Home Forums Hunting & Shooting Hunter's Campfire What kind of dog did I adopt?

I found this guy in the animal shelter about a month ago. He came to them as a stray so they didn't have any info on his background. They advertised him as a lab/pit-bull mix and he looked like that to me too. He had a big oversized head and jaws atop an emaciated body - his ribs were nearly sticking through his skin. I was reluctant about the pit-bull thing, but he seemed very friendly and I felt sorry for him so he's found his forever home with me.



Now that he's gained some weight, his head is more proportional to his body and he looks more like a lab that anything else. He's incredibly energetic. He would chase rabbits all day if I let him, but seems very gentle natured.

Is there a chance he's a full-blooded lab? And if he is, could he ever be a good watch dog? I've never owned a lab but it's my impression that they would like a burglar to death before they would bit him.

Any thoughts on people who know labs well will be appreciated.

Don't know, but I cannot see pit in him in that picture.

And don't believe that "labs aren't savage" hooey either as the two up the road will spoil your day if you walk in their yard.

Knew a retired ARMY soldier that had a lab. That dog was a friendly as they come when her master was around. However, if you went over to his house when he wasn't home, the dog went from Mr. Hyde to Dr. Jekyll. It was a full-blooded lab too. Never would have thought had I not seen it.

We'd need a more head-on pic so that we could see the width of his skull. Labs make good watchdogs, they may not attack but they generally let you know when there's someone around who shouldn't be.

Fearlessness is what the Pitbull tends to contribute to a mix. But that dog looks like a pure lab to me.

congratulations, you have an american mixed breed canine. tail is not Lab, are his toes deeply webbed? I promise you will have a grateful companion for years! Never again will I own any purebred dog!!

From what I can tell from the pic his tail is too thin to be full blooded lab.

But don't hold it against him. A Lab/Pit mix might be a good combination.

I've got a 13 year old version of him. He was found almost starved, unknown background, we took him as a "foster". He is attached at the hop to my wife and is scared of a LOT of stuff. His bark is loud and intimidating. We think he's got some hound or something in him. He loves toys, when he's happy he'll grab one and carry it, which I'm told is really typical lab behavior.

That’s a good question. His toes are not webbed at all. And the first time I took him to a lake he looked really awkward trying to swim. Almost looked like a person trying to dog paddle with the front part of his body above the water line. But then he caught on.

And I forgot to mention, he doesn’t bark at all. I’ve only heard his voice once so far.

Yep, the tail is too thin for a pure Lab. I missed that.

It looks as though he may have a little pit in him but not much.

His tail does not appear to be lab and he looks a little "Puffy" in the chest. His ears are normal and not "Pity" as is his face. On the bright side if he does have pit in him you'll have one of the most faithful dogs you've ever had.

Congrats and good luck.

I am sure he is what is known as a "Keeper"! again, congrats and thanks for taking him on!

I have raised a litter of Labs and had 6 of my own. Your dog has a lot of Lab but I doubt is full blooded. For one the legs look too short to be Lab. As far as Labs as a guard dog, I have yet to see an aggressive one. I had one that was a friend to everyone, another that hid behind me when any company showed up, and two of my current ones bark at strangers, go to the porch and keep barking until I show up or the stranger leaves. Discourages most but my regular UPS man has been accepted by them. If you want a guard dog that attacks it will not be a Lab. If you want an alarm bark Labs will do.
Don't worry about full blood in yours, he looks like a good dog that will be very loyal.

I forgot to ask, will a black lab ever have a white chest patch like he does?

I’m pretty happy with him, but am thinking about doing a DNA test just to satisfy my curiosity. Has anyone here ever done one of those? Was it worth it?

I've had a couple of labs like this. My friends called before coming over when my old yellow Pete dog was still here.

Have had 4 labs and they were all protective of the family. The mildest natured of the 4 was a female named Pepper. My wife walked anywhere she cared to with that dog along. Pepper could sense if the wife was alarmed by someone and she responded appropriately. Pepper was old when our oldest child was born, but was also very protective of her. In normal circumstances she was as friendly a dog as you could ask for.

about 14 years ago my wife took a abused 8 to 10 week old pit/yellow lab mixed puppy from the meth heads next door. I took her to my brothers oldest son. you could not ask for a better dog .her only prob. is she would watch a thief clean out the house and not care

Is this a trick question?

That dog is a labrador or *mostly* lab


I have 3 papered labs and neither of them look a like.

We adopted a lab cross about 5 year s ago. Crossed with either a greyhound or some type of pointer. Ours has the white chest patch and little bit on her nose and one white paw.When you start looking around you will find that marking pretty common on lab crosses.
She is a heck of a watch dog and she would die for my wife. No one gets close to putting. In a jam ,she would help me out,but she must thin I can take care of myself.

Most rescue dogs come with a lot of baggage from their past, so be patient.It will pay off in the end.

..."he would watch a thief clean out the house"...
a true watch-dog