What’s the difference?
The proper way to say it would be Bench Bred vs Field Bred — but layman terms have broken that down to English vs. American labs. British Labs are genuinely from Great Britain and not to be confused with either term.
A bench bred lab is just that – bred for benched shows. Back in the day show dogs were put on display (on their benches) for the public to admire and couldn’t leave the the dog show. Some shows such as Westminster have kept that tradition and are still like that, but for the most part all breed shows you just show up for your class and can leave anytime.
The typical show dog’s structure is what laymen now refer to as an English lab – a much more blocky appearance, frame, and conformationally correct.
A field lab is just that! Bred for the field. Bred to retrieve and duck hunt all day. Since these dogs are typically on the go they’re a bit more high energy, lanky, and athletic. They don’t always follow AKC breed guidelines – having curled tails, slimmer heads, and sometimes disproportionate balance. Not all American Lab breeders sacrifice conformation, but some breeders only care about field performance and this had led to these undesirable traits. These are what are now referred to as American labs.
The goal should to marry these two – have a dog that is athletic enough to pick up birds all day and also go into the confirmation ring and win. The true dual-purpose bred Labrador Retriever.
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