Looking For A Working Line Labrador

[Santo66]

I don't just don't see where people get the idea that show bred dogs of any breed are untrainable head cases....total bunkum!

Because the priority in show breeding is winning shows which has little to do with workability. Ideally a show should be a presentation of the best working dogs if the breed is working based, workability should be the qualification required to enter a show in the first place IMHO. Speaking Retrievers as in this thread, I know of several show Labs and Golden's petrified of noise......for a gun dog, that's a dud that should never be bred or shown regardless of looks and compliance with the standards physically, the character is faulty, yet they continue to show and breed faulty dogs?

The worse I have seen are GSD's between show and working lines, other than their ears stick up, they are virtually completely different dogs to the point it's hard to imagine they are essentially the same breed?

Edited June 30, 2013 by Santo66

[Aetherglow]

I don't just don't see where people get the idea that show bred dogs of any breed are untrainable head cases....total bunkum!

Because the priority in show breeding is winning shows which has little to do with workability. Ideally a show should be a presentation of the best working dogs if the breed is working based, workability should be the qualification required to enter a show in the first place IMHO. Speaking Retrievers as in this thread, I know of several show Labs and Golden's petrified of noise......for a gun dog, that's a dud that should never be bred or shown regardless of looks and compliance with the standards physically, the character is faulty, yet they continue to show and breed faulty dogs?

The worse I have seen are GSD's between show and working lines, other than their ears stick up, they are virtually completely different dogs to the point it's hard to imagine they are essentially the same breed?

An untrainable head case, which is what Crisovar specified and what the OP's friend seems to also assume, is not going to win shows. A good show dog has to work with its handler closely and happily, handle being around hundreds of other people and other distractions including bitches in heat, dropped treats, random children and the like, and be tolerant enough to have its whole body including face, mouth and genitals handled by a total stranger. That, to me, sounds like a good basic set of temperamental attributes for an assistance dog, which needs to work with its handler happily, handle distraction of all sorts, and may be subject to handling by strangers while out working in public. It needs some other things as well, but that is where you start to look at specific lines and breeders, which people who have show line labs have already pointed to in this thread. The OP's friend doesn't want a retriever to work in the field, and a dog bred for serious field work, as several people have pointed out, is unlikely to be suitable for the job required by this particular future owner. Whether or not that suits your personal idea of a Labrador, or a German Shepherd, or any other breed, is beside the point. Getting on a rant about the merits of showing is likely to cause a huge fight without actually helping the OP find what her friend needs - which in this case may quite likely be different from what she thinks she wants, which is why people ask for advice in the first place.

Edited June 30, 2013 by LappieHappy

[Santo66]

A good show dog has to work with its handler closely and happily, handle being around hundreds of other people and other distractions including bitches in heat, dropped treats, random children and the like, and be tolerant enough to have its whole body including face, mouth and genitals handled by a total stranger. That, to me, sounds like a good basic set of temperamental attributes for an assistance dog

That could be well the case and it can also be the case of a dull dog without enough drive to be disobedient which limits it's trainability. Ultimately the OP needs to source a Lab from a line that has a record of success in assistance roles.

[Baby Dragon]

dasha, is there a reason she doesn't want to apply to an Assistance Dog organisation and see about getting a dog through them? Assistance Dogs Australia for example.