all in all he is a very mild mannered lab, loves attention.

My mom has never seen his wild side. When she walks into my house, she does the baby talk and sits down. Charlie proceeds to put his head on her shoulder and get some petting. She thinks he loves her... Lol When in reality, he will do this to anyone that wants his head on their shoulder. ;)
Well almost anyone. :D

A wonderful dog! And a very quick learner too.

juliefurry

10-28-2007, 11:03 PM

I haven't had any real experience with labs, besides our black lab. Our lab is a field lab and came from a BYB who is a friend of my husband's.

Anyway she is a good dog she was extremely easy to train (housebreaking and obedience). She is hyper and excited only when it's the right time (like when she sees me reaching for her frisbee). She does have some aggression issues at times with strangers but warms up really quickly.

showpug

10-29-2007, 12:22 AM

The only true difference is color. But, we used to always joke in my clinic days that the yellows were the laid back calm ones, the blacks were the smart ones and the most active and the chocolates were well...the dumb, crazy ones, lol!

I believe it all comes down to the breeding and training in the end. :)

Boemy

10-29-2007, 12:44 AM

I think certain lines specialize in different colors, which leads to the idea that the color is making the dog have the personality it does, when actually it's the breeding. :)

HarleyD

10-29-2007, 02:40 AM

IS there any differences between these two? Or is it just a different color.

Just the color. There are 3 colors in Labs (black, yellow and chocolate) and the only difference between the 3 of them is the color. Same standards, same breed, same conformation, temperment and health.

Yellows are prone to more skin problems and they can get sunburned easier. Other than that....nada, zilch, zero, nothing is different.

HarleyD

10-29-2007, 02:48 AM

Temperment has to do with breeding, training and ownership as well. I know a black female that is very chilled out and calm but loves to be with you and lick you all the time...another is a chocolate male that is the most loving dog you'd ever meet yet he is more playful than the female (2 years between age makes a difference as well) sometimes. Also a black male that is very hyper, plays great with the chocolate and loves to be near you but doesn't have to be on you or love on you to express his feelings.
So I don't think color has a darn thing to do with temperment. It's a matter of parents genenetics and raising.

Also, chocolates were bred in the early days but the color wasn't registered until early 1900's because breeders didn't "like the color" and only wanted yellow or black.

ihartgonzo

10-29-2007, 04:29 AM

I am definitely not a Lab expert... but I have friends with an AWESOME Chocolate Labby girl named Tango. She is super sweet, obedient, well mannered, and an amazing working dog as well. She's from 100% field lines, weighs about 60 lbs, and is basically the only Lab in the whole universe that my stuck-up Border Collie is friends with, which says a LOT.

It might be my experiences with her, but I prefer Chocolates, in general. Our neighbor has a very cool Chocolate named Romeo. Plus, most of the Chocolates I've met are field type and well-bred, which is my favorite kind of Lab.

If I could say anything to generalize colors... Yellows seem more mellow, and Blacks tend to be more high-strung and are the only color that I have noticed aggression in. Just in my experience.

Labra

10-29-2007, 10:13 AM

Color is just that - color. Nothing more, nothing less.

What DOES make the difference is breeding. Chocolate is the "hot" color for this breed right now and therefore it is the choice of back yard breeders. The result is that the vast number of chocolate Labs are pet bred as they are bred for nothing but color. There are some reputable breeders (of both field and show strains) who are trying to improve the quality of chocolates but they are the unfortunately the minority. Blacks and yellows are prefered in the show ring and just blacks are prefered for working in the field.

bubbatd

10-29-2007, 10:50 AM

I like black pigment , so prefer it to a dudley .( sp? )

Sweet72947

10-29-2007, 03:17 PM

I had a friend who owned a chocolate lab. That dog was INSANE. But, it wasn't because he was chocolate, it was because she never exercised him. She only took him outside on a leash to do his business, and then went right back inside. My friend was terrified something would happen to her dog outside because before the lab she had a sheltie who ran out on the street next to her house and got hit by a car and killed.

And you know, she transferred her fears to her dog, before that dog I never before had met a lab that was afraid of the outdoors. Kinda sad, really.

Paige

10-29-2007, 11:14 PM

All Chocolate labs I've ever met were bonkers but then again every lab I've ever met is bouncing off the walls so that doesn't say much.

Lilavati

10-30-2007, 07:26 AM

Well, there was study done on cockers. reds and golds are more aggressive than blacks which are more agressive than particolors. The scientists weren't sure if it was something about the color gene or whether it was the lineage, but since those are the groups of colors that are shown separately, my guess is that color has become linked to other traits. Not in the literal genetic sense, but in the sense that if a dog is a certain color, it is much more likely to have certain personality traits because most dogs of that color have those traits. That's what I suspect happened to chocolate labs. It doesn't explain the folklore of it though. Though I certainly don't approve of that old Englishman's culling, he was an old man, and from what he told my Dad, he'd put down chocs his whole life, and so had his father, because they were 'crazy'. Since folklore often has some truth to it, I'm kinda curious.

Romy

10-30-2007, 09:16 PM

FWIW:

My cousin is a bird hunter. His first bird dog from great field lines was a yellow lab. She was CRAZY. His son has had his chin stitched closed so many times because that big doofus has knocked him down on rocks, tile, barb wire fences...etc. She also never, ever, once stopped moving until she died. Never. Her legs were running full tilt even while she slept. Did I mention that she was CRAZY? She also had great muscle tone and was a dang good bird dog. Somebody poisoned her though...:(

Bird dog number 2 from the exact same working lines (same sire, different dam). Cletus is a chocolate lab. He is calm. He is lovely. He is smart. He has never knocked the children over. He acts like he is stoned. He is also a dang good bird dog. Just a lot more laid back and takes time to think about where he is putting his feet before he moves them. My kind of dog. :)

Verdict? Color has nothing to do with temperament. Their lines have something to do with it, but in the end it's all in the individual pup.

HarleyD

10-31-2007, 02:22 AM

Color has NOTHING to do with what a dog is like...NOTHING AT ALL!
How a dog is bred, raised and trained is all that matters. I've seen crazy yellows and "mellow" yellows. I've seen agressive chocolates and very loving chocolates. I've seen calm blacks and needy blacks. It has to do with breeding, raising, training, etc.....not color....pretty much everything but color plays a part in how ANY dog acts.

Psyfalcon

10-31-2007, 03:53 AM

Except when COLOR determines how THEY ARE BRED.

Romy

10-31-2007, 02:42 PM

Except when COLOR determines how THEY ARE BRED.

While I am sure a few BYBs are out there breeding just chocolates, or just yellows without regard to any other aspect of the dog, I seriously doubt it's being done on a large enough scale to make accurate generalizations about a dog's color being a temperament marker one way or the other. The case of Maggie and Cletus is a good example of it being completely wrong, and those two dogs were from the same lines, same sire even.

I was actually very surprised when this was posted, because every chocolate lab I have ever met was very mellow and sweet, and every black or yellow lab was insane. I always thought as a kid, that I would never get a lab unless it was a chocolate lab. Now I am older and know it has nothing to do with color, and choose to go with a mellow breed.

Jane

10-31-2007, 03:36 PM

We have a town full of labs, and all of them whatever color they are, all love to swim, play ball, run on the beach and just plain enjoy life. Have a neighbour with a yellow who is whacky, but its only because they are away at work all day long and he is alone. Yet he is the sweetest dog after he has been 'wound down' for about a half hour.
Our puppy, a yellow female, is pretty active, just loves to play. Reason for getting a yellow lab, is that here on Cape Cod, we are infested with deer ticks which carry Lyme disease, and you can de-tick a yellow dog easier. But if we lived in Maine at my brother's house, we would go chocolate or black without ticks.
Everybody here uses Frontline or the equivalent.
Jane

heartdogs

10-31-2007, 11:37 PM

I have seen hundreds and hundreds of Labs come through my classes. Color has less to do with how they act than breeding does, although I agree with those who mentioned that breeding solely for color sometimes leads to dogs with less than stellar temperaments. As a whole, the field lines tend to be more energetic than the "English" type (heavier boned, fat "otter" tail). But, the key is that these are dogs that must get sufficient exercise, early socialization and training. As puppies, they are very mouthy, and playing with other puppies is essential to them developing the good mouths for which the breed is known. It's also essential, if you want to avoid the "crazies" to make your selection based on finding a responsible and knowledgeable breeder, rather than on color.

ACooper

11-01-2007, 12:52 AM

My sister and BIL own two Chocolate lab males (they are each from different breeders)

They are BOTH very loving, loyal, and great dogs all around. They are really superb with my young niece and nephew too.

My BIL and sister own 8 acres and these two boys have free reign all over it, these are the same two boys that brought 2 little abandoned pups up to the house from the woods/pond............AND they shared their
dog house/food with them after my sis/BIL let them stay :D

So I don't know if color has anything to do with it or not..........if it does, then these two boys go against the norm.
Ike and Josh with the two little ones they rescued :) (picture taken at least 10 months ago)
http://i136.photobucket.com/albums/q166/ne9i/lab.jpg

HarleyD

11-01-2007, 02:57 AM

Zoom

11-01-2007, 09:54 AM

While I am sure a few BYBs are out there breeding just chocolates, or just yellows without regard to any other aspect of the dog, I seriously doubt it's being done on a large enough scale to make accurate generalizations about a dog's color being a temperament marker one way or the other. The case of Maggie and Cletus is a good example of it being completely wrong, and those two dogs were from the same lines, same sire even.

I was actually very surprised when this was posted, because every chocolate lab I have ever met was very mellow and sweet, and every black or yellow lab was insane. I always thought as a kid, that I would never get a lab unless it was a chocolate lab. Now I am older and know it has nothing to do with color, and choose to go with a mellow breed.

Maybe it's just my area then, but there are a TON of BYB's breeding solely for chocolate and you don't know how many people I've tried to talk out of breeding their horrible excuse for a lab, simply because he's chocolate. Yes, perhaps lines have more to do with it than color, but I still believe that there are certain behavioral traits linked to specific colors.

Rosefern

11-01-2007, 06:22 PM

I've fostered many, many labs for my all-breed rescue (due to the fact that there is no official lab rescue in our area), of different ages, colors, and breeding (BYB, show lines, working lines, etc)...and I really can't say that there's any difference in temperament based on the color...

-Rosefern

ACooper

11-02-2007, 08:57 PM

Awww, that's so sweet! That's also typical, well bred, Labrador temperment. They love all people and animals (at least the one's I know do). It's so sweet that they rescued those pups. Maybe they have fatherly instincts :) .

Thanks Harley, they really are sweet boys. When my sister & BIL first got Ike my niece and nephew were only ages 4 & 7. Then the following year they added Josh.

They have never played rough or knocked the kids down, that goes for other kids that visit too.

Those two fit in the family like they were all made to be together. It is so cool to see :)