Potential of Lab/German mix

[Zephyrpower]

The puppy that I currently (albeit temporarily) have is a German/Lab mix. I probably won't be able to keep him, but that's another story on another post. I've always been fond of German Shepherds since my sister had a German/Border collie mix. They're fun, energetic and intelligent IMO, and our Zephyr (german/border) is pretty smart and knows a lot of tricks even without much intensive training--he's hard as heck to catch too!


So I'm just curious about what potential German/Labs have. From what I understand they're both pretty durned smart breeds and ironically, they're both the two major dogs used to assist handicaped or blind people. So typically, I'd think it would be a pretty smart crossbreed capable of lots of different tricks. Also, in case I decide to get one in the future, what other aspects make them different than the average dog (like hard to train, super-energetic?)


So far mine is approx 8 weeks old and he is already really fast and his biting habit is no joking matter--those teeth are starting to hurt.

On a side note, what other crossbreed combos or purebreeds are known for being really intelligent and/or known for extraordinary performance potential (not just party tricks--anything dogs can do, I heard of a beagle that dialed 911)

 

[jess2416]

Well, as the owner of a Shepherd / Lab mix....they can either have the best traits of both breeds or the worst..

Chloe for example, hates water, but she is a natural retriever which is great if you love playing fetch and on the other hand if she has something in her mouth, she is very very driven to keep it there...unless I say "drop it" of course

She is very very smart, but she is also very stubborn...

She has an EXTREMELY high prey drive towards cats, and you have to make sure that whatever you want them to do, it a LOT more fun than chasing the cat

They can be either very outgoing as most labs are, or they can be very reserved...

In Chloe's case, she is what I call a doggy snob, she will not go up to you unless SHE wants too, she will not play with other dogs unless she deems them worthy of playing with...same with people she will not go up to people unless she deems them worthy of petting her..

I will definitely think of somemore and respond later

 

[Gempress]

My cousin had a gorgeous black lab/shepherd mix named Odie. Mom was pure shepherd, dad was black field lab.

Odie was an amazingly smart dog with a great sense of responsiblity. He took our safety very seriously...he always followed us kids around the farm while we played. I remember one time we decided to camp in the empty pasture for the night. Odie slept right in front of the tent flap. My mom and uncle came to check on us in the middle of the night. Odie would not let them near the tent. He stood right in front of the tent--growling, snarling, and baring all his teeth-- and would not back down. Odie even lunged at my uncle when he got too close. LoL, my uncle decided we were safe enough!

 

[Zephyrpower]

Well, as the owner of a Shepherd / Lab mix....they can either have the best traits of both breeds or the worst..

Chloe for example, hates water, but she is a natural retriever which is great if you love playing fetch and on the other hand if she has something in her mouth, she is very very driven to keep it there...unless I say "drop it" of course

She is very very smart, but she is also very stubborn...

She has an EXTREMELY high prey drive towards cats, and you have to make sure that whatever you want them to do, it a LOT more fun than chasing the cat

They can be either very outgoing as most labs are, or they can be very reserved...

In Chloe's case, she is what I call a doggy snob, she will not go up to you unless SHE wants too, she will not play with other dogs unless she deems them worthy of playing with...same with people she will not go up to people unless she deems them worthy of petting her..

I will definitely think of somemore and respond later

Really? That sounds pretty cool

I'm just curious about which of those traits are typically associated with which breed? Also, do dogs typically that are crossbred usually end up being far less predictable than pure-breeds and are they always "best or worst case" scenarios? Or they just a random mixture of either dogs personality traits?

Anyways, our German/Border loves water and swimming, hates cats and squirrels (didn't mind cats until he got scratched on the nose by a defensive mother cat--after that the little switch in his head put cats from nuetral to enemy. He rarely barks except when you leave him (usually he's chained up near his house in the backyard). He's also a bit of a wussy and we'll make a big deal over any amount of pain or discomfort.
Aside from cats and squirrels he's pretty friendly to other small things (even though I doubt he was socialized with them as a puppy) such as rabbits and my puppy. He playbites him but he's definetly controling his real strength and power around my puppy.

As for my German/Lab--he's showing signs of being aggressive/independent and definetely stubborn in the 2 weeks I've had him

 

[jess2416]

I'm just curious about which of those traits are typically associated with which breed? Also, do dogs typically that are crossbred usually end up being far less predictable than pure-breeds and are they always "best or worst case" scenarios? Or they just a random mixture of either dogs personality traits?

Some can be either worst or best case scenarios, or they can be a perfect mixture of both..

Its just that with mixed breeds you never know what you will end up with...If you havent started already, I would suggest that you take your pup everwhere with you that you can, and socialize the **** out of him...

Please please please take your dog everywhere you can and let him meet everyone and other dogs as much as you can.....

They have the potential to be far less predictable than purebreds from responsible breeders, because reponsible breeders do temperment test, and breed for a specific tempermant


Labs are very very big chewers...which mixed with the fact the German Shepherds are herders can lead to a big mishap....especially if they try to chew on what they are trying to herd

Retrieving is usually associated with Labs, although I am sure that there are some GSD's (German Shepherds) that are natural retrievers as well...

Chloe has an unnatural amount of energy, and if she is not doing something she will be destructive, and will dig holes....huge holes..

As for my German/Lab--he's showing signs of being aggressive/independent and definetely stubborn in the 2 weeks I've had him

What kind of signs has he shown to make you think of Independance or aggressiveness??

 

[colliewog]

On a side note, what other crossbreed combos or purebreeds are known for being really intelligent and/or known for extraordinary performance potential (not just party tricks--anything dogs can do, I heard of a beagle that dialed 911)

Why, Collies, of course!

They do agility, obedience/rally, herding, tracking, search and rescue, Schutzhund, weight pull, lure coursing, therapy, guide/service/alert work, plus they are excellent guard dogs and have been recorded as "hero dogs" for years, saving the lives of their families. They were also used as sentry and first aid dogs in several world wars.

I'd say that classifies them as both really intelligent and also having extraordinary performance potential.

 

[LabBreeder]

You definitely want to socialize as much as possible and enroll in puppy training/obedience classes. Being part Lab you will be looking at a chewer for at least a year. Make sure there are plenty of chew toys available. You could have a big shedder with both breeds prone to shedding. Labs usually love to retrieve and swim and GSD's usually herd and (possibly) guard. Your pup could get the loyalty, devotion and natural instincts of both breeds or could be a nippy, herding, shedding barker. You don't know what you are going to get with mixed breeds. They are unpredictable. You need socialization and training out the wazoo most definitely. Good Luck.

 

[Zephyrpower]

What kind of signs has he shown to make you think of Independance or aggressiveness??

I guess he's just doing normal puppy chewing but he definetly prefers clothing, leashes, humans and various human body parts, especially arms, legs and ears.
Originally I would say "NO" in a fairly loud voice (not yelling but probably too loud) and pushing him back when he tried to bite. That seemed to just get him more aggravated and he started barking/yapping in a kind of frustrated impatient way and jumped at the correcting body part with even more ferocity.
I've also tried using the plastic Nylabones I got him, but he pretty much ignores those as he finds the hand holding the bone to be a much more interesting target.
I finally went and bought him a kong and that seemed to work fairly well, but now I can't find the dang thing!

I had a couple of suggestions from other dog owners who have raised puppies.
My sister taught Zephyr not to bite by gently holding his mouth shut while saying "No Bite"
A co-worker said to gently tap the front of his muzzle when he was reaching to bite you and another said to gently hold his nostrils shut to make him let go if he latches on to you. Gently and only for a second since apparently they can't breathe and causes them enough discomfort to let go.

Most of these resulted in the puppy just continuing biting after I let go of him.

Now I think I'm going to try getting some more interesting chew toys (perhaps something rope like since he like to play tug of war with my pant legs and leash) or ignoring him/stop playing when he bites. Also someone suggested yelping like an injured puppy and ironically I thought of that and tried it once. It seemed to work the first time but after that it didn't seem as effective and I almost thought I would make him feel dominant so I stopped. I might try that again too.

Basically, it was the frustrated barking (perhaps because he didn't know why I was scolding him), jumping, snapping and general ferocity he has when I try to correct him and he just gets more excited. He also like to jump and snap at retreating hands that were going to pet him for finally chewing on his bone for 5 seconds!! He seems to have perfect timing and he'll start trying to bite me as soon as I start to praise him for chewing on his bone

 

[patience2]

I had a lab/ shepherd mix growing up and she was the best. Little kids could lay on her , she would mother our pet rabbit, she loved cats she had a
big heart , loved everyone and everything