Silver Labs???
With a growing trend for Labs of different color shades, I thought I’d offer my two cents on the topic. There are a lot of people paying premium prices for “rare” Labrador Retrievers with off-colored coats. In doing so, they are laying out good money for Labs of questionable quality because when a novel color is first and foremost on the priority list for buyers, there will be plenty of questionable “breeders” out there accommodating and promoting color without real concern for the betterment of the breed. So, without passing too much judgment on the dogs themselves (some in the Lab fancier world do not even consider them Labrador Retrievers at all, but rather a crossbred dog), I want to make a few points that send a cautionary word about breeding for color in general.
(After reviewing this article, please go to The Labrador Retriever Club, Inc.’s Statement on Coat Color for Labrador Retrievers for the official word on the subject by the AKC parent club for the Labrador Retriever breed.)
5 Quick Points to Consider
1) Labrador Retriever coat color genetics follow certain “rules” that determine what color puppies will come from any two particular parents – the major rule of which is the dominant/recessive gene relationship. Black is dominant in Labs. If either parent gives a black gene to their puppy, the puppy will always be black. Chocolate and Yellow are recessive color genes, so a puppy would have to get matched recessive chocolate genes from both mom and dad or yellow genes from both mom and dad to be chocolate or yellow respectively. These colors – Black, Chocolate, and Yellow – are the original three colors that came from the St. John’s Dog from which Labrador Retrievers derived and are the only colors recognized by the American Kennel Club. Any other color is considered a disqualifying fault.
2) Somewhere along the line a dilute gene was introduced to the breed. This dilute gene is not an additional color added, but rather a recessive, modifying gene that alters the look of a dog’s coat. Black may appear gray or blue if there are modifying dilute genes with it, though black is normally dominant over whatever it is paired with so how frequently this occurs, I am not sure. However, recessive coat colors of chocolate and yellow may be more influenced by the dilute gene – making their pigment lighter. Thus, if a chocolate puppy receives a copy of the dilute gene from both mother and father, its coat color will be lighter than pure chocolate – making it appear silvery. So, a “Silver” Lab is actually a chocolate Lab that has been watered down by a dilute gene pairing. Likewise, a “White” Lab is a yellow Lab that has lost its yellow tint because of the presence of the dilute genes it got from its parents.
3) That’s a very simple and brief summary of coat color genetics, but one that is basic to understanding the problem we have when color becomes the main priority of breeding. There is a limited gene pool for and limited chances to produce dilute colored puppies. Breeding for dilute colors necessitates compromises in the foundational characteristics that make a Lab a Lab, as well as potentially reinforcing health deficiencies in offspring. When a breeder selects an animal for breeding on the basis, first and foremost, that it carries dilute color, health or temperament or retrieving ability or conformation takes a back seat. Consequently, undesirable traits are more accepted in an off-colored animal and the breed is weakened in those animals due to the emphasis on getting novel colors above true breed character.
4) Anytime a breeder considers a particular mating, it should be done with care to improve the Labrador Retriever breed, aiming for superior puppies that are closer to the breed’s conformation and ability standards than the parents.’ If a particular family line is ideal in, say, 10 traits and needs improvement in two, the conscientious breeder is going to try to introduce strength to the two weaknesses without compromising the 10 already strong traits. A thorough knowledge of the breed standards, pedigrees, and individual dogs is required – and, even then, there is a matter of risk/reward and genetic chance even within the most stringent adherence to sound breeding principles. Breeding for the main purpose of making puppies with dilute colors is not sound breeding practice, does not contribute to the overall improvement of the breed, and, it can be argued, actually becomes a realized risk to health, temperament, conformation, and ability.
5) Sioux River Retrievers does not and will not breed to dogs that carry the dilute gene. We only offer puppies in the three AKC-recognized colors who have been carefully bred to carry the traits that will keep Labrador Retrievers the ideal family sporting dog – a retriever that is friendly, versatile, tractable, and lovable.