[Edith]

I just surfed around and came across some breeder pages. Some of them breed labs that have coat as little as a dalmatian or a great dane.
Other breeders brag about their dogs' thick double coat.

What is the difference?
Why do they do this?
We in Austria just have dual purpose, show lines and field trial lines, but none with less or more coat? :roll: :?

Maybe some of you know what I am talking about?

Edith

 

[my4labs]

Hi Edith


I have 2 labradors with the type of coats that you are on about, Riva lives out in an outdoor kennel and run and I have not seen a coat on a lab like hers. It is so thick and wavy. She comes from pure working stock but I think way back in her pedigree they might have cross bred the dogs some how, as well as that I have never seen a dog like the water as much as she does. you can see a picture of her in the calender competition page.

Ellie is so different, she come from purely show bred stock and her texture of coat is thick as if double coated, I think it is something to do with keeping out the wet, when in and out of water. Quite honestly, I am still learning. Hope you have luck in finding out some more information.

 

[mommy]

Hi Edith,

I always thought that Labs only had a double coat !

The outer, of whatever length and thickness, and a soft almost ' downy ' layer underneath, repelling the water.

I believe this links back to their origins as water dogs......ie : keep warm and keep dry........

Am sure John and Jenny will put us all right :wink:

 

[frodosmom]

oh... i was unaware that the coat tupe matters... i was only concerened about the shedding part....Frodo has a dense double coat no wonder he sheds so much to cope up with the Mumbai heat....

Rhoni i'm waiting for John's comment....I read ALL his POSTS

 

[megaloo]

HI Mommy
You are right a Labrador should have a double coat according to breed standard. In the ring a judge will look at the coat and should give a higher place to the dog with the better coat, if he or she thinks he has two dogs which are dificult to seperate. This is why some people will not enter a dog into a show if on the day the dog is out of coat. This can make all the difference in how well a dog looks.

 

[JohnW]

A single coat is a bad fault. The Labrador was bred to work in cold areas, and particularly in cold water. The coat acts like a "Wet Suit" on a diver keeping the dog warm. There are some Labradors with very poor coats, including a couple of working lines. An old Game Keeper I know once told me that he had lost his line of wonderful working dogs, a couple of FT Ch's amongst them because, "I can't stand watching them standing shivering all through a trial."

There is only one correct coat for a Labrador, the double coat. The inner coat is a finer thick warm coat whilst the outer is a courser waterproof coat.

Regards, John

 

[frodosmom]

Thanks John

 

[Edith]

Thanks John!

That answers my question, I already thought that it was that way but needed proof. Did they breed soemthing else into these workinglines that made the coat less thick?


Edith

 

[JohnW]

Rumours have always been rife in working circles Edith. Because the emphasis is on working ability and not conformation some less scrupulous have, I believe, added a little something into the breed in an attempt to "Improve" their dogs. It's not something new, I have a Labrador book written in the 1960's which quote's Lorna Countess of Howe talking about "Thinly disguised Flatcoats". Interestingly Flatcoat people talk about "Labradorish" Flatcoats! In recent years there has been much talk about Border collie genes getting into the breed. Of course, suspecting and proving are two different things. Even in show lines there has also been dogs with poor coats and from whichever direction you are coming from it is something to watch out for.

There is also a talk at the moment about the working side possible breaking away from the Kennel Club as it has done in Scandinavia and establishing it's self under the banner of the BASC or the IGL. To me and to a lot of other working gundog people the very worst kind of disaster!

Regards, John

 

[Edith]

That's truly interesting. I've heard about the BCgenes too. (And have even seen a registered lab herding ducks with lots of eye...)
This split between work and show is happening all over the world I think. Just have to hope that the dogs don't suffer from it too much!

Edith