Labs Doing Agility And Obedience And Gsps Vs Viszlas

[dogmate]

I have just commenced my search for a new puppy. I am considering a few breeds as i really want to compete in agility and obedience and rallyo. Anyone have experience with labs doing agility? I have admired this breed for almost 20 years but am a bit concerned they they maybe a bit heavy boned for agility?

other breeds i'm considering are GSP and Viszlas

So anyone with experience in theses breeds how different is the temperaments. Years ago i owned a dalmatian so am used to the exuberance and i love that however i have been looking at dals at shows in Sydney and none i have seen have the bouncy personality my old dog did and alost (almost all had skin issues on the day).

So i'm basically looking for an exuberant short coated breed that has the ability to want to work with me.

I have only just begun my search or thinking so happy to wait for as long as it takes

[Kavik]

I see more GSPs and Vizslas doing agility than Labs.

Hopefully some gundog people will come in to help with temperament differences

[rusty&biscuit]

Are there not working line labs? Although they may not go as fast as say, a BC, any dog can do agility...I've heard of giant breeds such as newfs and saints doing it But yes, I do see more GSP's and vislas competing. Good luck on your search, as Kavik said, hopefully some gundog people will come in and be of great help :)

[mirawee]

Rubystar does agility and obedience with her Lab girls :) And Mason_Gibbs does obedience with her Lab boy :)

We have some very good working lines Labradors in both the agility, obedience (and retrieving) rings in WA as well :) However they seem to be very full on in comparison to the show lines dogs from an observers prespective :)

[canine fun sports]

I have just commenced my search for a new puppy. I am considering a few breeds as i really want to compete in agility and obedience and rallyo. Anyone have experience with labs doing agility? I have admired this breed for almost 20 years but am a bit concerned they they maybe a bit heavy boned for agility?

other breeds i'm considering are GSP and Viszlas

So anyone with experience in theses breeds how different is the temperaments. Years ago i owned a dalmatian so am used to the exuberance and i love that however i have been looking at dals at shows in Sydney and none i have seen have the bouncy personality my old dog did and alost (almost all had skin issues on the day).

So i'm basically looking for an exuberant short coated breed that has the ability to want to work with me.

I have only just begun my search or thinking so happy to wait for as long as it takes

I have "a little" experience doing agility with my GSP's. The best way to sumarise it is go to my website at:

http://www.caninefunsports.com.au

Edited to add:

I do believe the light framed dogs do better at agility, both between breeds such as labs and GSP, but also within a breed - I would choose a lighter framed GSP. But this also depends on your attitude to the sports. If you aim is to do the best you can with the dog you love and you love labs, then go for a lab from working lines. You may not win very often, but you can do well with lots of quallie cards and have a lot of fun.

Cheers,

Edited April 4, 2012 by canine fun sports

[FHRP]

There are a few Labs doing agility, however they are kept very lean, not what you see in the show ring even if 'show bred'. The Labs I see doing agility love it, they are a breed that really enjoy life :) However as cfs said I would try for a lighter framed Lab if aiming for agility and some working lines may be more suitable.

I do agility with both my Vizsla and GSP. Both breeds are extremely capable. Temperament wise there are many similarities. My experience is limited having owned two Vizslas and one GSP (so far :)). Vizslas tend to be a bit more sensitive and 'needy'. GSPs can be a little more independant and although both breeds are high energy, the GSP more so. Both breeds could certainly be called bouncy at times and fit the "exuberant short coated breed that has the ability to want to work with me" description :)

[Mason_Gibbs]

I do obedience with my lab ( or did I'm giving it a break at the moment) and we got our CCD title and then our CD title. I don't do guilty but that's coz I'm not interested if I really wanted to do it my dog would be find physically doing it as he is a lighter build. The great thing with a lab is that they have a natural retrieve instinct ;)

[RubyStar]

Yes, I do obedience, agility and a bit of retrieving with my Lab girls. They are kept lean as I wouldn't want a heavy dog to jump too much. My yellow Lab is show lines and while she is kept lean and is physically able to play in agility, she lacks the drive that working line Labs have around here. She's a lot of fun to work with and she loves it, and she's managed a few ribbons in agility - but those are thanks to being the only dog to keep her bars up or not go off course, not because she outruns them all :laugh:

My other Lab is a rescue so I am not sure of her heritage. However, she has a heck of a lot more get up and go than my other one. She is an absolute hoot to compete with. She's got more speed on her than my other one (I just let the team down with my very novice handling skills!) Excuse the bad handling and the errors we make, but here is a look at a Lab doing agility if you're interested:

Edited April 4, 2012 by RubyStar

[The Spotted Devil]

I'm more than happy to talk you into a Dally (or a working Springer) :laugh: I do agility and obedience with Ziggy and his coat is gorgeous with no care whatsoever. In fact I can't remember the last time I washed him! My young ESS does retrieving and is training up for agility and obedience - smaller than the breeds you are looking at but the coat is very manageable and she is a whole lot of fun! Very happy to recommend the breeders of my chalk and cheese pair as well.

[aussielover]

Labs are a great all round dog.

They wouldn't be my first pick if you want to win at agility though. If you want to be competitive at agility, it would be hard to beat the herding breeds (BC, aussie, kelpie, koolie, etc) in terms of ideal body type, drive and temperament.

If you've never done agility before or are only just starting out, Labs are great because they are so easy to train and willing to please and very forgiving. Personally I think that Vizslas and GSPs can be a a bit more temperamental and flighty, but of course in the right hands they make great sport dogs.

A working line labrador may be more suitable for you if you really want to be competitive. They generally have more drive and a lighter build.

Plenty of show line or "pet" labradors do very well at agility and gain titles etc.

[**Super_Dogs**]

I train and compete in agility with my labs

Yes, they are not as quick as a BC but my girls are consistent and reliable. So we area still competitive.

I love it, and so does my girls!

I agree with what others have mentioned that you need to get the right dog. My girls are very lean. You don't want to get the heavy stocky labs which are more common in the show ring.

IMO labs are a very versatile dog.

[Lablover]

Agility lovers:

Can I ask your opinion on these two American field bred labradors?

[Kavik]

Nice runs!

[Lablover]

Nice runs!

Thanks, it being years since I have actually observed an agility trial.

That's what you get when you breed for working ability and traits.

Hey, the second dog is sired by a dog I watched every morning for a month, when he was 12 months old. He went onto become an American field champion. Gosh he was athletic. Actually I have imported semen from his half brother. So obviously I liked him!!

Edited April 7, 2012 by Lablover

[Lablover]

Remember I am a field/working labrador lover....forgive me +++++ for this probably silly question.

What is a MACH qualification or title? Do we have them in Australia?

http://fastlabs.limecreek.com/dog/lime-creeks-punkin-patootie

[canine fun sports]

What is a MACH qualification or title? Do we have them in Australia?

http://fastlabs.limecreek.com/dog/lime-creeks-punkin-patootie

Someone can probably give you the exact answer - but I cannot be bothered looking it up.

An in-exact answer is that it is the equivalent of an agility champion in one of the agility codes in the USA - I cannot remember exactly what the initials stand for, and I cannot remember which trialling code.

In ANKC agility trialling, the equivalent would be Ag Ch, and in ADAA trialilling, it is also called an Ag Ch.

Cheers,

Edited April 8, 2012 by canine fun sports

[wuffles]

I think that all breeds can be great for agility, as long as the lab is kept lean. But also remember that fast dogs are very hard to handle so sometimes it's nicer to have a "medium pace" dog to learn with if you have not done agility before :laugh:

[J...]

I know you're looking at purebred Labs, but I have a Lab x Kelpie who is my very first dog and we do agility. Darce has been mistaken as a working line Lab more than once.

Despite my early shitty training and handling of her she does an awesome job in agility. She's very capable of mixing it with the fastest dogs in Vic at Masters level, yet has the best off-switch where she will fall asleep in my lap in between trialling runs.

I keep her lean and fit - she sits around 21 kg. I am very conscious that she is carrying that extra weight and I don't do any repetitive work for fitness such as ball throwing unless there is water involved.

There is also a pure yellow lab here in Vic who is a very drivey young dog, he is doing a great job in Excellent/Masters level.

[helen]

I have a soft spot for Labradors because my first ever dog when I was a kid was a black Labrador. I really think if I did get one that I would do non agility things with it though, just personal preference.

[Glen]

Hi,

I have a lab who has been competing in agility since she was 18 months old. She has just turned four. She has done extremely well with ADM ADO JDX JDO SDX GDX & SPDX titles. She also has competed in obedience and has her CCD & CD titles. All I can say is that she absolutely loves working, especially at agility. She comes off after a run with a grin from ear to ear. She has Kadnook and Birdlehund lines in her which are more working lines than show. I keep her at about 25kgs. We have had no problems whatsoever physically. My cattle dog who also did agility (now retired) had many problems because she was so quick and would tear muscles etc. A labby can make a great agility dog as well as being a great all-rounder type dog. Good luck.