Aggressive Chocolate Labrador

Chocolate labs are popular as pets. Even so, there are several negative beliefs about them, including the impression that they are more aggressive than labs with other coat colors. 

Chocolate labs are seen as more aggressive than yellow or black labs because they are less trainable, have higher excitability, and are more agitated when ignored. Lower trainability in chocolate labs is linked to their genes, careless breeding, and their traditional use as show dogs.  

Researchers are yet to find conclusive evidence that chocolate labs are more aggressive. Lack of scientific proof notwithstanding, anecdotally, chocolate labs are considered more aggressive. Let’s see why that may be. 

Reasons Why Chocolate Labs May Be More Aggressive

There are a handful of possible reasons explaining why chocolate labs may be more aggressive than other labs. Let’s take a look at each one and its supporting evidence to determine if this is true or not.

Chocolate Labs Have Lower Trainability

Acts of aggressiveness, such as lunging or attacking familiar dogs, may be dealt with through training. 

For example, if your dog growls at strangers and attempts to lunge at them when you take it for a walk, you might solve the problem with treats. You could give your dog a treat if it doesn’t display aggressiveness when you are walking it. If it behaves aggressively, you could discourage it, probably by giving a firm tag on the leash. 

Usually, such training, or more advanced training offered by a specialist in behavior, solves problems with aggressiveness. However, if a dog doesn’t respond to training as it should, you’ll have a problem dealing with aggressive behavior. 

In this 2014 study, researchers found chocolate labs less trainable than their yellow and black counterparts. This finding might explain why chocolate labs display more aggressiveness. 

Chocolate Labs Have Traits Related to Aggressiveness

If a dog is more excitable, it may appear more aggressive. Researchers have found chocolate labs more excitable than yellow or black labs. Furthermore, they were found to be more agitated when ignored. This combination may make the chocolate lab appear more aggressive. 

Moreover, one study found a higher incidence of unusual behavior recorded in chocolate labs. 

Genes 

The genes responsible for chocolate coat color in labs have been linked to lower trainability. 

Studies have found that even if the “chocolate genes” are recessive, they influence the dog’s trainability. Whether the lab has a brown coat or not, the more “chocolate genes” it has, the less trainable it is. 

Careless Breeding 

Labrador retrievers are one of the most popular dog breeds. In the UK’s Kennel Club, the lab was the most-registered breed in 2015, trumping even the cocker spaniel. 

While the lab has always been popular among hunters, black-coated labs were initially preferred. Hunters might have preferred black labs because they were less conspicuous than yellow or chocolate ones. 

However, pet owners’ appreciation for chocolate-colored labs increased gradually, which resulted in higher demand. 

Breeders moved to satisfy this new market. In the process, they began breeding only for color and ignoring other traits such as intelligence that were initially considered crucial. 

This carelessness in breeding might explain why chocolate labs have undesirable traits such as less trainability and intelligence, which contributes to their being perceived as more aggressive. 

On the other hand, black labs have been bred for hunting for a long time, which might explain why they are more intelligent, more trainable, and consequently appear less aggressive. 

Chocolate Labs Are Considered Show Dogs 

This 2018 study proved that breeding results in significant adaptation among dogs. It found that due to centuries of breeding, hunting dogs had better endurance, more robust cardiac function, and advanced cognitive ability. 

As I mentioned above, black labs were initially bred for hunting. Breeders considered traits such as intelligence to be of paramount importance in hunting dogs. As a result, over the years, black labs became more intelligent and could be better trained. 

On the other hand, brown labs were found useful as show dogs. As a result, they don’t have the advantage that black labs have in centuries of breeding for intelligence and trainability. 

Chocolate Labrador

Are Chocolate Labs Really More Aggressive? 

Anecdotally, pet owners seem to think that chocolate labs are more aggressive than labs with other coat colors. Is this just an assumption, or does it have scientific backing? 

Chocolate labs aren’t more aggressive than yellow and black labs. However, research has linked the chocolate coat color with traits that contribute to perceived aggressiveness, such as excitability, agitation when ignored, and lower trainability. 

In one study, when compared to yellow and black labs, chocolate labs scored higher in traits linked to aggressiveness. They showed more excitability and higher agitation when ignored. They were also less trainable than labs with other coat colors and had a lower fetching tendency than black dogs. 

In contrast, according to this Australian study performed in 2019, there was no conclusive evidence that chocolate labs are more aggressive or hyperactive than other labs. Still, the same study found a connection between lower trainability and the genes that result in a brown coat. The more “brown genes” a lab had, the less trainable it was. 

These genes were present — as recessive genes — even in labs that had other coat colors. The correlation between lower trainability and “brown genes” was observed even in labs with yellow and black coats. 

In addition, researchers have found an association between coat color and the level of aggression that labs display towards familiar dogs. However, according to this research, yellow labs treat familiar dogs with higher aggression than chocolate labs. Therefore, these findings don’t support the notion that chocolate labs are more aggressive. 

Other Assumptions About Chocolate Labs 

Coat color is used to make assumptions not only about the aggression of chocolate labs but also about their intelligence. Some people consider chocolate labs dumb. 

Bias against chocolate labs can be attributed to hunters historically preferring black labs because of their ability to blend. As a result, black labs were bred for traits that made them better hunters, such as intelligence. 

On the other hand, when chocolate labs first became popular, irresponsible breeders may have selected them just for their color, ignoring traits such as intelligence. In this way, the notion that chocolate labs were dumb may have become self-fulfilling. 

What the Research Says

There’s no conclusive research to support the idea that chocolate-colored labs are less intelligent than labs with other coat colors. 

However, chocolate labs have some unique characteristics that are backed by scientific research. These include excitability and higher agitation when ignored. 

In addition, researchers found chocolate labs to have a lower life expectancy than other labs. They had an average lifespan of 10.7 years compared to 12.1 years for yellow and black labs. The study also established that chocolate labs have a higher probability of suffering from ear inflammation (otitis externa) and pyo-traumatic dermatitis.

Conclusion

There’s no conclusive scientific evidence to prove that chocolate labs are more aggressive than yellow or black labs. 

However, research indicates that chocolate labs do have some traits that may cause perceived aggressiveness. These include lower trainability, higher excitability, and more agitation when ignored. The genes that cause brown coat color in labs have been linked to lower trainability. 

Also, centuries of selective breeding have made traits such as intelligence more prevalent in the black lab. In contrast, the chocolate lab has been bred as a show dog. As a result, the black lab became more intelligent and trainable. 

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