silver labradors

[fluffydinosaur]

hello, we've been looking at getting a chocolate labrador puppy and while so far I haven't been able to find a breeder that I am happy with we've come across some silver labs breeders - they are absolutely stunning and the breeders seem to be responsible and very nice. they will be having puppies later on in the year which is ideal for us as hopefully things will be more normal by then and it will be easier to socialise etc. I was wondering if anyone had any experience with silver labs as I haven't seen them before? they are also very expensive at 3.5k, which is a bit more than I'd been hoping to pay but would be interested if others think this is normal for the silver colour? thanks

They are beautiful, but the reason they are silver is due to the specific line sharing a gene with Weimaraners, which gives them that colour. So they are a bit controversial and not recognised by the KC. The big red flag for me would be that they could come from a very small gene pool. That is why they are so very expensive.

So whilst I personally care more about responsible breeding rather than registration, I would be asking the breeder for a view of the pedigrees they have bred from, along with health tests - hips, elbows, eyes etc .

If you can satisfy yourself that they have not been ‘inbred’ too closely, then go for it & post a photo. I will be very jealous 😆

Like PP said they're that colour due to their mix with Weimaraners so they're not technically labradors.

Like PP said they're that colour due to their mix with Weimaraners so they're not technically labradors

Ah but how far down are we talking?

LUA Dalmations aren’t technically Dalmations either due to the Pointer edition, but there’s been so many generations bred now they look identical and as far as I know, the temperament is identical to a ‘pure’ Dalmatian too.
The percentage of pointer blood in the LUA Dalmatian now is so so tiny, absolutely negligible.

I suspect it is the same with ‘silver’ labradors.

I met a couple walking a pair. They had moved here from another country where the silver was recognised by the kennel club equivalent there. Maybe imported dogs.
But I wouldn’t pay £££ for the colour of a dog. Health tests are far more important for me. Eg hip scores?
If you want a pedigree then contact the breed club or society. They can steer you away from dodgy breeders.

P.S a quick google suggests that the outcross with Weimaraners is a myth.
The colour is dilution from the chocolate gene.

Which thinking about it, sounds perfectly reasonable given that in rabbits the dilute from ‘black’ gives you ‘chocolate’ and the dilute from ‘chocolate’ gives you ‘lilac’ (grey)

So it’s probably the same in dogs?
And other animals I would have thought.

£3500 is an absolutely crazy amount to pay for a dog just because of its colour. I just popped onto the kennel club website for labrador and saw this:

Beware of claims that puppies are a rare or exclusive colour and often on sale at inflated prices. Often these colours are not correct, not recognised in the breed and should be considered highly undesirable.

Sounds like someone is just in it for the money

The problem with breeding for 'rare' colours is that health testing, good temperaments and trying to follow the breed standard often goes out of the window when the breeder's main focus is trying to produce CNR (colour not recognised) puppies. Has this particular breeder screened their stock for genetic conditions relevant to Labradors, elbow/hip scored, eye tested? Silver Labs always bring up massive debates in breeder circles to where the colour actually came from. I must say, from the ones I've seen, they look VERY Weimeraner--y (not just the colour, but the eye shape, longer ears and their legs tend to be skinnier than your typical Lab).

Honestly though, £3.5k is an extortionate amount for a colour that is widely seen as a fault in the breed and responsible breeders would not intentionally breed for it. I'd want a puppy with an incredible pedigree with show/working trial winning champions AND fully health tested for that kind of money!

yes I had thought that it was a dilution of the chocolate gene rather than having weimaraner ancestry. though, to be honest, it doesnt bother me either way. I was just wondering if anyone had any experience with them, and if there was anything that a prospective buyer should be aware of. I'm also a little put off by the price,not sure I can justify spending quite that much! I would be very happy with a chocolate one too but as I say I haven't been able to find a decent breeder nearby...

Try the lab trust, they get some lovely dogs in, all have basic training.

I wouldn't pay more than £1k for a lab currently, no matter their colour!

Chocolate labs are lovely, more suited to families as they have less working drive - you do get some that work well but less than the other colours.

I'm on a steep learning curve of having a puppy from working lines and not showing - her energy is endless but she has been been a pleasure to train.

Paying £3500 for any puppy is absolutely bonkers - you can get pedigree pups with all the health tests for around £600-£700 depending on the breed.

Our beagle was £650, came with all relevant health checks, hip scores, a passport etc. I've seen people pay double that and get a pup with no paperwork. It's insanity!

Beware of claims that puppies are a rare or exclusive colour and often on sale at inflated prices. Often these colours are not correct, not recognised in the breed and should be considered highly undesirable

The Kennel Club would say that.
They are a ridiculous organisation who care for looks and nothing else.
Countless perfectly healthy puppies have been killed at birth over the years due to being ‘undesirable’ colours and unregisterable/unshowable

Sometimes colour genes can cause problems with health; white for example can be linked to deafness, Merle with deafness and blindness etc

The Kennel Club however doesn’t give two shits about health.
They never have and only pretend to care when the public kick up.

If they did care, dogs such as the modern day British Bulldog or the extremely sloped back German Shepherd dog or the modern day Dachshund amongst others simply wouldn’t exist.

I must say, from the ones I've seen, they look VERY Weimeraner--y (not just the colour, but the eye shape, longer ears and their legs tend to be skinnier than your typical Lab)
Perhaps, or maybe the breeder used working type labradors who are vastly different to the stocky ‘show type’?

thanks everyone. I think I'm going to carry on searching for a breeder with chocolate labs instead, and hopefully at a more reasonable price. realistically I'm not in a huge rush as I dont want to get a puppy until we are properly out of lockdown (have to keep reminding myself of this - as I'm really missing having a dog right now)

Oh go for the chocolate lab. They're just the best. Mine is a cross. His mum's a chocolate lab. His dad's a viszla. He's all chocolate lab in character. I've heard of silver labs but in all my years of walking around with dogs, I've actually never met one in real life.

As others have said, OP, 3.5k is an insane amount to pay for a puppy.

A very, very well bred gundog - health tests on both sides, field trial or show winning parentage (both sire and dam), carefully reared - would normally set you back up to about a grand (variation depending on location and precise breed - you'll pay more for a Vizsla than a Cocker). Even at the moment, that is what many breeders are still charging. They're just having to weed enquiries with much more than normal thoroughness.

There is a great website called Canine Coat Colour Genetics for anybody who is a serious dog nerd and wants to look up how silver works out genetically.

Do please make sure that whatever lab puppy you get has been cleared for Progressive Retinal Atrophy.

Just to warn you, read up about chocolate labs. They are bonkers and much harder to train-hence why guide dogs don’t have them. Do your reading before hand.

Dp has a chocolate lab and he is the most chilled out lump of a thing ever. 2 big walks a day and he’s basically a cat lounging around for the rest of the day. So good with dd, and never had any issues with training. So they’re not always bananas!

from what I understand any differences in behaviour are more to with breeding rather than the actual coat colour per se...though with chocolates being less well established I suppose there has been less time to refine the breeding so maybe that would explain if issues are more common with them. to be honest all the ones I've met have been lovely and I'd be happy as long as I could meet the mum and preferably the dad, as was satisfied with their temperaments. this would be my first labrador as I've always had german shepherds.

I’ve got to be honest, even at that price I’d be very tempted. I love the colour of my Weimaraner girl, but not her single minded determination to get her own way. A Labrador in that colour sounds wonderful

I have a red lab who is KC registered as blond, it's not that they don't recognise the dog as such it's just they have three colour categories. I'd also agree with a PP in that labs come in a variety of shapes ours is leggy and lean. Her parents are working dogs. Apparently some people describe them as American ( leggy, lean, longer face) and English more stocky. KC doesn't recognise that either.

I wouldn't pay 3.5K for a dog tbh. Although our dog is lovely, high energy but that's to be expected, she is just an all round fab family dog.

Any labrador with dilute gene is not a well bred dog. You can get labs with good breeding and good pedigrees for under £1,000. No way would I be paying £3k plus for a badly bred dog.

@FairfaxAikman when you say the dilute gene makes it badly bred, do you think the dilute gene has a negative impact on the dog? or do you just mean in relation to breed standards? (for many years yellows were considered undesirable, and chocolates even longer...)

My lab is black. He comes from a fantastic pedigree with field trial winners on his dad’s side. Because he’s got a little white whirl on his chest he wouldn’t be fit to show. He’s the most loving, loyal dog, he’s been a dream to train and he’s so handsome. Although obviously I am biased. KC rules are bonkers.

THREE AND A HALF GRAND????

goes for a lie down

I love labs, but christ on a bike.

+1 for get a rescue from the Labrador Trust