Labrador Breeders

[aussielover]

Been trying to do some research on labradors.

Saw some "silver labs" which i immediately assumed to be lab x weim.

upon further reading it seems that some people believe silver is actually a dilute chocolate therefore a legit. colour for labs?

Is this true?

I can see it is becoming a popular trend in the USA right now, another forum i am on has people introducing their "silver lab puppy" quite frequently.

Personally i am indifferent to the actual look of the silver lab (i like black ) , i don't think it is particularly stunning but i don't think they're ugly.

If i wanted a silver lab i'd get a weim

I also saw some "charcoal labs" what does this mean? when mindy rolls in dirt she looks charcoal. Maybe i could pass her off as a rare colour LOL

I assume lab every breeder would occaisonally get a mismark- have any aus breeders ever gotten a "dilute choc"/silver mismark.

wouldn't dilute choc still be considered a mismark? why would you bother trying to breed maismarks? are there any health issues associated with dilute colours in labs?

Thanks for your help.

[Lab lady]

NO there are no silver labs they are crosses

[Lab lady]

this is copied from the Lab club of QLD site

National Labrador Retriever Breed Council (Australia)

POSITION STATEMENT

21st April 2010

Silver Coat Colour

The National Labrador Retriever Breed Council (NLRBC) is an officially sanctioned

representative body responsible for dealing with any and all issues that may directly

affect the integrity of our breed throughout Australia. A significant and important function

of the NLRBC is to directly interact with and provide advice and make recommendations

to the Australian National Kennel Council (ANKC) on all matters that it regards as

significant.

The improved and ongoing health, structural soundness and welfare of the Labrador

Retriever breed is a primary focus of the NLRBC as is the conservation of the original

breed function – that of a “working” retriever. To this end the Internationally recognised

“Breed Standard” (first developed in England in 1916) remains in force to this day.

An important part of that breed standard describes the three acceptable coat colours.

Black, Yellow and Liver/Chocolate are the only recognised coat colours in our breed.

Any diversion from these three standard colours indicates a cross breeding combination

may have occurred.

Disturbing evidence has now been uncovered which suggests that some unscrupulous

breeders in Australia may be considering promoting a new coat colour to unsuspecting

Australian Labrador puppy buyers – Silver (or Platinum or Charcoal).

This concept is not new – for some years in the USA and more recently in New Zealand

so called Silver Labradors have been pedalled by “backyard/designer dog” breeders as

being rare or unique. Not surprisingly this advertised rarity comes at a significant price

both financially to the buyer and in health concerns to the individual dogs concerned.

The sad fact is that these Silver Labradors are cross bred dogs – the result of crossing

a Labrador Retriever with a Weimaraner.

Genetically these crossbred designer Labradors are at high risk of inherited structural

and health defects. Neurological disorders such as epilepsy are widespread amongst

“Silver” Labradors due to the inbreeding that is required to maintain the unnatural silver

coat colour. These dogs also suffer debilitating skin and thyroid problems. It has also

become evident that significant numbers do have problems with hip and elbow

dysplasia due to generations of breeding from “untested” breeding stock.

The NLRBC has issued a Silver Coat “high alert” to all State based member clubs

around Australia. If you require more information or you wish to report the activities of a

suspected Silver Labrador breeder please contact the Labrador Retriever Club in your

home state. They will be more than happy to assist you with your enquiries.

Edited October 16, 2010 by Lab lady

[Jed]

Cross breeds.

Right up there with blue brindle boxers.

Sounds believable for the first nano second though!!

[Sandra777]

Closely related to the brindle pug by any chance?

Charcoal - that to me would be black.

[WreckitWhippet]

Closely related to the brindle pug by any chance?

Charcoal - that to me would be black.

ahhh yes, that rare brindle Pug, that no one had seen for hundreds of years... but taa-dahhh it's alive and well in the US.

[Joan of Arc]

No such thing as a silver Labrador... Never has been and I would like to think there never will be....

but then.... Only in America!!

[Wyn]

Been trying to do some research on labradors.

Saw some "silver labs" which i immediately assumed to be lab x weim.

upon further reading it seems that some people believe silver is actually a dilute chocolate therefore a legit. colour for labs?

Is this true?

I can see it is becoming a popular trend in the USA right now, another forum i am on has people introducing their "silver lab puppy" quite frequently.

Personally i am indifferent to the actual look of the silver lab (i like black ) , i don't think it is particularly stunning but i don't think they're ugly.

If i wanted a silver lab i'd get a weim :D

I also saw some "charcoal labs" what does this mean? when mindy rolls in dirt she looks charcoal. Maybe i could pass her off as a rare colour LOL

I assume lab every breeder would occaisonally get a mismark- have any aus breeders ever gotten a "dilute choc"/silver mismark.

wouldn't dilute choc still be considered a mismark? why would you bother trying to breed maismarks? are there any health issues associated with dilute colours in labs?

Thanks for your help.

Aren't you lucky that you now have them in Australia, (NOT) They are Wei X Lab and to continue the colour they have to do VERY close matings , father/ daughter brother /sister mother/ son, and as such they get dodgy temperments, and some major health problems, the unfortunite thing is that these "breeders" and I use that term very loosly comit fraud when they register them, as they register the silvers as chocolates, and the kennel clubs say there is nothing they can do about it, more likely they are more concerned about missing out on some revenue.

[indigirl]

A friend has a purebred lab that is the strangest colour. He is chocolate but something went wrong lol. Its like the pigmentation in his coat is stronger in some places than others. So he is a mix of a really light kinda chocolate colour plus normal chocolate. Beautiful dog but strange colouring. The rest of the litter was normally coloured Im told. Will try to find a pic of him. He def isnt silver though!

Edited October 18, 2010 by indigirl

[angelsun]

I have seen some chocolates with light and dark patching and coming from litters where the rest were fine. I know that there are other colours (considered mismarks) out there and some unscrupulous breeders jack up the price, call them rare and unique and get a ton of money for them.

There is a website in the states that has great photos of labs and all their colours (and mismarks) Can't find it at the moment but I'm thinking a labbie person on here might have it.

I beleive they also disregard the 'silver' and claim they are total crosses. The unfortunate part simply is, these breeders (of the silver mutts) are good at marketing and the population which wants something different, will pay the price and keep them in business.

[Wyn]

I have seen some chocolates with light and dark patching and coming from litters where the rest were fine. I know that there are other colours (considered mismarks) out there and some unscrupulous breeders jack up the price, call them rare and unique and get a ton of money for them.

There is a website in the states that has great photos of labs and all their colours (and mismarks) Can't find it at the moment but I'm thinking a labbie person on here might have it.

I beleive they also disregard the 'silver' and claim they are total crosses. The unfortunate part simply is, these breeders (of the silver mutts) are good at marketing and the population which wants something different, will pay the price and keep them in business.

Try this web site

http://www.blueknightlabs.com/content/view/167/143/

[indigirl]

I have seen some chocolates with light and dark patching and coming from litters where the rest were fine. I know that there are other colours (considered mismarks) out there and some unscrupulous breeders jack up the price, call them rare and unique and get a ton of money for them.

There is a website in the states that has great photos of labs and all their colours (and mismarks) Can't find it at the moment but I'm thinking a labbie person on here might have it.

I beleive they also disregard the 'silver' and claim they are total crosses. The unfortunate part simply is, these breeders (of the silver mutts) are good at marketing and the population which wants something different, will pay the price and keep them in business.

Lol my friends lab was on 'special' due to the odd colouring, which is why they chose him. Its alsmot like a coolie merle type pattern but in chocolate, very odd but def a purebred lab. I aksed him about it and he said the breeder told him the colour had not developed correctly, so obviously a mismark. I had jsut never seen it before (or since).

[MissMonaro]

Mismarks in Labradors

In America they sell white, silver and charcoal - charcoal being a steel grey colour.

:p

[LizT]

Mismarks in Labradors

In America they sell white, silver and charcoal - charcoal being a steel grey colour.

Awesome photos!!!

Did a Rottie walk past when some of those matings occurred???

[sandgrubber]

Another perspective can be found at

http://www.labbies.com/silver.htm

I sometimes wonder if some confusion comes from the acceptance of 'liver' as a colour in Labradors (it is considered equivalent to chocolate). Is that raw fresh liver, or cooked liver? If it's cooked, I'd say that a silver lab would just be another chocolate.

I've seen brindles come out of two labs with no mismark . . . no, doesn't mean a rottie walked by. Labs were a genetic mish mash through World War II and many breeds have been co-mingled to create what we call the Labrador today. Sometimes this shows up as mismarks.

[PomsNZ]

Silver labs here are banned and regoes were canceled.

There was such a big stink, and rightly so.

I talked with some of the lab people, and once they got the *breeder* banned from registering the sillver labs here, and found out they had plans to move to Aus, they informed the lab people over there.

From what i gather, they come from the USA, where they had labs and weis, it was only in thier kennel that silver appeared.

They refused DNA tests to prove the dogs were purebred here in NZ, and would not co-operate with the NZKC at all..

(this is just from what i have been told)

[sandgrubber]

I've seen something convincing that showed one person big in promoting 'silver' as a separate colour, eg, not a subset of chocolate, had some dubious breeding practices. That does not prove that the chocolate colour can't tend to the grey side. Although, with all the bad mouthing of silver labs going on, most breeders would turn away from stock with a 'cooked liver' colour. I think it good that there is a range of colour accepted in 'yellow' labs, and think it's a shame that people talk about 'a good dark chocolate' as though the reddish browns or less dark hues were inferior.

I don't think any Labrador registry in the world accepts 'silver' as a distinct colour.

Mary Williams, in Advanced Labrador Breedings, speaks of there being a pure white Lab colour in the UK in the 1940s or 1950's and laments the fact that people dropped the line because of the colouring. Personally, I'm sorry I'll never get the opportunity to see a snow white Lab with black points. . . and I think it sad that the definition of chocolate/liver may simularly be narrowed.

Silver labs here are banned and regoes were canceled.

There was such a big stink, and rightly so.

I talked with some of the lab people, and once they got the *breeder* banned from registering the sillver labs here, and found out they had plans to move to Aus, they informed the lab people over there.

From what i gather, they come from the USA, where they had labs and weis, it was only in thier kennel that silver appeared.

They refused DNA tests to prove the dogs were purebred here in NZ, and would not co-operate with the NZKC at all..

(this is just from what i have been told)