It all depends on the dog. I've seen good and bad black labs, good and bad yellow labs, and good and bad chocolate labs.
I'd put much more stock into bloodline/lineage.
-Nick
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all dogs want to be labs and all labs want to be black ;)
The above comment is fairly accurate after seeing many dogs.......but in the retriever world black labs rule followed by yellows and almost no chocolates in competition which is the essence of breeding behind our hunting dogs.
Does it mean that a black dog would always turn out with hunting drive and brains, of course not but on average the pedigree holds true so be sure to do your homework when selecting a dog. It goes without saying that you've also checked the warranty and health clearances.
Go on http://www.canadianhuntingdogs.com and see what's available. You had good suggestions as to Scott and Luke. You can find a dog who was in Hunt test and Field trials and no longer competing at times, they make great hunting dogs and companions.
I don't have experience with labs of any color. But when you say "black labs rule in the retriever world" do you consider the fact there are more black labs than choclate/yellow by quite a margin?
Yes to be sure I considered that but it's still a fact. Doesn't mean we all have to go black though. Guess I should update my avatar, you'd see a black, yellows and even a golden if you can imagine!