English or American Type???
Difference between English or American Labradors:
An "English" Lab is one born in England. An "American" Lab is one born in the USA. The proper terms are Show/Bench bred and Field bred Labradors. You see, there are English dogs which run field trials and American dogs that are shown in dog shows. To categorize them as English or American just by type tends to get confusing.
English "Show" Breed American "Field" Breed
Shorter on legs
Heavier/Stockey Body
Thicker/Short Tail
Thicker Coat
Shorter Muzzel
Wider Head
Longer on legs
Lighter/Lean body
Thinner/Long Tail
Thinner Coat
Longer muzzel Skinnier Head
There are many Labs which are crossed between the two main types of show bred and field bred (English / American). People do this trying to gain traits from both types.
Some say that show bred dogs make better pets since they are calmer around the house. In my experience the show bred (English) type seems to calm down sooner than the field bred (American) type. However, this is not always true nor is it an absolute. There are some show bred dogs that would eat your home & everything in it if left alone & some field bred dogs that would sleep all day on the couch, until you got out the gun. You can't make assumptions based on type. Your Training helps with that.
**Its important to have an idea on which type you prefer before you start looking for a puppy **
Many breeders (as I do) believe that a English or American type Labrador should be able to do both. They can do well in the field as well as the show ring no matter what type they are.
English (Show) Type
English / American Type
American (field) Type
