[My back yard]

I have a soft spot for the blacks too. My new baby is a yellow, but I sure love the blacks. If I were in your climate I would definitely go with black. Down here the yellow have less skin problems.

As far as changing to meet the demand, it seems like it is more the other way around. In the 60's and 70's a lean field conditioned dog could compete in a conformation competition. Now, the winning dogs are getting thicker boned and heavier every year, to the point no dog in field condition can compete, and this is 'working' group, not 'cuddle' group.

I agree about the longer legs and thinner coats is a, uh, uh, schism. :)

[HairOfTheDog]

Maybe these debates about ideal have always happened. And yes, the condition they show Labs is not just "substantial", they are shown FAT.