For the sake of this article genotype's expressed are as follow's
B = Black and is dominant
b = Brown and is recessive.
E = Color approval and is dominant
e = Color cancel and is recessive.
All source's quoted in this article are referenced
bellow!
Michael is a young, avid trainer/breeder. He currently
trains his own personal dogs for hunting and a few for retriever hunt tests.
Michael believes that it is important to strive for healthy dogs that can
perform for their intended purpose and to spread the word to potential buyers
about qualities they should seek in their prospected hunting partners and pets.
When the calls are hung up and the dogs are through with their work, Michael
can be found on the job at his fire department or assisting his bride-to-be
with her FFA chapter activities.
Having been the most registered dog for the last thirty, or
so, years, it’s an understatement to say that the Labrador Retriever is in
demand. With this demand comes the demand for more people able to produce
puppies, which isn’t always in the best interests of the breed. The parent
club, the Labrador Retriever Club of America, has set the breed standard for
the dog that it represents. The LRC is the body that is the member of the AKC,
which allows for the registration of labs with their registry. This standard is
the basis for the conformation events, which are a visual judging of the
animal’s conformance to the standards the club has set.
Everyone
has always heard how field trial labs look so different from show labs,
although it hasn’t always been this way. 3xNFC CFC DCh. Shed of Arden was a
very accomplished specimen of the breed. He demonstrated what we all should
strive for: a strong visual representation of the standard that performs the
initial intent of the breed. However, field trials were a different ball game
back in 1946. As a matter of fact, Shed won the 1946 National Open after
completing a double water blind of fifty yards, according to Hunting Lab
Pedigree. We have changed the game of trials over the years and have required
more of these wonderful animals, and have thus caused their physique to change.
The largest change you will see comes from a more slim face and a chest that
isn’t as deep.
But, the
labs of today are beginning to change even more. One look at any classified and
you will begin to notice a spectrum of colors that are beginning to emerge.
Silver, charcoal, champagne and white are the flavors of this week. What does
all of this mean? Well, let us first identify what the breed standard has to
say about the coat color. As direct from the LRC website, “The Labrador Retriever coat colors are black,
yellow and chocolate. Any other color or a combination of colors is a
disqualification. A small white spot on the chest is permissible, but not
desirable. White hairs from aging or scarring are not to be misinterpreted as
brindling. Black - Blacks are all black. A black with brindle markings
or a black with tan markings is a disqualification. Yellow - Yellows may
range in color from fox-red to light cream, with variations in shading on the
ears, back, and underparts of the dog. Chocolate - Chocolates can vary
in shade from light to dark chocolate. Chocolate with brindle or tan markings
is a disqualification.”
To begin with, let’s look at the basic color that labs
originated from: black. Labs originated from the St. John’s Water Dog, which
were known to be black with white patches on their chests. This is why the
white spot is not considered a mismark, but preference is given to ones with
smaller markings. Yellows have the only variety for color, of which the first
yellow, Ben of Hyde, was stated to have been butterscotch. So, the first yellow
was of the “fox red” shade, and more labs were reported to have been called
“gold” until the ruling came that yellow described the color of the dog and
that “gold” describes an element. The “light cream” is what many people are now
describing as “white.” Chocolate, in and of itself, is self-explanatory, much
like the black.
So, now that the colors are established, I will begin to
guide you into the “genotypes” of these dogs. I promise, this is part of a
grand scheme to help you better understand how these designer colors play in.
As always in genetics, each offspring receives two copies of a gene; One from
each parent. A labs coat color is determined from two genes, E and B. Through
use of the Punnett’s Square, you can determine possible litter outcomes based
on the two dogs genotypes.
A
basic black labs genotype is described as EEBB. When a basic black lab is bred
to another Basic black lab, both parents only have the option of giving
dominant genes. Therefore, all offspring from them will be black with the
genotype EEBB. A yellow labs genotype is described as eeBB. When two yellows
with no recessive genes are bred, they will always produce eeBB puppies. A
chocolate is described as EEbb, therefore, as with the previous scenarios, they
will produce all chocolate puppies when bred to another chocolate of the same
genotype.
The next part of this may seem to get a little tricky,
but, I promise, it isn’t hard to keep up with. Let’s go back to the black
genotype. Now, some of you are probably very curious as to how blacks can
sometimes throw yellows, chocolates or both. To begin with this area, you have
to understand that dominant genes are genes that show, or become the dog’s
phenotype. A black lab can carry yellow or chocolate or both, depending upon
which genes its parents gave during conception. So, a black lab carrying yellow
would be EeBB and one carrying chocolate would be EEBb. One carrying both would
be EeBb. So, basically, we’ve established that blacks can carry both yellow and
chocolate and that when bred to another dog that either displays, or carries
recessively, these traits, they can produce the different varieties of colors.
So, can yellows or chocolates carry recessives? Absolutely. Yellows can carry
recessive chocolate (eeBb), only and chocolates can carry recessive yellow
(Eebb), only. If you’ve caught on to all of this, you can feel relieved that
you don’t have to remember the technical details and someone else has a
resource you can use to determine possible litter outcomes. Blue Knight
Labradors has a Coat Color Inheritance chart that has every genotype matching
along with litter outcome potential.
So, if you’re inquisitive, you’ve realized that there is
one more genotype that I didn’t discuss. The “Dudley,” or eebb genotype, is a
dog lacking any black pigment. They are described as having no pigment around
the nail beds or eyes. The Dudley is a disqualification in the show ring and is
considered a mismark puppy. They are also currently being purported as
“champagne” labs and are being sold largely on the grounds of being a “rare”
coat color. Quite simply, the chance of producing them occurs any time breeding
pairs contain any of the combinations where yellow and chocolate are present
together. What does this mean? It means your dog will be disqualified in the
show ring. It means absolutely nothing along the lines of how well the dogs
will retrieve or perform.
So, where do the rest of these
colors play in? The other two colors fall into a category of an outlying gene
that is in debate of its place in the Labrador world. The LRC’s official stance
is that the only accepted coat colors of black and chocolates involve no
description of shading. This dilute gene, commonly referred to as the
recessive d gene, plays a part in the black and chocolate phenotypes causing a
dilution of the pigment present and presenting the described “charcoal” and
“silver” labs. These coat colors have been mandated by the AKC to register as
Black and Chocolate in color, respectively. Basically, yet again, even though
these described coat colors are considered mismarks and disqualifications, it
does not predict hunting ability or temperament.
The main
argument that is presented against these coat colors is that, according to the
LRC, there is plenty of evidence present to conclude that the recessive dilute
gene was not present in the Labrador at the time of its founding. The LRC also
makes the statement that the only known breed that the dilute gene makes a
characteristic which is standard is the weimaraner. They also state that the
argument of the dilute gene being a “shade” of the black and chocolate coat
colors is inaccurate and that the causes for shading differences in yellows
does not rely on the dilute gene.
By and
large, the main argument that you will find on many silver breeders websites is
that the AKC has made the statement that the dogs are registered and do appear
to be purebred Labradors. However, one argument purported that is of highly
inaccurate terms is that DNA tests were performed and it was proven that
silvers were purebred Labradors. To begin with, all canines we know today are
descendants of wolves. In performing a DNA test, one can only derive parentage
and species of the dogs as well as known genetic anomalies. All you will ever
find is that dogs have the same numbers of chromosomes and that they are all
descendants of wolves. Dogs do not have any different numbers of genes based on
breed, hence why a Chihuahua can impregnate a Great Dane (by principle, of
course). One can’t look at a DNA map and specifically identify breed specifics
of Shih Tzu or Terrier apart from a mutt.
What is the
significance of all of this? Well, first of all, it is to say that nothing
other than a dog’s natural instinct given to it by the parents along with your
training will ever determine an outcome. Also, by saying that, dogs with a
history of trainability, shown by titles in a pedigree, demonstrate that
throughout the dog’s ancestry their predecessors have conformed to a standard
and achieved a title. More titles will help you determine if a dog has
potential to learn the skill set you wish to instill upon them. However, one
must keep in mind that not every Stanley Cup Champion has a child who achieves
the same goals. By and large, the goal should be to obtain a healthy puppy who
can be taught the skills which serve your needs best. This can be done by
seeking out breeders who have breeding stock that possess the necessary health
clearances and who show you performance pedigrees that demonstrate a history of
dogs that achieved standards and earned titles along with a history of
producing puppies that can achieve standards. Seeking these things will get you
much further than seeking out the services from someone who doesn’t find these
qualities as important.
Michael Marshburn http://www.jamupretrievers.com/
Sources:
Blue Knight Labradors http://www.blueknightlabs.com/color/coatcolor.html
Labrador Retriever Club of America http://www.thelabradorclub.com/
Shed of Arden http://www.huntinglabpedigree.com/pedigree.asp?id=577
Domestic Dog Origin http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Origin_of_the_domestic_dog
