Today, it seems the terms “English” and “American” labs are widely accepted in the general public. Slightly more confusing is it has also become accepted among breeders. Even some quality breeders will use the expression, although more often it is a word the back yard or high-volume breeder uses to give their puppies legitimacy of some sort, an easy way to claim they're good dogs. And while our hugely popular breed has wide variety in type and style, trying to identify them using those terms is simply incorrect.
Why? Because an English lab is defined as a Labrador born in England.
An American lab is one born in North America. That’s it.
So how do you accurately describe the two completely different styles of Labrador? First, you need to examine what the dedicated breeders strive to produce. One group attends dog shows. Their goal is to breed dogs as closely resembling the AKC written standard as possible and are judged against that standard by licensed judges. Therefore they could be referred to as “show” or bench (referring to benched dog shows) labs.
The problem with this is there are many quality show breeders who also work their dogs in the field. Whether it is AKC hunt tests or a gentleman’s hunting companion, their show dogs are perfectly capable of retrieving waterfowl. So “show” lab doesn’t paint the whole picture.
The other type of competition for Labradors are field trials. These dogs have a high desire to work and retrieve and are often thinner, faster, have significantly less coat and more energy than most show-bred labs. We call them field labs.
Both these groups typically have generations of health tested dogs who are healthy and have appropriate temperaments. The important thing to note about these breeders is they are exhibiting their breeding stock to and among their peers. They are not just saying—I have the greatest dog in the world, they are taking them to be seen and evaluated by other experts in their breed. This is a critical element in determining breeding stock that is a good representative and worthy of passing on its genes.
There are upwards of 10,000 Labradors registered with AKC a MONTH. Are more likely bred for the show ring or field trials? The answer is neither. The majority of puppies born are simply what we call back yard bred. While that may not always be a bad thing, the problem is you have no way of knowing. There are no Labrador experts evaluating their dogs, suggesting maybe this one might be too shy, or this one aggressive, or difficult to train or this one has allergies or is not structurally sound enough to work all day. Those are the reasons to purchase your puppy from someone who competes with their breeding animals. Nothing compares to regular peer review. And believe me, that sweet, biddable temperament, gorgeous head, thick, straight otter tail and dense double coat do not just happen by luck. They come from generations of thoughtful breeding.
So when you see someone advertising their Labrador puppies as “English,” ask them if they were born in England. If your goal is actually to acquire a beautiful, calm, healthy Labrador who looks like what is described in the AKC or FCI standard, ask them if they show their dogs. If your goal is to hunt with your dog, ask if they have put field or working titles in their breeding stock. Because saying they breed “English” or "American" labs tells you nothing and, frankly, is untrue.
You may say oh whatever, that is much too complicated, I'm just going to keep calling them English and American. Go right ahead. But if you start looking for a puppy and say you want an "English" and the breeder hesitates ever so slightly, know you've probably found a knowledgeable one.
(Pictured are an English born and bred field dog owned by a friend (magazine cover) and his yellow sire, and English Field Trial Champion. So technically they are both English labs. The two together are his English field lab and his American lab from me. The other yellow and the black girl are two of my own AKC Champions, so are American labs.)
