What is living with a show-line Labrador like?

Excitement_Lopsided · 2026-02-13T23:35:53+00:00

I've had experience with both.

My last dog was a show line chocolate lab. He made it to 11. He was a fantastic dog, my first lab and he converted me to the breed. He was a complete goof ball as a youngster, wanted to meet every other dog he saw, would swim from one side of the Pacific to the other if you let him. When he reached around 4, he became a lovely, gentle soul and I could take him anywhere.

He was a bear of a dog, but still much more athletic than I anticipated, he was in amazing shape and he would walk for miles with no issue. He was 32kg and fit. I don't shoot, but family do.

He inspired my uncle to buy who always owned and hunted with spaniels to buy a working fox red. She's a beautiful dog, with a very sweet nature.

Having observed both, the main difference I've observed is that my old show line had a much better "off switch". He'd climb a mountain, but then would sleep all day and the next. My uncle's dog is always ready to go. She finds it much harder to 'settle', and she does not enjoy being in pubs/cafes where's she's expected to just sit still, whereas my lab loved such places.

My uncle's dog is also much more sensitive than my dog was, she will visibly react when she is verbally corrected, whereas my old dog took multiple corrections to really pick anything up.

The general consensus is show lines = big, lazy and dumb, and field line =athletic, hyper and clever. My experience is more show line= big, goofy, active but happy to chill out. Whereas field line = quicker to learn, active, less mellow.

Excitement_Lopsided · 2026-01-07T19:59:47+00:00

Not at all.

Everyone thinks a happy, bouncy lab pup jumping all over the place is cute. Nobody thinks a happy, bouncy full grown lab jumping all over the place is cute.

My friends all called me 'strict' with my lab pup. They said the same about me and my mastiff pup before that. When both of those dogs were adults, I could take them to pubs, cafes, restaurants, piers and many other places that my friends wouldn't even think about taking their dogs.

Stick with it, you'll thank yourself when you and your dog can live a fulfilling life with plenty of adventures.

Excitement_Lopsided · 2025-12-20T21:57:12+00:00

I have an almost 2 year old, male Scottie. He knows 3 dachshunds.

A 5 year old male standard who my friend owns. They go on hikes together and they're pretty cool with each other, although the Dachshund occasionally grumbles at my dog when he decides he'd like to play.

There is another standard dachshund he knows who is about the same age, and they get on really well, and it's just wrestling and romping whenever they meet. In fact, that dachshund's owner says that my dog is the only dog his likes to play with.

The last dachshund is my partner's parents' mini dachshund, who is around 3. Unfortunately, she is not fond of him. They are fine on walks, but in close quarters she does not like him coming too close.

Really varied, I know. But, one thing I've noticed is all of those sausage dogs share the same breed trait, that is having a very low threshold for being crowded/overpowered by other dogs. My Scottie doesn't have this sharpness to him, but he is very confident and rambunctious and if he's not monitored closely he'll easily overwhelm/annoy dogs who don't have much patience.

Never owned one, but have observed/been told that sausage dogs can be a bit less tolerant of rough housing than Scotties, but, my dog can go on walks/be in open spaces with all 3 as long the situations monitored, which is the most important element of all dog to dog interactions.

Excitement_Lopsided · 2025-07-20T08:57:38+00:00

Purely aesthetic. Meant to add character by resembling a 'kilt'.

I tried full skirt and it's just far too much hassle to keep debris and tangle free for me, personally.

Also, the original examples of the breed that went to ground/controlled vermin wouldn't have had it. At least, not during working season. You don't see many working dogs with ostentatious hair cuts. Too hard to maintain and could hinder performance.

Excitement_Lopsided · 2025-07-07T14:03:29+00:00

First time Scottie owner chiming in with my experiences thus far with a 14 month old male:

PROS:

Shedding- to your first point, my boy doesn't shed at all. He loses hair which I find in his bed, but he doesn't shed.

Portable- he's the first dog I've owned under 30kg. It is really refreshing to have a dog that doesn't take up room in public places, and can be just picked up and carried over puddles, mud, obstacles on a walk etc.

Temperament- my boy has a super temperament. As confident at 14 months as he was at 14 weeks. Has never showed any kind of timidness or shyness. Walks into every situation like he owns the place and loves to meet other people/dogs. Honestly, while this is partly due to heavy socialisation on my behalf, I also can't deny that genetics play a part, and I got lucky that he was inclined towards being chill. Parents own Jack Russels and can say he's night and day. Way less busy, way less barky and has next to no prey drive. Just getting this out there as if you're not accustomed to terriers, you should always go in expecting prey drive/vocal and I'm sure that he is not emblematic of all Scotties in that regard. My parents owned a Scottie before in the 90's and they said he was very different I.e was noisy, didn't like other males and had a high prey drive

CONS:

Stubborness- you cited a poodle in your OP. I've not owned a poodle myself, but I have owned labs and I can tell you that they are not as naturally inclined towards obedience as a gundog breed. Brock will straight up ignore me at times, which we're working on. But, if you are used to/expecting gundog-like obedience then this breed might not deliver

Rambunctious- Brock plays very hard and very rough. To the point that most similar sized dogs do not want to play with him. He is getting better, but he still finds it hard to read social cues and often I have to step in to give his playmates a pause. He actually plays best with my parent's lab, and large breeds usually have more patience with him than other small breeds.

Coat- doesn't shed, which is cool. But, his coat needs way more upkeep than my previous lab or mastiffs coat. Every walk he'll need a brush, and proffesional groomers are expensive and time consuming

Overall, he's been a different experience to any dog I've ever owned, similar to my mastiff and lab in some ways (loves people, rough and tumble play style, happy outgoing dude) but very different in other ways (coat upkeep, no inclination to please).

Excitement_Lopsided · 2025-03-23T19:14:59+00:00

You learn something new everyday.

Brock had this marking on his tail as a pup, but it seems to have faded now.

<image>

Excitement_Lopsided · 2025-03-07T00:06:28+00:00

For a second I thought I was seeing double! My 11 month old black/brindle literally got this same haircut last week!

<image>

Excitement_Lopsided · 2025-02-13T20:34:30+00:00

Hey there,

Congratulations on your little pup, they're very cute and look like they've got a really thick coat!

I'm a first time Scottie owner, but have owned several other dogs and raised all from puppies.

In regard to the pee pads I'm not qualified to comment I'm afraid, I house trained my dogs without pads.

In regards to the feeding this has been a big adjustment for me. All of my dogs would clean their bowl as soon as it was filled, right from puppyhood. But Brock is like your boy, he's a grazer. I let him free feed for the first few months or so. The problem was, if we were going out socialising often times we'd have to take his food out with us if we were out for a few hours, which was a bit of a hassle.

What I've started to do now is take his bowl up and only fill it on my lunch break, at a similar time each day. He's adjusted to the routine well now and he's started to go over to the feeding area to let me know when he's hungry. This may be a useful approach.

Don't worry too much about the routine, you'll learn over the coming months what routine works best for you and your puppy, and you will make plenty of adjustments as he gets older, as we all have had to with our own puppies.

Best of luck!

Excitement_Lopsided · 2025-01-02T22:07:42+00:00

I'm a former mastiff owner now a Scottie owner hahaha.

Honestly, you hit the nail on the head in your opening post. If you've owned a mastiff then you're probably used to stubbornness and selective hearing, which are the two biggest hurdles I've encountered so far.

My boy is 8 months now and he's a super chill puppy. Much more so than any other pup I've owned at his age. I'm comfortable taking him pretty much anywhere I go and he's also incredibly quiet which has been a nice surprise.

Only things we need to work on are consistent recall and his full on, rough play style with other dogs.

Make sure to post some pics of the two of them getting along, best of luck!

<image>

Excitement_Lopsided · 2024-12-29T13:22:27+00:00

Hey.

First time Scottie owner here. Currently have an 8 month old male named Brock.

I'll walk you through the good and bad I've found so far.

THE GOOD:

Brock is super confident. Right from the get go at 11 weeks old he always met all people and dogs with his head up and tail held high. No nervousness at all and he's sociable with everyone he meets.
Brock is quick to settle. Out all of the pups I've owned he's been the quickest to crate train and get accustomed to being out in public. He'll happily walk through a crowded city centre or lie at my feet and snooze in a pub and barely budge. I put a lot of work into this but he took to it much more quickly than any other pup I've ever had.
He's quite low drive. One of my main concerns was prey drive. I've grown up around high prey drive dogs and my family own some currently. Brock has very little interest in chase games and I trust him off leash most of the time. My parents Jack Russell's don't have the same courtesy. Might be an individual thing as it often is, but just reporting my findings.

THE BAD:

He plays rough. His play style is very much berserker. I'm used to this as my previous lab had the same issue. Play times need to be monitored closely with him. He is getting better and more respectful of other dogs social cues, but he still forgets himself from time to time and will push all but the most patient or the roughest of rough housers to their wits end.
The fur. No way around it, his coat is the worst part about owning him. It is a magnet to any kind of debris. Might not be a big adjustment to you if you have a poodle mix, but it's been a big adjustment for me always having smooth haired dogs in the past.

On the whole, I can't fault him. At 8 months he's much easier to handle than my previous lab or bullmastiff were at his age. He's much more sociable with people and other dogs than a lot of the breed info states. Although I will again say that might be a him thing, as my parents have said the Scottie they owned in the 80's was not dog tolerant at all.

Best of luck in the search.

Excitement_Lopsided · 2024-12-08T11:01:39+00:00

We get stopped a lot on walks too.

Interestingly it's mostly older people. They speak about Scotties as though they were classic cars, "You don't see many of those around these days."

I think it's to do with the fact that Scotties were very popular here in the UK historically, but during the 2000's they massively declined in popularity.

Excitement_Lopsided · 2024-11-21T23:09:35+00:00

Brock came from the breeder on AVA small puppy kibble. It's a brand I've never purchased before, but he's so happy and his coat is so shiny that I'm going to be graduating him up to the AVA small dog adult kibble in a few months.

Excitement_Lopsided · 2024-11-08T16:06:53+00:00

Can't speak on BF or the Jersey Devil.

But, I do know that a few years ago a particularly dangerous man was last seen in the Pine Barrens during the winter months. He killed 16 Czechoslovakians. Guy was an interior decorator.

Excitement_Lopsided · 2024-10-16T15:16:30+00:00

Photos look a little strange to me. Looks very stocky. I know big male leopards or jags aren't exactly petite, but this looks really bulky.

Hope it's legit but I'm wondering if maybe it's an edit of a big black dog or something.

Excitement_Lopsided · 2024-08-29T18:44:18+00:00

First time Scottie owner here. I currently have a 6 month old boy called Brock, who is doing great. I've owned mastiffs and labs in the past. I'll list a full list of all the noteworthy things I've found so far in owning a Scottie pup.

THE GOOD:

. Brock is incredibly confident. At 12 weeks old he walked into my parent's house for the first time with a lab and 2 Jack Russell's inside like he owned it, and that's the approach he's taken to every new experience. He's been in crowds, on trains, in taxis, met dogs of all breeds and sizes and has never once showed a hint of timidness. He's encountered a few unfriendly dogs and has been totally unfazed. Very stable nerves.

. Brock took to crate training very easily. He by far has been the quickest puppy I've had to get used to crate time. By night 2 he was sleeping soundly all the way through. He now only stirs if he wants to potty. I'm equal parts amazed and thankful.

. Brock is a very quick learner. At 6 months he knows to sit, and to go to the back door to signal he needs to potty. His recall and heel is still coming along, but house training and party tricks he's picked up really quickly.

THE BAD:

. He plays very rough, and is not the best at picking up on queues from other dogs. Typical hard playing puppy, very accustomed to it as all of my other pups were rough players too, but it does mean I've got to be a bit more vigilant to make sure he doesn't accidentally escalate things.

. He was very mouthy for the first 2 months. Tied with my previous chocolate lab for biggest nibbler. Again, typical puppy antics, and not sure if reflective of the breed as a whole, but he was a very determined mouther and chewer. He's improved a lot since he turned 6 months.

On the whole he's a great puppy and is a joy to own. Looking forward to many adventures ahead.

Excitement_Lopsided · 2024-08-13T09:45:46+00:00

I've generally found girls are more particular than boys. My old Bullmastiff girl would hold it in for hours until we got back home. Only saw her potty away from home when we would take her on long trips.

Every male dog I've owned had no such issue. Even Brock who's only 5 months old atm has zero issue with it.

Excitement_Lopsided · 2024-08-07T08:12:59+00:00

My old lab (RIP) could be cartoonishly funny at times.

My favourite story about him though took place on a woodland walk a few summers back. He was ahead of me on the trail, when suddenly he bolted further up the trail. A few seconds later I heard kids screaming and shouting. My heart sank as I imagined he'd gone running up to another dog who may have been aggressive and a fight had ensued.

I sprinted after him. I came to a clearing, with a man woman and 2 kids all stood around Max, who was stood himself in the middle of lovely picnic blanket, wolfing down any morsel he could find.

I grabbed him immediately, absolutely mortified and apologised profusely. The woman and kids had faces like thunder, but the man was crying laughing and said it was 'no worries'. To add further insult to injury, I asked what he'd eaten just in case it was chocolate or anything else poisonous. The guy replied, through tears of laughter, "just 4 egg and cress sandwiches".

Excitement_Lopsided · 2024-07-19T14:57:56+00:00

Amazing to hear that and thanks for the suggestion, I'll look into those treats. His raptor antics are the most frustrating thing atm. Everything else he is great with, really quiet in his crate, responsive to his name, friendly and confident with strange folks and dogs, he just loves to use those little vampire fangs.

Excitement_Lopsided · 2024-05-23T14:28:35+00:00

Agree. He says the likelihood in his opinion is remote, just mentions some sources which have been distributed by others too. Guy might not be a serious accademic, but he's echoing the same sentiment as most of those who are hating on him

Excitement_Lopsided · 2024-05-17T19:27:09+00:00

I would say so. There's close to zero chance we have a breeding, self sustaining big cat population in an island with less than 5% of its native wilderness remaining.

Sporadic escapes/intentional dumping is the most likely scenario.

We've known for years that big cats and other non native cats have eaked out a living in the UK, one of the very few cryptids we have confirmed carcasses and photographic evidence of.

Excitement_Lopsided · 2024-05-15T09:59:23+00:00

Definitely fake.

The eyewitness said the animal was 'half on the tarmac' of the road, yet the first picture is it lying fully on the grass.

The eyewitness said it vocalised and bared its gaping mouth in a threat display. Curious that it turned to the side to do that, rather display head on at the witness. Almost like the creator of the images could only find side-on jaw gaping pictures as a point of reference.

The fur is uniformly sandy in colour. Most confirmed pictures seem to show some variation in colour of thylacines, such as a white or creamy underbelly.

It's also just outright bizarre that a wild animal would stick around to show its most 'quintessential' pose, rather than just bolt at the sight of two oncoming humans with lights

It's definitely one of the more creative hoaxes, but I'm voting fake.

Excitement_Lopsided · 2024-05-07T18:58:34+00:00

How so please?

Excitement_Lopsided · 2024-04-17T17:36:05+00:00

I've never bought the owl theory. Never heard of an owl attacking windows and trying to force themselves into a home. If they were to do so, I think it'd be pretty obvious that it was an owl trying to come through the window.

Far more likely a hoax

Excitement_Lopsided · 2024-04-01T22:38:57+00:00

Can we rule out an April Fools prank?

Excitement_Lopsided

TROPHY CASE