Quote: rich pallechio

Haven't Labs also been bred to have a soft bite, so they don't bite through the game they are retrieving? Wouldn't that be a problem for a PPD?

Just some musings..

Most hunting retrievers are actually FF for a nice, non destructive hold. And most pet retrievers are taught bite inhibition from the get go.

From my work in sar using rag rewards, I can tell you that a floppy eared dog can have a VERY hard mouth when it has been taught it is okay to do so. They are not "soft" on the rag compared to working lines pointy eared dogs. I have been nailed hard by a lab before.

If you sent my dog out to fetch a duck on genetics alone, before I did any SAR training even, he would pick it up, bite hard on it and shake the crap out of it, THEN bring it back to me. That said, several of his littermates have been "trained/ff" and have hunting titles to their name. That said some retrievers would natrally pick something up gently.

My point is that though genetics plays a part, bite inhibition training or bite training also plays an important role.

One difference I see is in a full bite, but even this I see more with floppy eared dogs that were maybe not taught/encouraged to full bite.

Civility is something else too. A hard bite on equipment does not equal willing to bite a person. Even for a pointy eared dog.

I still agree that a Lab would be a very bad choice for a PPD for more reasons than one. My favorite someone mentioned would be that if you had one that could do the work, it would be unstable and not bred to the Lab standard. Many other good reasons mentioned. A soft mouth is not one of the more important reasons that they are a bad choice IMHO.
Could a Lab bite hard enough...I think so. Would it have the temperment to hang on under pressure and fight for real (not in a sport context)..don't think so.

I believe bite strength is hereditary in every dog but dogs can be developed to have a softer bite (ie training for hunting) or at least developed for a firmer bite (SchH).

I don't know that I would want to train my lab for 'personal protection' for the reasons brought up in this thread. But I would have to say that our lab has a pretty good grip!

Even if your dog might not 'cut it' as a ppdog... you could still work on being able to turn the dog on on command. Intimidation can be a beautiful thing...

A Labrador Retriever bit me on the leg once by accident. He didn't even break skin, but he left two long scars on my leg. He bit HARD.

Just my story of the day!

 Quote: Nicole Kelly

Even if your dog might not 'cut it' as a ppdog... you could still work on being able to turn the dog on on command. Intimidation can be a beautiful thing...

I think Nicole hit it right on the head. My Lab is big, looks intimidating, and is very vocal when strangers come onto our property. I have no idea what he would do if the poop really hit the fan (probably nothing) but he puts on a convincing show and hey, that's good enough for me. Very few people are going to mess with a big, seriously-barking dog.

I've got one poor courrier who absolutely refuses to come to my door, he's so terrified of my dog. He sort of waves frantically at me from the front yard, hurls the letters up onto the deck, and dives back into his car.