Which labrador color is best

In recent years there has been something of a backlash, as traditional fox-red animals have become increasingly popular in the shooting field if not on the bench. The UK breed standard is flexible, allowing the colour to range from light cream to fox-red. It is, of course, the ideal colour for a wildfowling dog, providing natural camouflage, and is a very acceptable colour for game-shooting, too.

In contrast, the pale yellow dogs appear totally out of place in the shooting field — they look best wearing tartan coats while being walked in the park.

In , Major Radcliffe wrote an article for The Field in which he described a strain of pure white labradors, bred by Mr Austin Mackenzie of Carridale. They were described as very handsome dogs but, perhaps fortunately, this was one variety that never caught on. Equally intriguing are the Hailstone labradors from the Solway. These were black-coated dogs with white spots, a sort of reverse Dalmatian.

A keeper even showed one at Crufts, where it gained the approval of Lorna, Countess of Howe, one of the most influential of labrador people between the wars.

She qualified no fewer than 24 dogs for the Retriever Championship between and , and won it three times. Black-and-tan dogs are bred occasionally. According to the Kennel Club, Gordon setter blood was introduced to the breed at one time, possibly in the Fifties, which might explain this colour variant. Most contentious of all the labrador colours is silver, virtually unheard of here but causing controversy in the US, where a number of kennels specialise in breeding silvers.

Silver labradors have been causing waves in America. The first brown-coated labradors on record were produced in the Buccleuch kennel in At that time black was the desired colour, so it seems probable that non-black puppies were culled at birth. Though they became increasingly popular in the show ring and as pets, the shooting world generally avoided them, and they acquired an unfortunate reputation for being less intelligent than their black or yellow cousins. Silver Labs are stunning, regal, and sleek.

Their light grey coat shines beautifully in the sun, and their appearance is as striking as it is adorable. These pups are similar to Red Labs in that they have the same genetics as one of the major three Lab colors. Silver Labs are really Chocolate Labs, even though they may look more like Blue Labs, but their coat is light or diluted, and the result is a silvery appearance.

Like their chocolate siblings, Silver Labs, unfortunately, inherit some additional health issues and tend to live shorter lives than Black and Yellow Labradors.

What is it that makes this breed so recognizable? Labs are often stocky and athletic with a broad chest and a thick, wide skull. Labs have short, dense fur that is water-resistant. In fact, they were named after the Labrador Sea off of Newfoundland where they were originally bred to retrieve waterfowl. Labradors are often referred to as the perfect breed for a family because they are gentle, protective, and abundantly friendly. No matter where they go, Labs seem to bring joy and happiness with them.

They are loyal, loving, and affectionate. What more could you ask for in a dog? They also looked a bit different with longer coats and more upright ears. Many of the dogs also had a white patch on their coats, which is still common in black Labradors today.

If a Labrador does not possess the dominant black gene they can get this colouration. Like with black Labradors, tan markings or brindle striations are not accepted by the American Kennel Club.

Interestingly, the genetics of a yellow Labrador are a bit different from those in a black or chocolate Lab. Yellow Labradors have the greatest variation of the three main coat colours.

They are often seen in colours ranging from fox-red to light cream in colour. Yellow Labs can also have shading on their ears, back and belly. Up until the start of the 20th century there were no yellow Labradors. One of the puppies was called Ben, while the other was a female.

It is generally believed that all yellow Labradors are descended from Ben and his son Neptune. Labradors in these colours tend to have a metallic-looking sheen to their coats.

Silver, charcoal and champagne colours are not officially recognised by the American Kennel Club, however, the are becoming more popular with breeders. In a word yes. And are chocolate labs really as untrainable as some handlers claim? David Tomlinson investigates. Regardless of what the best labrador colour is, labs are the most popular breed in the world.

Ben Fogle celebrates our favourite four-legged friend, read Ben Fogle: our love of labradors. When it comes to the best labrador colour, the general rule among the shooting fraternity is that black is good, yellow acceptable, but chocolate is strictly for the show bench. Black has always been the dominant colour in the shooting field and in trials.

A telling statistic in The Best of the Best, a history of the IGL retriever championship, is that in the period , 1, black labradors qualified to run, compared to just yellows. Popularity of yellows labs was boosted in by the foundation of the Yellow Labrador Club. In the beginning, which with the labrador means the later years of the 19th century, all labradors were black. One was a dog called Ben, the other a bitch. It is generally believed that all yellow labradors are descended from Ben and his son Neptune.

There are no colour photographs of Ben but the few surviving black-and-white shots depict a dark-furred dog, suggesting that he was what we now call fox-red.

I can find no record of when the first yellow labradors made their debut in the shooting field but they were first exhibited in the show ring at Olympia in Yellow soon became popular as the best labrador colour, boosted in by the foundation of the Yellow Labrador Club. The Club remains active nearly a century later.

It was formed to encourage the breeding of pure-yellow labrador retrievers and to conserve the best type of working dog, principles it remains faithful to today. It still holds a novice, an all-aged and an open-qualifying stake each year, with its trials reserved exclusively for yellows.

Discrimination on the grounds of colour remains acceptable in the world of dogs, at least with labradors.