Hello, I have a 19 week old silver lab. She has started to get more and more white hair along her back. Is this normal? Has anyone seen it before? Our other labs (chocolate and black) never had any white, at least not as a puppy. I am wondering if it is something that will fall out? Will it continue to spread? Thank you!
You never know for sure what a crossbreed pup will look like until they are about a year old. PUPPY BUYERS BEWARE! THE THREE COAT COLORS FOR TRUE LABRADOR RETRIEVERS ARE BLACK, YELLOW, AND CHOCOLATE ONLY! THE LABRADOR RETRIEVER BREED STANDARD ONLY ALLOWS BLACK, YELLOW AND CHOCOLATE AND ANY OTHER COAT COLOR IS A DISQUALIFYING FAULT. Frances O Smith, DVM, PhD Chair, Labrador Retriever Club, Inc. Genetics Committee It is the opinion of the Labrador Retriever Club, Inc., the American Kennel Club Parent Club for the breed, that a “silver” Labrador is not a purebred Labrador retriever. The pet owning public is being duped into believing that animals with this dilute coat color are desirable, purebred and rare and, therefore, warrant special notoriety or a premium purchase price. Over the past few years a limited number of breeders have advertised and sold dogs they represent to be purebred Labrador Retrievers with a dilute or gray coat color—hence the term “silver labs.” The AKC has accepted some of these “silver labs” for registration. Apparently, the rationale for this decision is that the silver coat color is a shade of chocolate. Interestingly, the original breeders of “silver” Labradors were also involved in the Weimaraner breed. Although we cannot conclusively prove that the silver Labrador is a product of crossbreeding the Weimaraner to a Labrador, there is good evidence in scientific literature indicating that the Labrador has never been identified as carrying the dilute gene “dd.” The Weimaraner is the only known breed in which the universality of “dd” is a characteristic. https://thelabradorclub.com/
Thank you. That is interesting. We didn’t seek out a silver lab, it was a twist of events as to how she came to us so I know nothing of the controversy of the color. I don’t care about her appearance I was more concerned about her health and if the white hair meant anything? Zuri is registered with the AKC and has a traceable bloodline as you mentioned. She is not being used to show or breed, she is just a spoiled family dog who will hopefully have a long happy life with her people. I was only curious if others had seen this before but sounds like maybe not. Thanks!
Yes it's called "Flecking" normal in all labs, shows up more in silvers because normally in yellows it fades. Not a big deal.
wallawallkids - I've just been reading this article about silver labs, you might find it interesting: https://www.thelabradorsite.com/silver-labradors/ . Summary pretty much is they are the same as other labs in terms of pretty much everything - health, training, loving nature, etc. It also mentions that (at least in the US) silver labs can absolutely be registered as purebred with the AKC just that they are registered as chocolate. I'm pretty sure the same is true here in the UK... But most importantly - enjoy your beautiful pup, I'm sure she'll be an amazing family pet !
