I’ve thought about what should be done for the silver Labradors, which are probably the most controversial of all retrievers currently being bred.
I don’t think this color will ever become a mainstream color within Labrador retrievers– anywhere.
So I make a modest proposal: Start your own breed.
When you do this, you’ll be free to include Weimaraner and ash Chesapeake blood to your lines and increase genetic diversity among the retrievers of this color.
And because this color breeds true, it is a dilute liver– both of which are recessive to the normal black and chocolate Labs.
Develop a standard and a breeding program for long-term genetic viability.
And then work on getting it recognized.
I suggest that you call your breed “the silver retriever,” so we’ll have silver retrievers and golden retrievers.
Breed separation appears to be the only road forward for the silver Labrador, and as much it bothers me that we would create a breed based upon color alone, it may be the road that actually takes this variety to a level of respectability within the dog culture.
It might be hard to get this breed recognized within the AKC, but I think it’s something worth pursuing.
I mean it’s not like we haven’t founded a whole breed based upon its color before.
You know they’re just going to call them Platinum instead.
Considering the silver labs are what shar-pei people call blue, they’ll get round to platinums eventually. Very expensive they’ll be too dontcha now them platinum retrievers. Far more expensive than a cream coated one with blue pigmentation too… oh wait…
“…so we will then have both Silver and Golden Retrievers…” LOL!
…or just get a Weimaraner(they come in a long-coated variety in Europe, too). Or start the next crossbred fad(be sure to charge outrageous prices for the pups, or no one will pay attention)–Wormadors!
http://www.dogbreedinfo.com/labmaraner.htm
Have you ever seen a red labrador retriever? I just saw my first one today when he came for a nail clipping at the shop I work at. The structural difference between him and the typical labrador retrievers are just amazing. This red lab is much more slim, the head’s not as blocky, and looks a lot more athletic than the usual labs that I see.
Yep.
But they technically would fall under yellow, just as golden red goldens would be golden retrievers. Same color genetically.
The fox reds are pretty common in English trial lines of Labrador.
Don’t be daft. They’d be the bronze retrievers. You need the full set.
Sounds like an English trial Lab to me.
“The fox reds are pretty common in English trial lines of Labrador.”
Actually there are plenty of very dark yellows but true fox reds are still quite rare. ;)
Very dark yellow is fox red in America. Golden retrievers over here can be very dark red, but not the labs.
[…] actually suggested that the much maligned silver Labrador retriever become its own breed. The color is not recognized in the AKC Labrador standard, and the current position of the American […]
[…] On my recent post in which I worried about the potential for a breed split in golden retrievers over color, I linked to a post in which I suggested that silver Labs become a distinct breed. […]