just4fun - 2014-02-27 2:18 PM Alrighty...zippppping up my flame suit. real. tight.

He doesn't look like a lab. At least, not one from a reputable breeder of quality puppies.

His ear set cannot be changed by taping. You can influence the way the ears tip (think Shetland Sheepdog or Collie). But, you cannot change where they come off of his head. In your pup's case, he has a high ear set. 

If this was a reputable breeder, they would have sold him with a contract. And, imo, would consider taking him back for not meeting the AKC standard. {And, before I'm thrown off of BHW...it's a real, live, actual event -- they are sold with contracts. My ESS  conformation pup had his bite slip at 6 months (even instead of scissor) and I was given the option to send him back (yea, right!) or provide proof of neutering and was offered a replacement.}

He is a cute puppy! I hope you enjoy him for many, many years! Just don't think those ears are going to look quite like what you want. Sorry!

 

Murphy - 2014-02-27 1:28 PM


I am with you. I hate to say it, but I'm not sure he is purebred either. Which doesn't make him any less adorable.

I know AKC says a small patch of white hair on the chest is OK, but his patch is fairly large and he has some white spots on his feet too. Maybe he is Lab x Lab mix so his ears aren't sitting where a PB lab would sit?

BARRELHORSE USA - 2014-02-27 12:39 PM

I bred hunting labs for years from British and German bloodlines since so many American bloodlines had been inbred and bred for size rather than hunting conformations ... everyone wants a big lab ... 80-120 lbs to brag about ..

Hunters look for smaller thicker 50-60 lb males with otter tails which gives them a rutter to steer with when retrieving in the water and goose is ploughing the water ..

On your puppy I would change dog food to a lower protein since ears are cartilage and wait and see if their weight will flop them downward as he grows slower .... which I think they will ... if overly concerned .... see if he will put up with wearing a wide clothe band like a human head band around his ears ....

Your pup does have double the white that you usually see on a lot of blacks ... it will disappear as he grows older ... you might end up having a spot no bigger than your little finger on his chest ....

Here is what my dogs looked like ....
I trained them to work water and field shooting ..

cyount2009 - 2014-02-27 1:49 PM


I have to agree that the dog has excessive white to be registered without a neuter contract HOWEVER the brood stock of the breed (The St. Johns Water Dog) had white paws, chest, and lips and there are still the few occasions when the recessive genes for this trait pop up. It is EXTREMELY uncommon but it does still happen.

But the issue of your concern is not the color but the ears. I don't think you can do anything to change the set. You can pull the ears down "flatter" by taping pennies to the under sides of the ear tips but it will not change the location of the base, just how flat they hang.

If your guy is not planning on breeding him and the dog shows excessive hunting instinct, try and you are overall happy with the animal you purchased I don't think it really matters how much white he has on him, it just makes him easier to see in the dark!

ETA: If your plan was to breed the dog I might be getting a hold of the breeder, the excessive white and the high ear set is a little concerning for me. I think the ear set is more common in the American type dogs and if your pup is of American lines I would be a little less concerned.

PS: I had a pup that was by my dad's English type registered male and out of an American type registered female, the pup had a thick block head when I picked him up at 8 weeks old but by 12 weeks it started to look a lot like your pup, same ear set and all! Unfortunately my sister's jackass ex-boyfriend ran him over with a trailer so I never got to see how he matured.

BlazeFlameHarley - 2014-02-27 1:58 PM Saw both parents and pictures of the other puppies, she only had 4, one yellow, 3 blacks. All of the blacks had some white, the man we got him from said he had more on his chest, thats why he was left. And as I said, he has grown and looks different now, I just dont have any recent pictures. He is not going back for his excessive white. Not his fault and it doesn't hurt his ability to retrieve at all. Some on the white on his feet is starting to go away slowly. I think by the time he is grown they will just have a grey look to them. If you do a search on the internet there are several "mismarks" that can happen on labs. White is a very minor one compared to some(yellows with black splotches, ect). Not arguing, just stating what I have learned because when my husband got him I did research the white, ect.

TACKyPaints - 2014-02-27 4:32 PM

My girl isn't a Lab, she's an Aussie, but her ears were also on the fritz when she was young.  I was constantly fretting over them because they went from nice Aussie ears, to one would be sticking out to the side, then to one standing up and the other down. Those ears of hers went all sorts of different directions but eventually they went back to where they were meant to be. Maybe the same sort of deal is going on with your pup! Either way, he sure is a cutie!!

Here's a pic of her when she was younger and also a more recent pic!

bingo - 2014-02-27 5:20 PM I was surprised when you said your pup was a lab. Taping of ears is usually done on dogs with normally floppy ears whose ears are surgically fixed to stand up right, like Dobermans, Schnauzers, etc. I agree w/the others who say that is NOT a lab. The pup may be part lab, but 1st off there should be NO white, but the longer coat, his head shape, his body shape, nope, not purebred by any stretch. I have bred labs in the past. The fact his ears are starting to try and stand up is just one more reason to believe he is not all lab. Sorry, but he is adorable and can still be a great bird dog.

Stitch4k9 - 2014-02-27 8:31 PM

Good Grief!

1 - Puppy ears get goofy while they are teething.  End of story period!  The calcium is all directed to the mouth.  Ear set will change many times before a year old.

2 - Those of you claiming to have bred labs.  Do you know the history of the breed???  If not research St. John's Dog.   The fuzzy coat and white comes from there.  The white on the chest is known as a medallion and will generally shrink as the pup grows.  The white on the paws are called bolo's and again will change when the adult coat comes in.  

White is absolutely allowed in the AKC ring.  Although not a big hit amongst those who are showing "Halter" dogs.  One of the nicest hunting females in my area has a lovely medallion.  She is also much smaller than the big headed dogs one sees in the show ring.  And yes she is registered and will have her second and final litter later this year.  Bred to one of the leading hunting dogs in the nation. 

As white horses differant lines Look differant.  A puppy will change just like a foal will change. 

So back to the ORIGINAL issue.  Don't mess with his ears.  They will grow, they will prick, they will flop.  And as an adult they will be Labbie ears.  If your husband hunts with such an elitist group that ear set is an issue......... well it isn't the trailer you pull up in, it's the horse you unload!

karen