Color/type and temperament?

How much truth is there to sayings like these:

- Chocolate labs are the craziest, yellows are the most mellow
- Similarly, red border collies are the craziest
- Or smooth border collies have a harder temperament than roughs
And a recent new one (for me)
- Phalenes have a more laid back, spaniel like temperament than papillons

I'm sure there are others in other breeds but these are just the ones I'm familiar with.

I take it these are just myths, right? Or are they general trends? It's just I've been hearing them a lot from some very knowledgeable people lately and wondered if there could possibly be any truth to them. I guess genetically some things could be linked to temperament, but it sounds like myths...

Anyone have any thoughts?

the only one I've really noticed to be true is the one about white GSDs.. because they aren't "standard" and those breeding them usually are breeding for color, those that i've met are not so great temperament wise

and i've also noticed that my grandmothers phalene, even in her younger years, was always a quiet, sweet, sit on a velvet pillow kind of dog

lol ive never met a lab that wasn't nutty X) in a good way

i have honestly seen the difference with colors and temperaments.

havent seen much difference in color/temperment with chis...

theres a general myth that red cresties are more laid back than any other color...and ruby is a red and white and MUCH softer than jasper...but shes also almsot 3 and hes nto even a year yet lol.

i HAVE seen difference in temperment vs color in cockers though!

red cockers bite
chocolate cockers bite
blonde cockers bite
parti cockers bite
black cockers bite

LOL

nah, thats just my experience with cockers, i am sure they are not all like that.

I don't know if it's true with every breed they say that about. My chocolate Lab was very laid back and mellow, even as a pup. I knew a few chocolate labs that were definitely not "crazy" or hyper. So, I'm not sure I believe that one.

They say red Dobermans have a propensity to be extra, extra sweet and affectionate. I think it's suppose to trace back to some particular dogs who happened to be red with that temperament and those genes just kept going down through the lines.

So, whether there's a link or "piggy back" gene between color and something that influences temperament or something more direct, I really don't know. Couldn't prove it by me. LOL.

I will say that there's a difference in Golden retrievers . The darker red ones are usually from field stock and seem to have more drive than the lighter show stock.

DAB, its a shame youve had such bad experiences with cockers...
cockers are SUPPOSED to be merry happy "little" dogs.

in the uk the reds/blondes are considered the most liekly to bite...
while partis and roans have the sweetest temperments...

there are dogs that are oposite...charlie is a red and hes just the biggest mushball in the universe...
if hes concerned he picks up a toy and runs around barking and growling with the toy in his moth as if trying to get your attention away from what your doing thats concerning him...
but a study in the uk out of 50 cocker bites 48 were by solid colored cockers, and 40 of those were by solid reds.
but thats also the color thats been the heaviest bred so im sure its a line flaws.

when i moved here i was incredibly suprised at how much of a bad rep the cocker spaniel has...
this breed (am or eng) is supposed to be an incredibly happy go lucky sweet natured MERRY breed...
i wish you could meet charlie dog, EVERYBODY falls inlove with that big floppy goofball!

The phalene one I can almost believe on that kind of basis- just differences in lines more than anything. Everywhere FCI separates the two and does not interbreed them like we do in the US and the UK. So if the thought comes from areas where the two aren't crossed, that could mean there are differences in not only just the ears but also temperament but it might not have anything to do with phenotype. The idea though seems to be that the phalene is more spaniel looking and therefore more spaniel acting, whereas the papillon shows more traits of the (possible) spitz ancestors and are thus more high strung.

I've also heard with mutts that what breed they favor looks wise is the one that they favor temperament wise. I just don't know if I buy all this!

Still doesn't explain the lab color/temperament correlation at all though.

This is part of the basis behind the Labs. Black breeds dominant, and is dominant within the breed, so anytime you have a litter (not just one or two) you usually have someone breeding for color, not temperament, drive, or working ability.

I see no reason for Chocolates to be crazy, but yellows mellow (except the play on words) though. But different temperament than the black labs could happen.

There use to be a chocolate lab who use to run loose and I have to say she was the most calmest, motherly dog that I have ever meet.

I will say that my organization uses a LOT of labs, and we've never had a chocolate lab graduate. *shrugs* I can't tell any difference between the yellows and the blacks, though, I've known extremes (extremely laid back, and extremely hyper) of both color.

I've never heard the myths before but after working at a doggy daycare for awhile I started noticing that with labs. I've definitely noticed a big difference with the chocolates being crazier. I know dogs sometimes act way differently in a daycare type setting though what with all the commotion that having a lot of dogs together will cause. But even keeping that in mind, the chocolates I've seen are a lot more high strung and we have more than one with aggression issues (with dogs, not people). As for yellows and blacks, generally I think I see more energetic but fun loving yellows, and more laid back black labs. But those traits haven't stood out as much as with the chocolates.

as related to colour I don't think there is any truth to it. However if someone is breeding primarily chocolate labs to other chocolate labs then you are going to see a similar 'type' both in colour, coat and temperament. But if you bred all the colours together then no I don't think you would find any correlation between colour or coat type and temperament.

With labs, I have actually seen the opposite -- chocolates being the mellowest and yellows being the craziest. So... :dunno:

With corgis, I have heard from a number of reliable sources that there is very much a difference between reds and tris - that they're almost two different breeds. I haven't owned a tri (yet) so I can't say first hand if it's true or not, but I trust those who have told me that.

And what's a Phalene?

I have no idea if this is true, and haven't really cared enough to look it up, but the explanation I've heard is that the original labs were only black and yellow, and that chocolate was created by bringing in chessies - which have a very different temperament than labs.

I've certainly noticed the same trend. The worst labs I've met have all been chocolates; the few I've liked enough to say I'd own them were yellow. The blacks have been in between. Of course, it may also just be that the "Buddy" trend for chocolates created a lot of badly bred ones.

I think it's more likely with most of these trends as Doberluv said; you get (for example) a really intense high-drive "crazy" red BC who is highly successful as a sire. Then you wind up with a lot of his offspring running around, many of who are red. We all know certain lines of dogs create dogs with various temperaments being more common - attach a physical trait that that line is also known for, and you have a trend that people will notice.

Its been my personal expeirence that any color of Lab can be nuts. I've met terrible dogs of all color and to be baised against one is ridiculous.

a phalene is a drop eared papillion. (see the i want theread by laur )

I've really only had 1 black and 2 yellow grandlabs . No personal contact with chocolate , though a friend had one and he was very layed back . As to the yellow and the black , I'd say the yellow are more mellow .

I have heard that labs were originally just black then yellow was added, then chocolate is relatively new. If chocolate wasn't originally in the breed could the myth have come from when chocolate was first introduced? I know chocolate labs still have some stigma attached to them.

This is a phalene.



It's the drop eared version of the Continental Toy Spaniel, and the Papillon is the erect eared version. Depending on where you live, they're sometimes considered two breeds, sometimes one. In the US, they're the same breed.