re: What's the scoops on "white labs"?

It probably has a lineage that comes down from show breeding stock. That's not a knock on the dog, but only a possible explanation.

Bench dogs, often get huge if the breeding is not kept in check. It's very unhealthy for the dog because the dog is a victim of it's own breed, and a labrador is not supposed to be 153 pounds.

I'd imagine that a 153 pound lab is one big ol cute cuddly teddy bear som bitch though!

To the OP, there's a kennel in N. MS that is one of the few that I'd consider one from if I were serious about hunting with it. I've personally seen 1 good one and 1 absolute doofus (in the field) come out of that kennel. The decent hunting one had a heat stroke while training on what was a fairly cool, spring day. Even though the pup was trained and exercised pretty regularly and was fed well, he was still a huge dog, and that size was his undoing. (We won't even discuss what it was like when he hauled off over the gunwale of a flat bottom.)

If working the pup is your goal (obviously petting the good boy is everybody's goal) then you gotta be real careful with the "specialty" kennels. Inbreeding is rampant (even more so than in other kennels), and it's not a dominant trait for the breed to have on a regular basis.

And hiding the damned things is a nightmare. They were beautiful though.