# English Lab or Pit-Bull mix-what do you think?



## Germanshepherdlova (Apr 16, 2011)

My Lab is dog aggressive, but of course no lab could be anything but sweet at all times right? Yeah right, but thats what many people think. So when he starts snarling, growling, and lunging at other dogs while we are out on a walk, I have had more than one person say that he is a pit bull mixed with Lab. I got him from the pound and they told me he is a lab, I think he looks like an English Lab...what do you think?


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## Freestep (May 1, 2011)

It's hard to tell from the photos, but it's quite possible that he's mixed with a Pit Bull; they are way more common (and overbred) than English Labs are.


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## ponyfarm (Apr 11, 2010)

There are lots of labs that are dog aggressive. My sister shows English Labs and she is shopping for a puppy right now and is actively seeking one that the parents are known to NOT be dog-aggressive.

I cant say if yours is pit or not, but to me, looks more like an American Lab and they can be dog aggressive too! Just keep working with your dog!


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## Germanshepherdlova (Apr 16, 2011)

A couple more pictures of him, it is hard to get a good picture of him, he always moves. I took him to the vets a couple weeks ago and this lady had an AKC American Lab and they looked nothing alike. The lady that owned the American Lab said he looked like a pit mix and this other lady started debating this with her saying that my dog was an English Lab. I left there wondering what he is. It doesn't make a difference but now I am curious.


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## ponyfarm (Apr 11, 2010)

Germanshepherdlova said:


> View attachment 8993
> 
> 
> View attachment 8994
> ...


 
"Sit..Stay" 

Dont see any pit there anyway!


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## Germanshepherdlova (Apr 16, 2011)

ponyfarm said:


> "Sit..Stay"
> 
> Dont see any pit there anyway!


Oh he sits, he just moves his head at the wrong moment. You wouldn't believe how many photos I had to take just to get him to look at the camera.


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## RazinKain (Sep 13, 2010)

Your boy looks like a straight up lab to me (handsome too). If there's any pit there, I don't see it. Dog Aggression isn't breed specific anyway, it's an individual thing. Good lookin dog!


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## APBTLove (Feb 23, 2009)

I see a pure lab. And whoever told you that he was part Pit due to his behavior is a pure idiot..

The worst attack I was involved in was with two AKC labs. 

Please watch this:


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## codmaster (Aug 5, 2009)

True about labs sometimes being DA - in my obedience classes there was a female black Lab who really wanted to mix it up (seriously!) with my male GSD. And this was an instructors personal dog. just didn't like each other, I guess!


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## Rerun (Feb 27, 2006)

I see a little pit in him.

But that has nothing to do with the dog aggressiveness. That's a training and socialization issue.

you can't compare one american lab to him and say they look nothing alike to determine that he's not an american lab. Even with GSD's, there are tons of ASL's that look nothing alike. And who knows, the other woman may not have had an american lab at all or it may not be a well bred one, or it was a REALLY well bred one. Imagine how many people you've told that he is an english lab and they compare him to what may be a real english lab and they look nothing alike....

Just food for thought.


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## Germanshepherdlova (Apr 16, 2011)

RazinKain said:


> Your boy looks like a straight up lab to me (handsome too). If there's any pit there, I don't see it. Dog Aggression isn't breed specific anyway, it's an individual thing. Good lookin dog!


Thank you.

Rerun, GSD is trained and socialized the exact same way, and he's not dog aggressive. We had our GSD since he was 7 weeks old and the lab came to live with us when he was about 6 months old and has been with us a year now. He was dog aggressive from day one with us. He has improved a little, but I am not a professional when it comes to dealing with an issue like this. He gets along with our GSD, so I just make sure that he is never running around loose, he is either on a walk on a leash, or behind our 6 foot privacy fence, or quite often inside the house with us. I make sure that he isn't in a position to harm another dog.


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## KZoppa (Aug 14, 2010)

i see nothing but lab. and i can honestly say i've known several DA labs. Mostly recently my cousins lab Sox. Sox would cause some serious damage if he ever got the chance.


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## Chicagocanine (Aug 7, 2008)

My friend had a Lab who often was mistaken for a Rottie mix because of her wide head. Some labs have very wide heads/muzzles like hers so I would say he looks like a Lab. People called her a 
"bench lab".

My friend's Lab:


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## Rerun (Feb 27, 2006)

Germanshepherdlova said:


> Thank you.
> 
> Rerun, GSD is trained and socialized the exact same way, and he's not dog aggressive. We had our GSD since he was 7 weeks old and the lab came to live with us when he was about 6 months old and has been with us a year now. He was dog aggressive from day one with us. He has improved a little, but I am not a professional when it comes to dealing with an issue like this. He gets along with our GSD, so I just make sure that he is never running around loose, he is either on a walk on a leash, or behind our 6 foot privacy fence, or quite often inside the house with us. I make sure that he isn't in a position to harm another dog.


You can't compare the two. Some dogs need a LOT more socialization and training and sometimes very different training/socialization than others. If I had done with my Malinois what I did with all my other dogs, he would've turned out to be a disaster. Most aren't professionals, but they seek the help and training of pro's to help them learn to handle and train their dog.


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## Germanshepherdlova (Apr 16, 2011)

Rerun said:


> You can't compare the two. Some dogs need a LOT more socialization and training and sometimes very different training/socialization than others. If I had done with my Malinois what I did with all my other dogs, he would've turned out to be a disaster. Most aren't professionals, but they seek the help and training of pro's to help them learn to handle and train their dog.


Yes, I am sure that they do seek professional trainers...those that can afford to. I make sure that he is not in a position to harm another dog and until I graduate from college next year, and my hubby is no longer the one paying all our bills, this is all I can do.


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## WarrantsWifey (Dec 18, 2010)

I see a PB lab.... :wub:


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## APBTLove (Feb 23, 2009)

Some dogs are what they are. My current GSD has never tolerated strange dogs (since 7 weeks) or people, and I did my very best at socializing and training. Yet my pomeranian who was never socialized is a social butterfly. 

It depends on the individual dog, genetics do come into play.


While I see absolutely no Bull Breed (such as an APBT) in your dog, that's not to say one of his great grandparents or something might not have been, looks can be deceiving.. but going off of looks, I see no Bull Breed in him. He honestly looks like the average pet Lab.. 

DA IS a trait of the APBT and other Bull/Terrier breeds, though.


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## Alyalanna (May 28, 2011)

To me, he doesn't look full lab. But in my opinion it doesn't matter if he is full lab or mix since they each have their own personalities and yours just may not like other dogs as much as the typical lab. My lab flat out ignores other dogs and has absolutely no interest in playing with them.


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## APBTLove (Feb 23, 2009)

Germanshepherdlova said:


> Yes, I am sure that they do seek professional trainers...those that can afford to.


I did with my boy - unfortunately the trainer pretty much robbed me... Two short visits, a traumatized puppy, $400 and many headaches and tears later, I had even more problems than I started with.


DA - in MY opinion, just mine - is not something to go to a trainer for, because it is easy to handle and work on on your own.


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## krystyne73 (Oct 13, 2010)

I see chocolate lab and maybe some English mastiff from his torso.
Plenty of dogs are aggressive that do not have pit bull genes.


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## Germanshepherdlova (Apr 16, 2011)

krystyne73 said:


> I see chocolate lab and maybe some *English mastiff from his torso*.
> Plenty of dogs are aggressive that do not have pit bull genes.


I googled pics of English Mastiff's and I don't know. What about his torso resembles a mastiff to you?


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## Chicagocanine (Aug 7, 2008)

In the first photo it looks like he has tan markings around his eyes and muzzle? If that is the case, it's more likely he is mixed with something although it is not totally unheard of for a purebred Lab (black or chocolate) to have tan markings.

Your photos kinda remind me of another Lab I know (who I happened to see today) Gus:

































If you google "champion Labs" or "show Labs" you will see a lot of dogs that have the wider head/muzzle and stockier body than the hunting and pet type Labs.


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## Germanshepherdlova (Apr 16, 2011)

He doesn't have tan markings on his face, the first picture does look like it but it was just from the reflection of the light.He is solid brown.


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## Germanshepherdlova (Apr 16, 2011)

Chicagocanine said:


> If you google "champion Labs" or "show Labs" you will see a lot of dogs that have the wider head/muzzle and stockier body than the hunting and pet type Labs.


I googled it and what I saw is that many labs are very much overweight-LOL. After looking at the pictures of champion labs and American labs I am now thinking that maybe he is a mix between American and English lab. Bcs his head is wider than the typical American lab and not quite as wide as the English lab. I think he could be just as heavy as them body wise though because he is an endless pit when it comes to eating but I am very careful that he doesn't overeat.


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## Chicagocanine (Aug 7, 2008)

Germanshepherdlova said:


> I googled it and what I saw is that many labs are very much overweight-LOL.


Yeah, for some reason the preferred "show condition" in Labs for AKC shows is often considerably overweight. :crazy: Although, show-line Labs tend to be stockier than the typical Lab you see and don't have so much of a tuck-up even if not overweight and that can also make them look even heavier than they are.


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## Sulamk (Jan 30, 2011)

I have a 2 year old yellow of show stock, your dog looks pure to me. And labs can have the same issues as any other breed! I am lucky that apart from being hyperactive and bouncing in front of people he iss a total softie , funnily with kids the hyper disappears and he is as calm and gentle as one could wish for!


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## Jessiewessie99 (Mar 6, 2009)

He looks like a handsome purebred chocolate lab.

My neighbor has a chocolate lab, and your boy looks like him, just bigger.


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## CarrieJ (Feb 22, 2011)

I think out of all the types of labs the chocolates seem to be more dominant anyway. Just my humble observations of having spent time with lots of all the colors (even weird reddish ones)
I definitely don't see any pitty in there. 
Unless some dog in his past lineage *looked* at one.

I just spent the weekend with a huge black lab that when you say "Dominant" his picture is right there underneath it. He's a recent rescue and when he first started to see us...whoa! No respect for humans...would literally run through you at gates, doors, etc. When you collar guided him he would just flat out balk like a mule. He easily weighed over a hundred pounds. 
It was like trying to move the building.
He's gotten better with sit stays but jeez....he's got no dog skills and you have to watch him and regulate the stimulation. (especially on his first day; he settles down a bit by the end of the first day but wow! what a beast!)
He's a big dog to have making his own decisions as whether he's gonna launch onto another dog.
And you need to definitely watch the body language.
And....he's pure lab.
Bad confirmation like a mix between larger American lines and English lines but definitely pure lab.

I think that the lady at the vet who said pit mix is just another one of those people who see jaws or jowly dogs and immediately lump them into the pit mix box. (shows you how ignorant they are)


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## Sue Smart (Jul 12, 2002)

These are 2 labs who I look after and actually staying here at present. Monty (choc) is over friendly lap dog and Oscar is a rescue with an under bite problem.
I would say a lab cross as the eyes are certainly different to labs eyes.


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## chinamom2 (Sep 16, 2007)

I do lab rescue and I would say he is all lab. A good looking chocolate boy, more along the lines of a bench lab, with the blocky head. Field labs are leaner and don't have the block head. Unfortunately, just like shepherds they are being overbred. Dog aggression should not exist in a well-bred lab and chocolates aren't really any different then any of the other lab colors, depite what folks may say.


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## 1sttimeforgsd (Jul 29, 2010)

My girl Mandy came from English and American Lab parents, she is about 2 yrs old in this photo. Your boy looks pb Lab to me.

















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## Germanshepherdlova (Apr 16, 2011)

Sue
These are 2 labs who I look after and actually staying here at present. Monty (choc) is over friendly lap dog and Oscar is a rescue with an under bite problem.
I would say a lab cross as the eyes are certainly different to labs eyes.[/QUOTE said:


> When I saw the picture of Monty my first thought was finally a lab that looks like mine! Thanks for posting the picture.


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## Germanshepherdlova (Apr 16, 2011)

1sttimeforgsd said:


> My girl Mandy came from English and American Lab parents, she is about 2 yrs old in this photo. Your boy looks pb Lab to me.


Do you have any close up pictures of Mandy?


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## GSDBESTK9 (Mar 26, 2002)

I see a purebred Lab. Field Labs and Bench Labs will look different. Never heard of American Lab???


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## Sue Smart (Jul 12, 2002)

Germanshepherdlova said:


> When I saw the picture of Monty my first thought was finally a lab that looks like mine! Thanks for posting the picture.


Monty can sound ferocious but it is all bluff, he is a solid boy unlike Oscar who tends to put on weight. I think chocolate Labs are much the biggest of the Labs.


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## AgileGSD (Jan 17, 2006)

Looks like a typical pet bred chocolate Lab to me. I have known dog aggressive/reactive Labs, no breed is immune to dog aggression. There was a Lab who used to go to the daycare I worked at who nearly killed the female Boxer he lived. And I once had to tell a family they couldn't bring their Lab to 4H because he was too dog aggressive. I wouldn't say it's typical of the breed but you do run across dog aggressive Labs.


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## DCluver33 (May 27, 2010)

I see pure bred Lab, a lot of people mistake Lab mixes with Pit mixes for some reason, there's a Lab mix in my complex who's DA and she's mistaked for a Pit mix she's not btw . My best friend has a very dog aggressive/dominate field lab, she is a pain to work with, once you get her in that working mode she's awesome, it's just getting her there is the hard part. If she doesn't want to do anything she'll sit there and stare at you like you're an alien.


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