Labrador Colors

@rockyriverretrievers on Instagram

 

     The Labrador retriever is a popular breed. But how much do you know about the colors of a Lab’s coat? Have you ever thought about why Labrador Retrievers have a certain coat and eye colors? It’s all because of genetics. Dog breeders must have a thorough grasp of genetics to breed for certain colors and prevent inherited illnesses and disorders.

      But if you’re a regular dog owner who isn’t a breeder, you won’t have the same genetic background, which is why we’re here. 

The Complexities of Canine Genetics

     Genetics can be a difficult topic to understand. Three fundamental colors from two distinct genes combine to form what is called a ‘Punnet square’ in Labrador Retrievers. However, when you add two additional genes that define the “unrecognized” Labrador breed colors, you’ve created a web of possibilities.

      Can two Labrador retrievers of the same color produce pups of different colors? Is every puppy in a Labrador litter the same color? Which is the most frequent coat? And what role do dilute genes, solid color coats, and crossbreeding play? Let’s try to answer these questions one step at a time.

Which Color is Most Common?

      Because black Labrador genes are dominant, they are the most common of the breed. Yellow Labs and chocolate Labs genes are both recessive, however, because the ee alleles in a yellow Lab conceal both the black and chocolate coloring, yellow Labs are more common than chocolate Labs. In fact, due to its rarity, the chocolate Labrador was not recognized as an official breed until the twentieth century.

How The Color of a Lab Is Determined

     So can a chocolate lab and a black lab give birth to a yellow pup? They absolutely can! A litter of Labradors may differ in color from each other, and the parents. Here’s a breakdown of the color combinations that can occur when two Labradors breed:

· Black + Black = Black, Chocolate, or Yellow

· Black + Yellow = Black, Chocolate, or Yellow

· Black + Chocolate = Black, Chocolate, or Yellow

· Chocolate + Chocolate = Chocolate or Yellow

· Chocolate + Yellow = Black, Chocolate, or Yellow

· Yellow + Yellow = Yellow

      As shown above, when two black labs reproduce, each pup has a chance of being black, chocolate, or yellow, with black being the most likely outcome, and chocolate being the least likely outcome. If a Black Labrador is with a Yellow Labrador, their litter will have a similar outcome, with each pup having a chance of being black, chocolate, or yellow. The same can be said for a black and chocolate pair, as well as a chocolate and yellow pair.

     However, when a chocolate lab is bred with a yellow one, the litter produces can only be chocolate or yellow, and never black. When two yellow labs are crossed together, the litter will only produce yellow labs.

     There are also variations of these colors. By breeding for these variants they can become other colors. These include, white, fox red, silver, charcoal, etc. 

 

Here’s an article about a few of the colors.

Check out some of our pups!

Here’s a video about this: