active with your dog,  and maybe get involved with some Labrador activities or sports,  then a Labrador from working lines might suit you best. If you don't want to spend much time training and want to have long family walks through the countryside where your dog runs free,  you may find it easier to manage a show type lab.    Working bred labs respond best to lots of human contact and a more managed approach to exercise. If you are interested in Therapy Dog work,  then the more 'laid back'  show type might also suit you best.  There are no hard and fast rules.  Just remember that all Labradors can be very boisterous when young and individuals of either type can vary widely. Dual purpose A few breeders are attempting to re-create the dual purpose Labradors of the last century.  Good looking medium weight dogs of substance with nice thick tails, and solid broad heads with some brain inside them! I think this is great news for Labradors as many working bred labs have quite poor conformation. Whichever type of labrador you choose for a pet,  make sure you choose your breeder wisely.  Getting a healthy puppy that has had a healthy start in life is more important than any of the above considerations. You say working-type labs have bad conformation but I have seen show dogs that at the age of five can hardly jump into the back of a car because their legs are so short and they are