Michael,
I do not know what your friend wants to do with the lab. Over the past 3 years I have found 16 labs that I took from the animal shelters and have trained into scent detection dogs - 1 was so bull-headed I gave him to a deputy friend, well anyway that black lab turned out to a great duck dog.

Most of the labs I have trained have been chocolates - everyone of them turned out very well and I have not had 1 of them at all aggressive. The rest about evenly divide between blacks and yellows - the yellows are my least favorite.

All of these have been full-blood labs, with the exception of 1 - part lab part chesapeke, this guy was a great dope dog.

People buy labs - thinking they are going to make the perfect pet - then when they can't handle them - off to the shelters. Which is good for me and others who scour the shelters for good dogs.

Good Luck

 Quote:

Are all labs goofy at 13 months?

Um, pretty much!....and at 23 months and 33 months and 43 months..... <img src="/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/laugh.gif" alt="" /> "Lab" and "Goofy" are pretty much synonymous from what I've seen. That's what people love about them.

As America's most popular breed, there are an awful lot of Labbies in rescue and shelters. What does your friend want a Lab for?

BTW, I have been assured by more than one experienced Lab breeder that color has absolutely zero relation to temperament.

I have a black lab mix who at 22 months still thinks that he is a big puppy. He even still attempts to sit in my lap -- and at 80 pounds, that doesn't work out so well. "Goofy" is a pretty good description, but so is "obedient". Even though he has only been trained for regular house pet duties, he is extrememly smart and can learn just about any command that we work with.

From my personal experience, your friend should be very sure that he wants a lab puppy before he gets one, and should make sure that he understands what he's getting into. To repeat what was told to me when we adopted our puppy, "If you can keep a lab until he's 2 years old without killing him, he'll be a good dog." Since they were originally bred as retrievers/gundogs, even the non-working lines have very high energy levels. Puppies have to be kept entertained and supervised, or they will find their own entertainment, usually in some destructive chewing or digging. Our dog managed, in the last two years, to destroy a screen door, eat wallpaper out of the bathroom, pull up the carpet and chew the carpet pad, eat/dig up houseplants, and dig holes anywhere a squirrel buried nuts for winter. He even attempted to eat a grill brush with metal bristles! And this is all in addition to having toys and bones scatted everywhere. He has mellowed as he has been trained and matured, but he still has to be run and played with for a long time before we wear him out.

Also, to confirm what was stated before, the color of the dog has no relation to their temperment. A single litter can include black, yellow, and chocolate pups.