How Big Do Part Hound and Black Lab Dogs Get
A Labrador hound mix is any dog that is a cross between a Labrador Retriever parent and another parent from the hound group. The hound group includes dog breeds such as the Afghan Hound, the Basset Hound, the Beagle, the Bloodhound, the Greyhound, Rhodesian Ridgebacks and Whippets. Every Lab hound mix has a unique genetic makeup from both parent breeds and therefore can be any shape and size!
In this article, we'll look at some of the most popular Labrador hound mix breeds and what joy they can bring to your household. Also, we'll give you some advice on how best to care for your Lab hound mix and ensure that they have a long and happy life.
Let's start by looking at the one constant in this mix breed category: the Labrador Retriever parent. We know that any mixed breed with a Labrador parent will show some of the Labrador's physical and temperamental traits, which is a good baseline to set before we look at the other Hound breeds.
Labrador Retrievers in a Nutshell
The Labrador Retriever is the most popular breed in the United States, and it's not hard to see why. Labradors are loving, loyal and active dogs that adapt well to most households. The breed is highly intelligent, therefore very easy to train and eager to please.
If you socialize Labradors well from puppyhood, they'll get along well with other dogs, cats, and small children. They're usually accepting of strangers, or will be wary of them rather than protective. For this reason, Labradors are better watchdogs than they are guard dogs.
Physically, Labradors are medium-sized dogs that come in three standard colors: yellow, chocolate, and black. They usually live for between ten and twelve years which is pretty normal for a medium to large dog breed. You can learn more about Labrador life expectancy here.
Because of their amazing intelligence and patience, Labradors make great service dogs and help millions of people worldwide.
Now that we understand the basic "blueprint" of a Labrador Retriever, let's look at an overview of the Hound group and the characteristics that most of these breeds have in common:
An Overview of Hound Group Dogs
Hound dogs come in a range of sizes and shapes, so it'll be difficult for us to generalize about their physical characteristics. We'll look at physical traits when we dive into the most popular Lab hound mixes later in this article.
Temperament also depends on the parents of a given dog, but there are some personality traits that many hound dogs have in common. Hounds have great eyesight and sense of smell on account of their history as hunting dogs. Some hounds are super agile and speedy, like Greyhounds, to complement their great senses.
Most hound dogs are active, intelligent and alert. Their great senses alert them to changes or suspicious activity in their surroundings, which means they're great watch dogs for the home. They are usually very friendly dogs, too, and can be socialized to get along well with other dogs and children. Cats should be considered on a case by case basis. Some dogs have strong prey drives and are prone to chasing smaller animals.
One thing to note is that many hound breeds have a distinct, loud and booming bark and they often use their voice with confidence. This is known as 'baying'. Try to use positive reinforcement to train your dog out of baying at everything. Remember, bored and under exercised dogs will bark excessively – maybe there is something you could be doing differently to support a barking dog…
Anyway! Now that we've made ourselves familiar with the two parent categories, let's see what a Labrador hound mix will most likely be like. Think of this as a rough outline of what to expect from your mix breed dog.
Labrador Hound Mix Breeds at a Glance
In general, Lab hound mix breeds are gaining popularity worldwide. They are usually great family dogs, which might be why we're seeing them become more common. The size and weight of the dog depends on the specifics of their parent breeds. However, their temperaments are usually intelligent, loyal, and alert.
Because Labrador Retrievers have been super popular in North America for many, many years, it's no surprise that more and more people are cross breeding them with other great dogs. Designer cross breeding really took off in the 1980s, which yielded many great mixes like the Labradoodle, for example. When people realized that they could "create' really intelligent, adorable and capable dogs by crossing Labradors, the trend took off.
Appearance will depend heavily on the exact parent breeds used to create the Lab hound mix, so we'll include these details later in the article. The exact personality of your Lab hound mix will also vary, but because Labradors and the Hound breeds have pretty stable personality traits, you can reasonably expect them to be good in family spaces, good watchdogs, easy to train and incredibly loving. This is something that both groups have in common.
Okay, we are finally at the part you've been waiting for. Let's take a look at some specific Lab hound mix breeds and get to know them more personally. Perhaps one of these mix breed dogs will make the perfect new companion for you and your household?
Labrador Beagle Mix
Also known as the Beagador, the Labrador Beagle mix is made up of the number one and number seven most popular dog breeds in the United States.
Beagles on their own are friendly dogs that love to spend time with their human families. They thrive in active households that exercise them often and keep them mentally stimulated.
Beagadors are awesome crossbreed dogs that are bound to be friendly, affectionate and easy to train.
They make great family dogs as they have the energy to keep up with children, and the patience to handle them with care.
The physical characteristics of the Beagador will vary, but usually they are between 19 and 24 inches tall, weighing between 25 to 45 pounds. The Beagles coat is highly variable in color and pattern, so when you combine this with the standard Labrador coat colors, you get a lot of options. Some colors include white, tan, brown, fawn, lemon, red, black, blue, blue tick, and red tick.
Learn more about the Labrador Beagle mix in this article we posted recently. It goes into detail about the mix breed and how to care for one of these precious dogs properly
Labrador Dachshund Mix
The Labrador Dachshund mix is a friendly and playful mix breed that is well suited to a home with children. Like their Dachshund parents, a Labrador Dachshund mix loves to lounge around with you and have long snuggles on the couch. With that said, they are also energetic dogs and love to play outside with their humans.
Because of their Dachshund heritage, the mix breed does struggle with hip dysplasia, back problems and eye conditions, so be sure to look out for these during regular vet visits.
These dogs are usually small to medium-sized, weighing between 30 and 40 pounds and growing to between 15 and 25 inches tall at the shoulder. The most common coat colors are chocolate, black, and yellow.
Labrador Greyhound Mix
This cross breed is also called the Greyador! They're sweet and gentle dogs that can't stand to be alone, so be sure that you and your family can support a Greyador before adopting one. Whilst intelligent, they can be stubborn, and may require extra care when training.
Although Greyadors are usually great with children and resident dogs, they are not always good with cats and small animals. This is on account of the Greyhound parent's strong prey drive. You don't want the house cat to be chased up the walls!
Most weigh 50 to 80 pounds and grow to a height of between 20 and 27 inches. Greyadors usually come in black, brown, tan, fawn, red, silver, blue, white, and brindle. They may have a solid color coat or be a blend of these colors.
Labrador Basset Hound Mix
Also known as Bassadors, the Labrador Basset Hound mix comes in a variety of colors and patterns. The color of the Labrador parent will influence how much yellow, black or brown is in their coat.
These colors are mixed with the Basset Hound parent, which usually has a white, brown, and black coat.
Most Bassadors grow to between 13 and 20 inches tall at the shoulder, and tend to weigh between 45 and 70 pounds. They're short, stocky dogs, for sure.
Bassadors tend to have high prey drives on account of their Basset Hound heritage. With early socialisation, you should be able to train a Bassador to get along well with other animals. However, be wary of small animals that trigger their rodent and hunting instincts.
Labrador Bloodhound Mix
This mixed breed is a big, sturdy dog that grows to nearly 30 inches tall and usually weighs more than 100 pounds! Their size is on account of their Bloodhound parentage.
These heavyweight dogs may be big, but so are their hearts. They are loveable and friendly dogs that enjoy the company of humans and other animals alike. They're fairly easy to train, too.
Like Basset Hounds, Labrador Bloodhound mix breeds have a signature wrinkly face and long, floppy ears. Their coat colors include red, liver, black, and tan.
All in all, when you adopt a Labrador hound mix breed, you can expect to get a friendly, alert and loveable family dog. Depending on the mix, you might have to exercise more patience during training, but ultimately should be able to train and socialize your dog well to be around other dogs and children. Whilst cats can be a contentious issue with some hound breeds, they have many redeemable qualities that are attractive to a wide variety of households.
Whether you're looking for a big or small mixed breed, unique coat colors and awesome personalities, there's a Labrador Hound mix dog that's right for you.
Which Lab hound mix is your favorite?
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How Big Do Part Hound and Black Lab Dogs Get
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