Silver Labradors have received a lot of attention. These are very pretty, silvery-brown or slate-blue dogs that otherwise resemble Labrador Retrievers. Some people claim that these are incredibly special dogs and charge a lot of money for them. Others say that they are not really even laboratories. Are silver labs purebred and where do they come from? Let’s look at this interesting dye and what you should know about it.

Some breeders go to great lengths to establish the Silver Labrador as a legitimate type of Labrador Retriever. According to them, the American Kennel Club (AKC) has carried out genetic tests that prove that their dogs are authentic. The problem with this claim is that the AKC does not test and does not set breed standards. That’s the job of another organization entirely.

The AKC allows Silver Labs to be registered, but not as Silver. Instead, they are considered a variation of the well-known chocolate lab. This is because the most likely genetic combination for these animals is a chocolate Labrador with a diluted gene that causes silvering of the coat. Blue Labs are actually black Labs with a diluted gene that makes their fur blue-grey.

Another problem with many of the breeders that offer Silver Labs is that they do nothing to test or test the quality of their breeding animals. A large percentage of Silver Lab breeders do not test their animals to ensure that breeding them will contribute to the quality of the breed, and do not enter quality competitions that would convince others of the quality of these dogs.

That makes it seem like these breeders are looking for a flashy dog ​​that’s worth a lot of money, but isn’t really that great for the Labrador Retriever breed in general. Many owners have purchased dogs, only to find that they had temperament or health problems. Buyers should be especially careful if they are interested in adopting a Silver Lab.

There are even some who feel that Silver Labs cannot truly be purebred. Since breeds such as the Doberman Pinscher and Weimeraner are prone to the diluted gene, they argue, these or similar animals must have been introduced into the Silver Lab bloodlines. That would mean these animals are mixed breeds, even though the non-lab genes were introduced a long time ago. However, we cannot prove this, and it is possible that the diluted gene appeared on its own.

For buyers, this means that a Silver Lab should be treated as a novelty and that you should be very careful if you want to adopt one of these animals. Don’t pay a high price for a Silver Labrador puppy, don’t believe breeders who claim they have AKC testing to back them up, and avoid unscrupulous breeders. After all, while this unusual coat may be interesting, it could have some serious health flaws.

There is a good chance that a Silver Lab is a purebred Lab, but it is not a special type. These are just a variation of the chocolate lab, and not really worth showing off. That means unless you want an unusual pet, it’s best to choose a more conventional type of Labrador.