[Labtrainer]

This question is geared more to trainers of multiple dogs.

Everyone can chim in, but. Please don't compare your dog to a friends dog. Only your dog to your dog Only compare dogs you have trained yourself.

Do you thing the color of the dog matters? And why?

I have heard all kinds of tales about this and a lot of people have strong opinions I'm not looking for opinions I'm looking for experiences.

I train about 8-12 dogs at any one time all three colors mostly for hunters and hunt tests. In the past 12 years I have found black dogs learn the lesson at a little quicker pace than others. I have also found that Yellows are a little softer than blacks. And chocolates bring up the rear.

Now that being said I have had a few really good yellows and chocolates but I'm talking numbers here. Over the years I have kept a listing of all the dogs and their trainability. That's where I get my numbers.

I'd be interested in hearing about other trainers findings.

 

[Ken Newcomb]

Some people can't help but try to start fights. :roll:

 

[Labtrainer]

That couldn't be further from the truth.
I have no intention of starting a fight I just want to know the experiences of other trainers. If the members here aren't mature enough to discuss a topic without a fight Maybe I ask the wrong crowd BUT from the post I have read on this site in the past most of you can handle it.

There is really nothing to fight about If you have trained dogs and chocolates are better for you say so, if it's black say so. That's it, nothing more.

If you can't answer without getting your feelings hurt or trying to hurt others don't answer. (simple)

 

[Kenneth Niles Bora]

While I am a Chesapeake person I have interacted with a few Labradors. My Dad thinks they are the dogs of the Gods. Yet he only hunts about two days a year and does not test at all so they have all been very low expectation dogs. He had a yellow named Jake who was very clever. Never was force fetched, didn't know what that was back then. Yet Jake had a huge vocabulary. Working on a tractor in the shed you could ask Jake for tools laying on the floor and he would get them, screw driver, hammer, big hammer, wench were all in Jakes vocabulary. When he was only a couple years old he burst from the yard chasing a bitch in heat and hit a car. Yes I typed that right, the car did not hit him, he ran into the car. He had a couple pins in the front leg and after would limp for attention. He would be frolicking on the lawn with the other dogs with no sign of an injury. Call him and he would instantly start to limp as he bounded towards you, for sympathy I think! Jake could get through most any gate. Gain access to every food bin we ever had. Open doors using the door knob and close them behind himself. You could always tell by the slobber on the doorknob. He could reach up with one paw and flush the toilet for a fresh cold drink. Would be funny to hear the flush in the middle of the night followed by the sound of him drinking. He could even roll up or down the power windows on the old 78 Chrysler Newport on command. If he had been just a little smarter he would have made an average Chesapeake!!!! Sorry, couldn't resist 8) .
Ken Bora

 

[[email protected]@##?]

As a Chessie owner about to get a black pup, I say it doesn't matter. Unless, the breeding was done mainly for color and not for other traits, then you could have an issue. Since black is the dominant color I guess your odds of getting a "better" black dog are higher since you can take color out of the mix, but there are some awesome yellows and chocolates out there also. A well bred litter is still a well bred litter even if it ends up with brown curly fur. :lol:

 

[Shayne Mehringer]

I have 1 chocolate, 2 blacks and 2 yellows.

The smartest by far is the choco. He is also, by far, the least talented.

I love him the most tho.

Shayne

 

[Lisa Van Loo]

Labtrainer;

Are these dogs all comparably bred? You say they are mostly trained for gun dogs. I'm guessing they were not higher-end FT-bred pups? Dogs in the gundog/pet population are widely vairable, but you will find far more of the "breeding just for color" in that population than in others. This could explain what you are observing.

he would get them, screw driver, hammer, big hammer, wench

Shayne, I'm surprised you missed this. You're losing your touch.

Lisa

 

[Brevard Arndt]

I have a Black and a Yellow. I didn't vote. The jury is still out or "hung", because each of them were trained in their basics by a pro. In my training of them I see little difference, except the Yellow is a bit more soft. But the Yellow is also a bitch. Back to square one. Haven't owned a Chocolate Lab, but do have two very Chocolaty Boykin Spaniels. They are very intelligent, but devious and want to do it "their way".

 

[Labtrainer]

I get a large cross section of dogs. Most come from a FC sire or have FC with-in a generation. (people that look for those kind of dogs are willing to pay to have them trained)

The two best chocolate dogs I have in my kennel right now are sired a chocolate FC and the other one is out of chocolate FC AFC. Both are very hard charging dogs they cover ground very quickly and they mark very well. But they both took longer (day to day) to get concepts down.

By the numbers comparing the percentages of dogs in dogs out I find that the chocolates take longer to learn the same task.

They can all learn the task Chocolate, yellow and black

 

[Steve Amrein]

I think that smarts are not color or breed specific. I was wondering more on color and visabillity may make a diff.

Our black and white cat are smarter than all the dogs she doent have to go outside in the rain to pee.

I am interested in that wench thing :twisted:

 

[Lisa Van Loo]

Steve;

If your dog retrieved wenches, I bet Shayne would pay big bucks for it!

Lisa

 

[Guest]

Originally posted by: Brevard Arndt:
"But I do have two very chocolate Boykin Spaniels. They are very intelligent, but devious and wan't to do it their way."

Ain't That The Truth! :lol:

 

[captdan]

It is not about the coat color or the ear length or the growth rate of the toe nails. It is about the ability to mark (to see, to perceive depth of fall, and to focus on the birds. It is also about the ability to accept training.

Dan Rice

 

[Labtrainer]

Dan I agree you want the final out come to be a bird in the hand But My question to trainers is Do you see a difference between the colors of dogs you train. Nothing more than that. Both of the forementioned dogs can pass and have passed Master hunts with ease. It just took a little longer to get them to that level. and it could just be the trainer (me)

Toe nail growth and ear size is a whole different subject...

 

[tom]

Like I said on 'the other board' the only time it would be valid to even think of making this compairison is when the dogs have the same parents.
When a person has a "dumb" choco, it only means one thing, one or both of the parents was dumb.

tom

 

[Bob Gutermuth]

NONE OF THE ABOVE is the correct answer, until such time as Chesapeake Bay Retrievers are added to the choices!!

 

[Swampcollie]

LVL hit the nail on the head. It isn't a question of color, it's breeding.

Blacks tend to be consistently sound working dogs because they haven't been the trendy color du jour. The Chocolate and Yellow dogs may show some inconsistency due to poor breeding decisions (Breeding for color alone.)

In well bred litters color doesn't matter.

 

[Labtrainer]

I understand that it's the breeding.

What I'm asking is for TRAINERS that have a kennel full of dogs what they are running into. It has nothing to do with perfect breeders breeding perfect dogs. It's a question of the dogs that are on the ground now and what trainers are seeing.

I'm sure everyone out there has the perfect smart dog. But unless you have had your hands on 40 or 50 different color dogs how do you know for sure?

 

[Julie R.]

Well...not that I'm in any way qualified to respond since my dogs are Chessies, but I have trained with pro's with truckloads of Labs; am secy. of a retriever club and have been around an awful lot of Labs and I also think it's the breeding. Even if you'd trained 40 or 50 I think you could make more generalizations about the breeding than the color. Also--it seems to me that dogs live up to (or down to) expectations. If you think one color is dumber and slower to train then chances are the ones you get in for training of that color will reflect that.

 

[tom]

Still would depend on what is behind those 40-50 dogs.
I wash out black ones too.
Most of the time a BYB black is going to be just as bad as a BYB choc or yellow.
Haven't seen to many dumb yellows that were Captain Kid pups, or dumb chocolates that were Rippen Blue Thunder pups.
Still boils down to the fact that there are more good black breedings to pick from is all.

tom