The Labrador Retriever is one of the most popular dogs in the world, both for its extraordinary beauty, as for its character and skills. It has a bilayer coat, formed by a lower layer with the appearance of wool and short and a top layer also short, but a little longer. Still, Labrador is considered a short-haired dog.
The colors of the labrador accepted by the International Cynological Federation and therefore integrated into the standard of the breed are three: pure black, liver / chocolate and yellow, although in the latter several shades are accepted. The pattern also accepts the appearance of a small white spot on the chest. However, over time other colors appeared that, although not accepted by the official standard of the breed, became popular. In this peritoAnimal article, we talk about all the colors of the retriever labrador and indicate which ones are accepted and which are not.
- Although the chocolate labrador is currently one of the most popular.
- The truth is that this nuance in the fur of the breed does not date from so long ago that it began to be accepted.
- According to the International Cynological Federation (FCI).
- There are documents that locate the first farmers as early as 1800.
- Although it was not until 1916 that the first race club was founded and in 1954 it was officially accepted by the IFC.
- Before being accepted and introduced into the patterns of different kineological organisms.
- The preferred color was black.
- So until the early twentieth century the colors chocolate yellow were not considered pure and.
- Therefore.
- Their presence in these dogs was avoided.
The chocolate labrador usually has a solid tone in its fur. FCI accepts different shades of brown, so we can find liver-colored, light grayish brown or dark chocolate.
For this color to appear in Labrador Retriever, both parents must have the genes that carry this color. Compared to other Labrador colors, the genetic variety of chocolate labs is slightly smaller and this can cause them to live less or have a greater tendency to develop inherited diseases. In the labrador retriever, there are four different genes that allow one color or another of the hair:
Chocolate color occurs when one of these genetic combinations occurs
These combinations do not indicate the chocolate/ liver tone, they simply show if it is a pure chocolate specimen, which will also pass it on to your offspring, if you have any, or if you have other colors, despite brown hair. The same will be done with the following colors.
As mentioned above, black was the first color to be worked on in this breed. Until they were officially accepted as a dog breed, the breeders of Labrador Retriever sought a completely black dog and therefore discarded dogs born in yellow, brown or one of their tones. For all these reasons, the authentic labrador has long been considered as the black labrador, however, today the three colors mentioned are accepted, so they are all authentic and pure.
As in the previous case, to be considered an authentic labrador, its fur must be smooth and completely black. Black is the only color that does not accept variations in its hue, it can only have a small white spot on the chest.
Black occurs when one of these genetic combinations occurs
As we see in this case and in the previous case, a labrador of one color may look another. This justifies the birth of labradors of different colors.
The grey labrador is not officially accepted and is therefore not considered a pure labrador. Labrador’s only accepted colors are black, chocolate and its different shades and yellow and shades. On countless occasions, there are grayish-toned labradors categorized as pure, how is it possible? Remember that the light greyish brown color is an accepted color in this breed of dog, so it will be considered purebred.
The bluish grey or silver color may appear as a mutation in the bo gene as a result of the cross between a labrador retriever and a dog of another breed whose color is gray.
O labrador amarelo pode apresentar diferentes tonalidades, todas elas aceitas pelo padrão oficial. Assim, podemos encontrar desde labradores creme claro, quase branco, até labradores de cor vermelho raposa. Em geral, o labrador amarelo tende a apresentar as mucosas (nariz, lábios e pálpebras) e as almofadas de cor preta, embora dependendo da combinação genética, essa coloração pode variar, portanto também é comum e aceito o marrom e o rosado.
For yellow, or any of its variants, to appear on the coat of the retriever labrador, one of these genetic combinations must be given, which, remember, does not indicate the exact tone, but if its genetics is pure yellow or if they have other colors. :
Dudley is not a labrador of a different color than those described in the different colors of the labrador, it is one of the types of yellow labrador. Specifically, it is the labrador whose genetic combination is e and bb, so it is known as dudley labrador which has a yellow fur, but its mucous membranes and pillows are not black. They can be pink, brown …
The white labrador is not accepted by the official standard of the breed. Yes, light cream is accepted, a color that is often confused with white. When faced with a pure white specimen, we tend to be in front of an albino labrador. In this case, there are two variants of the albino labrador:
The lack of pigmentation in albino dogs causes pink skin and mucous membranes to appear and even veins are perceived. Similarly, the eyes are blue or reddish. These specimens are born with greater sensitivity to sunlight, so it is common that they do not tolerate sunlight and have sunburn. Similarly, these animals tend to have deafness as well as a depressed immune system. Therefore, they require special care.
Now that you know the different colors of the labrador dog, don’t miss the types of labrador that exist.
If you would like to read articles similar to Labrador Retriever Colors, we recommend that you visit our Comparisons section.