Any Silver Lab Owners?

Anyone have thoughts / suggestions on Silver Labs? Specifically their temperament and energy level. Always had yellows and got a bug for a silver.

Thx!

A vet buddy of mine, said they tend to be more likely to have hip problems due to some kind of genetic thing. But other than that I have no idea.

They are not true labs and due to the breeding to get the color they are very prone to hip dysplasia. There is a ton of misinformation out there about them.


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Silver what? Labs only come in three colors and silver isn't one of them.

Silver Labs are designer dogs crossed with Weimaramars. Its not a true Lab.

I agree with those who say "not a true lab". But, I'll also admit that for the most part I feel the same way about chocolates and yellows. Sorry!!!! I will say, back in my gun dog training and hardcore waterfowling days I did see several solid performing, great chocolates and yellows......but most of the all stars were black. Yeah, I know....I'm prejudice.

Colekira said:

Silver Labs are designer dogs crossed with Weimaramars. Its not a true Lab.

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Kinda like the lab/golden doodle clones?

silvers are pricey

Mutts...

Silver labs are actually chocolate with a diluted color gene. Just like the fox red coloration is considered a yellow lab. There has never been a genetic link with Weimariners ever found. They are not cross bread to get this coloration nor are they more likely to hip problem than any other lab.

Quackman said:

Silver labs are actually chocolate with a diluted color gene. Just like the fox red coloration is considered a yellow lab. There has never been a genetic link with Weimariners ever found. They are not cross bread to get this coloration nor are they more likely to hip problem than any other lab.

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I have heard the same with one exception. My breeder who works for the AKC said that the silvers were bred without much genetic variation meaning inbreeding and close relative breeding to obtain that color. She went on to expand that to how the chocolate variety came about. The original labs dating back to when they were very close to Newfoundlands were black and yellow, with the darker yellow indicating better genetics.

A lot of misinformation. American labs have 3 colors. Black, yellow, and chocolate. True 100% labs. Yellow and chocolate are just recessive genes, much like your eye color. labs of British origin have black, yellow, and red. Yellow and red are recessive. There is not such thing as a silver Labrador. There are silver colored dogs that look like labs. They're called mutts.


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Quackman said:

Silver labs are actually chocolate with a diluted color gene. Just like the fox red coloration is considered a yellow lab. There has never been a genetic link with Weimariners ever found. They are not cross bread to get this coloration nor are they more likely to hip problem than any other lab.

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There are two schools of thought on that. I have seen one that are very clearly dilute chocolate color labs, and one that pretty clearly looked like Weimareiner blood.

The same has been said about pointing labs.

I am not taking a position either in either direction on either one.

I don't know enough to have an opinion on it, but now when I think of silver lab, this is what I think of

http://www.nchuntandfish.com/forums...tch-quot-Duck-Dynasty-Hunters-quot-on-YouTube

The silver lab part starts at 3:05

Einstein said:

A lot of misinformation. American labs have 3 colors. Black, yellow, and chocolate. True 100% labs. Yellow and chocolate are just recessive genes, much like your eye color. labs of British origin have black, yellow, and red. Yellow and red are recessive. There is not such thing as a silver Labrador. There are silver colored dogs that look like labs. They're called mutts.


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Not quite, there is no color differences in American Field Trial lines and British or Conformation lines. Labrador Retrievers are 3 colors, black, chocolate(ranging from a light brown to a dark brown) and yellow (ranging from almost white to fox red).

Harken back to high school science and learning dominant and recessive genes.
BB- Black with no chocolate gene
Bb- Black that carries chocolate gene
bb- Chocolate with no black gene
Yellow is a recessive gene that can mask chocolate or black
EE- No yellow gene
Ee-Black or Chocolate dog that carries yellow gene
ee-Yellow dog

You can predict litter colors by doing a DNA test to find out what color genetics each dog has.

Silver comes from mutated chocolate gene, regardless of what youn have read on the internet not ALL silvers where crossed with a Weim (although I am sure it has happened to some percentage). On occassion you will see a brindle lab, or even one with yellow and black colorings. Mutations occur here and there.

The problem with silvers is that some breeders have decided to capitalize on the "Silver Fad" and are line breeding these dogs way to close to ensure silver puppies with no regard to any other factors such as hips, eyes, elbows, EIC, CNM, etc.

The same way i have seen "breeders" offering "Champagne labs" and "white labs", simply put these folks are idiots trying to develop are a market for something "different".

I have trained a few silver labs, none of thm had much desire to retrieve and were sent home due to not being able to complete our gun dog program (dogs just didnt want to pick up a bird bad enough). it happens on occassion with blacks, yellows and chocolates as well, but we are batting 1.000 with washing out silver dogs.

At the end of the day it comes down to personal choice, I do not agree with breeding for silver, i think it will diminish the breed over time if it persists. I can say I have never seen a silver dog run a Master test, I have seen a few running Junior before. There may be some Master titled silvers somewhere but I have never personally seen one.

To the original poster, i would urge you to look for a puppy that comes from parents with health clearances (and I don't mean the breeder tells you "My vet says they are healthy as can be") but one with OFA clearnces on hips, Clear of EIC and CNM, eyes checked by a canine opthamologist and listed with CERF. If the breeder can't provide the health clearances than they aren't worried about bettering the breed and selling genetically healthy puppies that won't end up costing you thousands down the road with a inherited genetic disorder that could easliy have been detected by testing the parents.

Irresponsible breeders taking advantage of a dilute gene so they sell a "designer" color at a higher price. If someone is specifically breeding silver labs, they are doing it for the $$$$$ and nothing else.
I've never met a breeder worth his weight that would purposefully breed for the silver color. If a Labrador breeder is breeding and advertising "silver labs", they should be banned from ever being allowed to register puppies through the AKC. You don't breed faults. Period.. End of discussion and those that do are only taking advantage of suckers. if I was a Labrador trainer/breeder and I had a silver pop up in a litter, I'd knock it in the head or give it to somebody to bottle feed. Whatever got it as far away from any association with my name is what I'd do. Sorry for the rant but I despise irresponsible breeding and buyers being taken advantage off. Stepping off soapbox now.....

Avery Creek said:

I have trained a few silver labs, none of thm had much desire to retrieve and were sent home due to not being able to complete our gun dog program (dogs just didnt want to pick up a bird bad enough). it happens on occassion with blacks, yellows and chocolates as well, but we are batting 1.000 with washing out silver dogs.

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I was at a hunt test this spring and trainer was running one in the Junior test. Somebody said, "good looking silver dog" and he was like "oh no oh no, this ain't a silver, it's a charcoal"........he bout got laughed off the line. Dog completed the test but it literally walked to the land marks and just casually swam to the marks on the water tests. You could tell it was more like the dog had no desire to retrieve but instead had been trained to retrieve..........

I stand corrected.

I've raised and trained labs for forty years. Maybe it's just me but I have never seen a silver at a hunt test, never seen a silver in the field. Amen to Avery Creek.

darkthirty said:

I was at a hunt test this spring and trainer was running one in the Junior test. Somebody said, "good looking silver dog" and he was like "oh no oh no, this ain't a silver, it's a charcoal"........he bout got laughed off the line. Dog completed the test but it literally walked to the land marks and just casually swam to the marks on the water tests. You could tell it was more like the dog had no desire to retrieve but instead had been trained to retrieve..........

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Best retriever I ever have had never broke stride. Playing at the house or retrieving dead birds....he did it at his pace. He was just never a dog to get in a hurry. Only one i have ever seen like that.

Never heard of a silver until last week and now this - anyway someone showed me a pic puppy - silver looking lab, (mutt, dog, canine) with really cool blue eyes. He may not retrieve birds but he will pick up the ladies....

I've been around a few "silvers". The one I was around the longest was one of the smartest but yet dumbest dog I have ever been around....It was like she couldn't get out of her on way.

wcjones said:

I've been around a few "silvers". The one I was around the longest was one of the smartest but yet dumbest dog I have ever been around....It was like she couldn't get out of her on way.

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Hee, hee, my cousin had a Doberman like that once, darn Dog would run into the pump house every now and then not noticing what he was doing...I don't think I have ever seen a Silver Lab...

GregC said:

Never heard of a silver until last week and now this - anyway someone showed me a pic puppy - silver looking lab, (mutt, dog, canine) with really cool blue eyes. He may not retrieve birds but he will pick up the ladies....

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Was thinking the same thing...