Labrador Retriever Coat Color
Labrador
Retriever coat colors are black, chocolate and yellow as recognized within ALL
written breed standards including AKC and FCI.
This article is not going
to go into the depth of canine coat color genetics, but rather keep things
simple and within reason for most people. At the end of this article, I will add
links to some sites that will be helpful for those interested in the genetics of
coat colors.
I want to start with our basic Labrador colors and their
variations. Later we will discuss the “so-called” Silver and White Labradors
and also talk about mismarking or unusual colors that can happen in the Lab.
BLACK:
The basic color. Black Labradors are solid black. A small white spot on the
chest is permissible. Sparse white hairs in between the toes and footpads are
common in some of the blacks. Some mature black Labradors will have a red or
orange hue to their coats at certain times of the year. This is known as
casting. Casting can occur when the Lab is shedding and the hair is dead but
also can be a result of bleaching from prolonged exposure to the sun.
CHOCOLATE:
Chocolate or “Liver” Labradors can range in shade from a light to very dark
chocolate color. A small white spot on the chest is permissible. Eye color on
chocolates can range from yellow through brown. Darker coat and eye color are
most desirable in chocolates. Washed out chocolate coats and light eyes are not
attractive for this breed. The chocolate coat is hard to maintain in one
uniform color. The sun easily bleaches the chocolate Labrador, giving him the
appearance of various shades of the chocolate color scattered throughout the
coat. Keeping the chocolate Labrador out of the direct sun or the use of
mink-oil with sunscreen lightly spayed on the coat will help the chocolate
Labrador look his best at all times.
YELLOW:
Yellow Labradors can range is shade from a very light cream all the way to a fox
red color with various darker shading along the ears, top line, tail and hocks.
A small white spot on the chest is permissible, however will not be noticeable
in the lighter shades of yellow. Yellow Labradors should have black pigment on
the nose, lips and eye rims with the exception of newborn yellow as they are
born without pigment but within the first few days of life, the black pigment
will begin to come in. If by chance you see a two week old or older Labbie
puppy and he/she does not have black pigment already in then that puppy will
never have black pigment. We call a yellow Labrador without pigment a "Dudley".
The black pigment on the nose of mature Labs can fade in the winter-time to a
brown or pink color, this is very different from a true Dudley, it is very
normal and the black pigment will return with warmer weather.
Yellow Labradors that lack black pigment all together will have brownish or pinkish colored eye rims, foot-pads, nose and lips and they will never turn black. Dudley Labradors is a direct result from the yellow Labrador inheriting two sets of chocolate genes we refer to as "bb". So technically speaking, you can look at this as a "chocolate dog in a yellow coat" or an "eebb". Unfortunately Dudley Labradors are disqualified from being shown and was excepted until the revised AKC standard in 1994. The FCI or "world" standard does not disqualify for lack of pigment. One more note..the United Kennel Club also disqualifies for lack of pigment. What a shame!! Nevertheless, this does not make any Dudley Labrador inferior. They are Labradors true and true. This does not mean that I think it is okay to breed a Dudley Labrador, rather saying that they are normal in every way with the exception of having the pigment of a chocolate. If you choose to breed your Dudley Labrador, then do so back to a quality black Labrador. Breeding a chocolate Labrador to a yellow Labrador can produce either black, chocolate and/or yellow Labradors and the yellow offspring may or may not have "Dudley" pigment. All this would depend on "if" the sire and dam carry the hidden recessives for chocolate or yellow and/or the gene for black. Sounds confusing but it really isn't. To help simplify this, I have copied and pasted a paragraph courtesy of the Vet DNA Center that gives you some idea of how many color combinations can be seen within the breed.
<< Example: In Labrador Retrievers there are 3 accepted coat color phenotypes (what you can see): Black, Yellow, and Chocolate. However, there are 9 possible reported genotypes (what you cannot see) for the E and B loci and therefore 81 possible breeding combinations.
MISMARKINGS: White seems to be the biggest bugaboo and most shunned marking in
the Labrador breed. A small white spot, stripe or patch on the chest is very
common and does not lessen the quality of a Labrador, nor indicate it is not
pure bred. Sparse white hairs can appear on the tips of toes, between the
footpads, on the heels, near the groin, and under the neck. However, if white
spots are large and white markings are highly noticeable, then this is not
typical and could indicate the dog may be mixed with another breed. Scarring
can also result in white hairs on a Labrador.
Splashing is described as a
black Labrador with tan or yellowish hairs on the legs and sometimes neck and
chest. This mis-marking looks as if the black lab ran through a mud puddle and
was splashed with muddy water, hence the name “Splashing”. This is a mis-marking
that had been noted in the breed for many generations. It is not wise to breed
any Labrador that is splashed, as this will only perpetuate the gene for years
to come. It does not affect the dogs ability to be an excellent pet or hunting
companion.
Black & Tan: Like the splashing, black and tan has been recorded
early on in Labrador history. The black and tan is a serious fault and under no
circumstance should this color be perpetuated.
SILVER LABS:
I am sorry but despite some people's misguided attempts in making the general
public believe that there is a "silver gene" in Labradors is completely
absurd! There absolutely no such thing as a pure bred
silver Labrador. Those professing to breed and advertise silver Labradors are
misrepresenting the color of the dog on the AKC papers. The American Kennel
club, United Kennel Club and FCI "WORLD breed standard
does not recognize silver as a color for the
Labrador, nor does the parent club. These silver dogs are a result of cross
breeding a Weimaraner to a Labrador along with several generations of radical
inbreeding schemes.
DO NOT FALL FOR SUCH A SCAM! To read more about
so-called silver Labs (CLICK
HERE).
WHITE: It never fails, several times a week I get phone calls and e-mails
for white Labs. I tell people without trying to sound rude, that there is no
such thing as a pure white Labrador. The color yellow is the correct term, but
when people see a Labrador that is of the very light cream shade, they
instinctively say, “White”. The only mention of white that I have read of is
mentioned in the book “Advanced Labrador Breeding” written by Mary R. Williams.
I have produced many Labrador pups that could be classified as white when pups
but they always mature to have the tale-tale signs of shading of some from or
another, either on the ears, back, etc. The shading is very pale and almost
unnoticeable and pigment as black as coal but I am sorry to say, it is still
classified as yellow and not white. The gene that produces pure white such as
seen in the Maltese, white German shepherds, white boxers and other breeds does
not exist in the Labrador. I do understand how people can easily use the term
“white lab” when they see a pale yellow but white is not a term to be truly
associated with the Labrador breed. Most of the "White Labs" being
advertised from backyard breeders are lacking in suitable temperaments, proper
size and seem to have more health issues. Thus said, breeding for a
"specific color" will not allow you to advance in any other area.
For anyone interested in Labrador coat color genetics, I have added some of
my favorite links that will offer more detailed explanations.
VetGen
Coat Color
Inheritance by Blue Knight Labradors
B/b, E/e and Beyond
