im trying to decide which breed to buy, google is all over the place with information, so i was just wondering if any of you had the summary of it all bookmarked or saved.

the question would be what are the differences between the Chesapeake labs, American Labrador Retrievers, and British labs. obviously the dog will be used for duck hunting/household, and i don't plan on using him/her for other game tracking.

any info greatly appreciated

Appearance wise, chespeakes have wirey hair, a little more nappy than the others, American labs are smaller than british, the british labs are heavier built and just have a different look to them, not as lanky as an american.

Some people say that chesapeakes have more of a temper then the others, and that their skin is kind of oily and harder to keep them clean and smelling good. This is just what I've heard.


My boss has a british, very stout dog.

Thanks for the reply. Seems to be more of a personal decision as to which one to get.

I have 2 british labs from a breeder outside of Houston. It's hit & miss in terms of hunting but Sadie turned out to be a wonderful duck dog, Aimee (my white) is a glorified house pet & shedding machine. I think I have had better luck training the black labs anyway.

In comparison I'd say the British labs are shorter and stockier than the typical tall, lanky american labs. Sadie & Aimee both weigh in around 60 LBS. Sadie is 6 and Aimee just turned 2

Like most of the guys have already mentioned, the British Labs are a little heavier set or thicker than American Labs. They don't seem to mind the cold as much when duck hunting b/c of it. I have come across a few that were not excited about retrieving at all when they were younger but grew out of it.

American labs are going to be a little taller, leaner and more energy. Most guys who run field trials breed American Labs because they are known to be faster and run longer distances.
I have an American Lab who was bread for Field trials but he is a hunting dog and couldn't ask for a better pup.
When looking at breeders, most of the AKC guys who are breeding will have American Labs, UKC guys will tend to have both. Either way just look at the behavior and habits of the sire and bitch and you will have a good idea how the pups will turn out.

Well being my first hunting dog, I didn't plan on doing field trials. Just a lot to decide on. Once again thanks for the information and always on the look out for more!

Check AKC for a little history on what the Chessies were originally bred for. It may give you a little more info on the stronger personality of some.

I owned a chessy for 13 years and wouldn't have traded him for anything in the world. 100lbs of muscle and energy. That being said, that boy stunk!! from the day he was born he stunk. THey produce an oil that just doesn't wash away. I've never seen a better breed for hunting extreme cold but def not a house dog. He also had some issues with people he didn't know. Nobody but me and my wife could take the ducks out of the back of the truck if he was back there. I have had a couple labs since and my next will most likely be a lab because I now have kids that want a pet in the house. Take your time and look at the parents closely. Check out retriever.net and ask questions.

Everything you ever wanted to know about retrievers is on this site http://www.retrievertraining.net/forums/