What is a Silver Labrador?
The term 'silver' is loosely used to describe any Labrador Retriever carrying the dilution gene (dd)
A yellow Labrador with the dilution gene is called a Champagne
A black Labrador with the dilution gene is called a Charcoal
A chocolate Labrador with the dilution gene is called a Silver
Below is a brief overview of color genetics in Labrador Retrievers:
B for Black (dominant)
b for Chocolate ( recessive)
BB is Black and Bb is black because the B is dominant.
Two Black Labs can produce Chocolate puppies if both parents are Bb.
Only two Chocolates can produce an all Chocolate litter.
ee is a Yellow (Can be as light as 'white' to dark as 'fox red')
(this gene tells us that the dog is actually solid Black or Chocolate unable to produce Black or Chocolate hair.)
dd is the dilute gene which is recessive.
This can mean diluted Chocolate (Silver), diluted Black (Charcoal) or diluted Yellow (Champagne) depending on the other genes. B,b,E,e
Dd is Silver- factored. This means the dog carries one dilute gene d even though the dog is Black, Chocolate or Yellow and is capable of reproducing dilute colors (dd)
A Silver to Silver breeding can produce a champagne if the silvers are Ee but will never be able to produce a Charcoal because the silvers are bb.. However a Champagne and a Silver can produce Charcoal!
A Silver Labrador carries the combination of EEbbdd or Eebbdd.
A Charcoal Labrador carries one of four genetic combinations of EEBBdd, EeBBdd, EEBbdd or EeBbdd
A Champagne Labrador carries one of three genetic combinations eeBBdd and eeBbdd (have black noses) and eebbdd (have brown noses)
If you are interested in testing your Labrador to see what colors he/she may be carrying go to: www.dnacenter.com for testing information!
A yellow Labrador with the dilution gene is called a Champagne
A black Labrador with the dilution gene is called a Charcoal
A chocolate Labrador with the dilution gene is called a Silver
Below is a brief overview of color genetics in Labrador Retrievers:
B for Black (dominant)
b for Chocolate ( recessive)
BB is Black and Bb is black because the B is dominant.
Two Black Labs can produce Chocolate puppies if both parents are Bb.
Only two Chocolates can produce an all Chocolate litter.
ee is a Yellow (Can be as light as 'white' to dark as 'fox red')
(this gene tells us that the dog is actually solid Black or Chocolate unable to produce Black or Chocolate hair.)
dd is the dilute gene which is recessive.
This can mean diluted Chocolate (Silver), diluted Black (Charcoal) or diluted Yellow (Champagne) depending on the other genes. B,b,E,e
Dd is Silver- factored. This means the dog carries one dilute gene d even though the dog is Black, Chocolate or Yellow and is capable of reproducing dilute colors (dd)
A Silver to Silver breeding can produce a champagne if the silvers are Ee but will never be able to produce a Charcoal because the silvers are bb.. However a Champagne and a Silver can produce Charcoal!
A Silver Labrador carries the combination of EEbbdd or Eebbdd.
A Charcoal Labrador carries one of four genetic combinations of EEBBdd, EeBBdd, EEBbdd or EeBbdd
A Champagne Labrador carries one of three genetic combinations eeBBdd and eeBbdd (have black noses) and eebbdd (have brown noses)
If you are interested in testing your Labrador to see what colors he/she may be carrying go to: www.dnacenter.com for testing information!
What is a Silver Factored Labrador?
A silver factored Labrador, is any Labrador born from at least one silver parent. A silver factored Labrador when bred to another silver factored, or full silver WILL produce silver Labrador retrievers. You can only tell if a Labrador is silver through genetic color testing, from the outside they look like any other chocolate, yellow, or black standard color Labrador Retriever since the silver gene is recessive.
AKC Views on Silver Labradors
"In 1987 we conducted an inquiry into the breeding of the litters that contained the dogs that were registered as silver and one of our representatives was sent to observe several of the dogs that had been registered as silver. Color photographs of these dogs were forwarded to the office of the American Kennel Club where the staff of the AKC and the representative of the Labrador Retriever Club of America examined them. Both parties were satisfied that there was no reason to doubt that the dogs were purebred Labrador Retrievers, however both parties felt that the dogs were incorrectly registered as silver. Since the breed standard describes chocolate as ranging in shade from Sedge to Chocolate, it was felt that the dogs could more accurately be described as chocolate than as silver."
Written by Robert Young of the AKC 3/27/00
This is also why Champagne's are registered as Yellow and Charcoal's are registered as Black.
"The foundation for the AKC registry is based on parentage and not color."
"We [AKC] should register all Lab pups coming from purebred AKC registered Labs."
There is evidence that silver labs were being bred as early as 1950. The first US kennel to be found breeding Silver Labrador's was thoroughly investigated by the AKC. They verified that the bloodlines of the Silver Labradors that were bred at this kennel were of pure Labrador retriever lineage and that the breeder in question had no other connection to any other breed of dog.
Written by Robert Young of the AKC 3/27/00
This is also why Champagne's are registered as Yellow and Charcoal's are registered as Black.
"The foundation for the AKC registry is based on parentage and not color."
"We [AKC] should register all Lab pups coming from purebred AKC registered Labs."
There is evidence that silver labs were being bred as early as 1950. The first US kennel to be found breeding Silver Labrador's was thoroughly investigated by the AKC. They verified that the bloodlines of the Silver Labradors that were bred at this kennel were of pure Labrador retriever lineage and that the breeder in question had no other connection to any other breed of dog.
What is a Silver Improvement Breeding Program?
"Over the last several years as some dedicated Silver Lab enthusiasts became new breeders, the recognition that there was significant need to improve the Silver Lab became clear. The major focus of these improvement motivated breeders has been to address the physical conformation short comings that many Silver Labs possessed due to decades of more-or-less indiscriminate breeding with color as the main breeding objective. The Silver Lab improvement breeders have forgone any preference for color and have concentrated their breeding plans on bringing in Champion linage, solid health heritage, and some are even titling their Labs. These breeders work to improve the Genetics, Health, and Pedigree of the Silver Labrador. Puppies produced from improvement breeders are often Silver-factored and have in some cases only 1/8 silver lines in the pedigree, the majority being lines that are appearing at weekend specialty shows, hunt tests, and field trials. Indeed, the only thing that differentiates these Labs from the top Black, Yellow, or Chocolate Labs is the presence of the dilution gene in their genetic make up. There is however a grand disparity between the breeders who truly improve and those that exclusively breed in the Silver lines. Those breeders are breeding back to the same non-descript lines time and time again, unfortunately many do not do health clearances, and you'd be hard pressed to find one proving their Labs in any type of event.
When seeking a puppy from a Silver Lab breeder, one must look to those breeders that truly breed for overall improvement. Breeders who put their Labs before their profit. Only then can you be confident that your Silver or Silver-Factored Labrador will be a capable, sound, and beautiful companion for life.
How to identify a true Silver Lab improvement breeder is not too difficult. The biggest criteria to look for is the colors of their breeding Labs. If they are breeding all dilutes, don't waste your time. You will save yourself the greater potential for heartache and pain by looking for breeder that regularly breed with Silver-Factored or non-Silver Labs. Now that you have found an improved minded breeder, the next step is to take a more profound look at the dogs they are breeding. Do they have health certifications, which ones? What lines do they have, are they full of titled dogs from respected and proven Labrador lines, or are they generic back yard bred lines? Finally, what are they doing with their dogs, are they competing in any type of event, AKC or otherwise? The more involved a breeder is in improving the health, pedigree, and genetics of their dogs, the more you can be assured you have found a breeder that is part of the Improvement Movement who produces puppies that have much more than a unique color going for them. By supporting the breeders of the improvement movement you are supporting the future of the Silver Labrador, ensuring it will be a healthy, beautiful and bright future...not one where color is king and little thought goes into the rest of the package." (http://silverlabs.blogspot.com/2011/09/improvement-breeders.html)
When seeking a puppy from a Silver Lab breeder, one must look to those breeders that truly breed for overall improvement. Breeders who put their Labs before their profit. Only then can you be confident that your Silver or Silver-Factored Labrador will be a capable, sound, and beautiful companion for life.
How to identify a true Silver Lab improvement breeder is not too difficult. The biggest criteria to look for is the colors of their breeding Labs. If they are breeding all dilutes, don't waste your time. You will save yourself the greater potential for heartache and pain by looking for breeder that regularly breed with Silver-Factored or non-Silver Labs. Now that you have found an improved minded breeder, the next step is to take a more profound look at the dogs they are breeding. Do they have health certifications, which ones? What lines do they have, are they full of titled dogs from respected and proven Labrador lines, or are they generic back yard bred lines? Finally, what are they doing with their dogs, are they competing in any type of event, AKC or otherwise? The more involved a breeder is in improving the health, pedigree, and genetics of their dogs, the more you can be assured you have found a breeder that is part of the Improvement Movement who produces puppies that have much more than a unique color going for them. By supporting the breeders of the improvement movement you are supporting the future of the Silver Labrador, ensuring it will be a healthy, beautiful and bright future...not one where color is king and little thought goes into the rest of the package." (http://silverlabs.blogspot.com/2011/09/improvement-breeders.html)
Our Personal Breeding Goals and View
After breeding standard color Labrador Retrievers for years, we have been breeding them for the joy they bring to us both when working and as family companions. Our goal remains the same upon adding dilute genes to our breeding program. We are dedicated to preserving the Labrador Breed according to AKC breed standards. For this reason we will incorporate full dilute, silver factored, and non silver factored dogs in our breeding program, basing our breeding decisions on temperament, train ability and conformation first, and color will be a bonus. We strive to be a part of the Silver Labrador Improvement program.
These rare colored Labradors also often carry an overly inflated price tag (sometimes upwards of nearly $3,000) simply and only because of their coat color; however, we don't believe in capitalizing on the market simply because of our dogs coat color. We continue strive to produce working hunting dogs, service dogs, and family companions at affordable prices that can be enjoyed by many, and not a luxury purchase.
In an effort to improve the breed we have purchased stock from breeders that routinely health test their dogs, and we will continue to test our stock as well. When buying a Labrador from On Mountain Thyme, you can be assured that you are buying a quality dog and many years of enjoyment for you and your family. We offer a one year health guarantee from time of purchase against any genetically inherited disease.
These rare colored Labradors also often carry an overly inflated price tag (sometimes upwards of nearly $3,000) simply and only because of their coat color; however, we don't believe in capitalizing on the market simply because of our dogs coat color. We continue strive to produce working hunting dogs, service dogs, and family companions at affordable prices that can be enjoyed by many, and not a luxury purchase.
In an effort to improve the breed we have purchased stock from breeders that routinely health test their dogs, and we will continue to test our stock as well. When buying a Labrador from On Mountain Thyme, you can be assured that you are buying a quality dog and many years of enjoyment for you and your family. We offer a one year health guarantee from time of purchase against any genetically inherited disease.