Home Forums Birds & Dogs Hunting Dogs Black or Yellow Lab?

which is better? we live in the best state (Texas) and it can get hotter than hades here so which one do ya'll think is better for bird hunting? Toons

I'm a setter man myself because I only hunt ppheasant and quail but have several friends who own labs. If shade is available, which I'm sure there is, I don't think it makes much difference. I personally like the looks of a black Lab over a yellow lab. What kind of hunting are you going to do with this dog? Their strong suit is waterfowl. Kansas isn't noted for their cool summers either.<P>Shannon

my husband is the hunter and with this particular dog he will be using for duck more than anything else I think. I have to agree with you that a black lab is a much prettier looking dog than the yellow labs. Can labs be used for qual and pheasant? I would also like the dog to be able to be a family pet as well. We have a nine year old and nineteen month old so I would want the dog to be family friendly as well. Toons

Labs are an excellent choice for ducks. They would be useful for finding pheasant & quail after they are shot. There is a strain of labs called pointing labs that are used for upland game but I have never seen them in action. I also hear they are quite expensive since they are a relatively new "breed". I have an English Setter I hunt over and she is all I ever hoped for. Excellent family dog as well, my 3 yr old daughter loves her. A lab would be an excellent family dog as well. Just don't feed it a bunch of table scraps and let it become a couch potatoe. I have a friend who has a Brittney and it is so fat it looks like a little baby bear. Good luck!!<P>Shannon

Hi Toons, I live in Texas too and used to own a good Lab. He was black, all the others are just imitation labs. Just kidding. As far as upland hunting goes, labs are great for pheasants, and other birds that have some kind of pattern and tend to hold in certain areas. They are not terribly useful on quail except to retrieve, since quail tend to range over too big an area and don't really have a predictable pattern like pheasants or hungarians, for instance. We killed literally hundreds of pheasants and huns over my lab. The key with a lab, or any flushing dog, or any hunting dog for that matter, is to have control over him so that he does not bust birds. This is really, REALLY frustrating after walking several hours in a big corn field or such for pheasants.<P>As far a kids go, in general, labs are absolutely wonderful with kids, but most do not have a big protective instinct, which may be good, since it is less likely that they would bite a child's friend while they were rough housing. If you can only have one hunting dog, a lab is certainly a viable option. <P>I am considering a Chesapeake, but there is some issue about children with them, which I have not resolved to my satisfaction. I have a 7,5 and 2 year old, so that is a big concern. Good Luck and Good shooting.

I have had both black and yellow labs. The dog I have now is yellow, and I like him much more then the previous blacks. Of my three previous black labs, none had a nose for upland bird, they were all good in the water and all good natured. My yellow has an excellent nose, points and will beat the brush with the best of them. What I've noticed and I may be wrong but the yellow labs are generally more aggressive. Also the females are much more apt to be hyperactive, but mainly the black females. The best dog I've seen on ducks was a female black lab but I would personally never own one. This dog was IMPOSSIBLE to work with untill she was six years old because she was so hyper. My yellow lab is fairly good natured and was very easy to train, His only downfall is I worry about him being overly aggressive, and he seems to overheat fairly quickly on really hot days. Now as far as kids go, my dog absolutely loves my daughter and believe me, when he is around nothing is going to happen to her. He seems to understand the difference between her friends and adults, kids can come in the yard and play and not bother him in the least but an adult noway.

Mark, are you sure your yellow is not a Chesie? pak

Hey Pak, I did almost buy a chesie! I think the only reason I didn't is because they are hard to find around here.