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so in petsmart i ran into a silver lab. i asked if i could pet him. me and the owner got talking, i asked her if the dog was purebred she said yes he has papers. so are they a purebred?
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Answers
Silver Labs likely are really Weimaraner crosses. See www.woodhavenlabs.com Note, websites often are biased. That link is to a site put up by a breeder that doesn't sell silver labs. Other Lab breeders that don't breed silvers say the same thing. The AKC doesn't accept them. The lady may have had papers saying it was a chocolate.
Like many other dog issues, I don't have a link to a site I trust 100% on the subject. The web is a cesspool of misinformation.
color is just a varient not a breed. Breed standards for American dogs, for dog shows can be found at the AKC website. Breed standard for Labs allows three colors only, Black, Chocolate and Yellow, it is my understanding that any color Labs can throw pups of any color.
Here is the AKC Breed Standard for Labs.
You can REGISTER any dog whose dam and sire are registered, you can ATTEMPT to show any dog who IS registered, what happens when you do, is the dog is JUDGED by breed standard and will be faulted/ disqualified accordingly. Neither the AKC nor the Labradoe Retriever Club of America recognize silver as a color.
What has happened in this country over the last couple of decades, it the sudden profusion of "dog registries" which for the most part give "registration papers" for a fee to anyone for any dog.
I was watching animal planet today Dogs 101 was the show. One of the breeds they talked about was the lab. Many people believe that only yellow labs will produce other yellow labs which is false. In one litter you can have black, chocolate or yellow. Also some have been throwing silver labs as well. Although really cool and purebred its not yet recognized under the kennel club. From what I have heard the AKC registers them as chocolate as they are seen as a very light chocolate color. www.silverjoylabs.com
Heres some info about the silver color some labs are throwing.
From a 35+ year lab breeder and exhibitor... a silver lab is a dilute color. sort of a double negative. They are NOT Recognized as a true lab color since this dilute also comes with severe skin problems ranging from thin coat to constant severe allergies and sores. They also carry an incorrect eye color... the lab is supposed to have a BROWN eye, darker is better. Some so called "silver" labs have been proven by DNA to carry weimeraner genes... Since AKC DOES NOT accept the silver color as an accepted color, these dogs are registered as chocolate. Fox red IS an accepted variation on the color yellow, and is considered a yellow lab, not a separate color. Both yellow and chocolate are recessive so it is possible that any lab can produce any color. Lab breeders do not breed yellow and chocolate together since it will produce yellows with brown or pink pigment and that is not a correct color.
Yes, Silver labradors are purebred. The dilute color does not come with skin problems. For example, my Silvers are completely healthy in every way:). Also, the dilute gene also effects the eye which makes it lighter. The Color silver may not be recognized, but they are as labradors. The color Silver is actually Dilute chocolate. There can also be dilute black"charcoal".
By the way, there is no way to tell if labrador is mixed with Weim. Otherwise their wouldn't be a huge debate about wether they are purebred or not.
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