[Allan H]

Does anyone know of a reputable breeder that has the American field labs, not the blocky English?

We've decided that it's time to add another family member to our house and would like either a black or charcoal male lab puppy. There are a few breeders around who advertise on the AKC website, but when I asked about their pups, all I got from them was: "Well, the dad is sorta tall", or "I don't know".

I've tried searching Craigslist, Facebook, and Google but can't seem to find a good source for the type of pup we want.

Any help is appreciated, thank you!

Allan

 

[Steelheader69]

How much are you willing to spend? My wife is a vet tech who has a reputable breeder. We even bought one of her dogs. You'll pay a premium for charcoal. Blacks are much cheaper.

She's Circle B Labs in Yelm. You'll have to see what she has coming up.

 

[Steelheader69]

This is our Widget. This litter was from an Irish lab stud.

 

[wareagle]

Try Lee at Wind River Labs.She has 2 black females avail. now. Very good dogs and very reputable

 

[Blacklabs]

Arlington Kennels recently moved from Grandview Washington to Melba Idaho. Well worth the drive however if Jerry is still breeding. This is my second lab and she's three now. Great family dog and fishin buddy. I'd call or email him.

http://www.arlingtonkennelsandstables.com/

Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

 

[past user]

There are three colors of labs. Black, yellow, and chocolate. These other colors are bred for color and not for the breed characteristics. Sorry to derail the thread......

 

[Bowbonehead]

Knowledge is never a bad thing..... used correctly..... suprising thing about color is we had a yellow bitch who had 3 litters always with the same black male and rarely did we have a yellow pup from her.... recessive gene I guess....

 

[Fotdesign]

I've been looking into adding an adult lab to our family. I found the Puget Sound Labrador Retriever ASSOC. site really helpful: https://www.pslra.org/. From their breeder list, recommendations from friends and other searches, I then started contacting breeders with my requirements. All the breeders have been very helpful. Good luck on your search.

 

[Madison2]

Steve is correct, it is genetically impossible for true labs to be any other color than black, chocolate or yellow, or shades of these colors. Silver or charcoal colored dogs that look like labs are not true labradors. The alleles in colors of labs dictate offspring colors. You will never see “silver labs” sold by the best kennels. Just my two cents but this topic gets me fired up. I love the Labrador breed, it makes me sick to see it messed with.

 

[Steelheader69]

Steve is correct, it is genetically impossible for true labs to be any other color than black, chocolate or yellow, or shades of these colors. Silver or charcoal colored dogs that look like labs are not true labradors. The alleles in colors of labs dictate offspring colors. You will never see "silver labs" sold by the best kennels. Just my two cents but this topic gets me fired up. I live the Labrador breed, it makes me sick to see it messed with.

Yes, they are labs, they are just breeding a recessive gene to get it. There were a few breeders using weimaraner to get the silver, but DNA testing on a lot of dogs show they are actual purebred labs. The AKC won't recognize the colors because the breeders are breeding bad qualities, and they are trying to avoid that in the breed. You should hear the horror stories behind the colors. And yes, this info is directly from an LVT and DVM.

 

[Steelheader69]

There are three colors of labs. Black, yellow, and chocolate. These other colors are bred for color and not for the breed characteristics. Sorry to derail the thread......

Correct, but they still are labs, just not acknowledged by AKC. Unfortunately there are a lot of labs bred for a specific color, especially in the yellow spectrum. Even reputable breeders using bad generic dogs hoping to get good attributes from other parent. A lot fail OFA certification. So even buying a black, yellow, or chocolate means nothing unless they guarantee their dogs.

 

[past user]

Correct, but they still are labs, just not acknowledged by AKC. Unfortunately there are a lot of labs bred for a specific color, especially in the yellow spectrum. Even reputable breeders using bad generic dogs hoping to get good attributes from other parent. A lot fail OFA certification. So even buying a black, yellow, or chocolate means nothing unless they guarantee their dogs.

That is only partially correct.

1. They are not recognized by AKC. That is correct.
2. They are still labs. That is not necessarily correct and only genetic testing can show that for sure. As already pointed out, many labs outside the recognized three colors have had other breeds introduced to produce some other colors.
3. Reputable breeders produce a much lower frequency of health issues because they understand the genetics involved. Test their lines for eyes and hips and don't breed dogs that aren't certified. Yes you can still get a dog with heath problems. But the incident rate is much lower. Add in breeding for colors outside the recognized spectrum and it just increases the odds of issues.
4. I ran my labs in AKC master hunt tests and have been to many tests and AKC trials. And have discussed this with many pro trainers. The dogs that they really have had issues with historically are chocolates. It is the least dominant color of the three recognzied.

Here's a link to an article that explains the genes that cause a lab to be one of the three colors. The short version is that are 9 gene combinations. 4 combinations produce blacks, three produce yellows, and two produce chocolates. And if you mate two yellows together they will only throw yellows.

https://www.thelabradorsite.com/labrador-colour/

 

[David Loy]

If you come across a woman named Wally, in the Lakewood area, pass. She’s a crook.

 

[Tinker]

The "blocky" labs are usually called "show" dogs - I'm told because some with that build were placing well in shows. The ones you're looking for are often called "field" dogs. Might help when you're talking to breeders.

The AKC doesn't give a rat's ass about the dogs they register. You might not be able to show a readhead or a silver, but the AKC will happily issue pedigree papers.

One of our labs was born with a persistent aortic arch. Turns out two other pups in the litter had the same fatal defect, and the bitch had been pumping them out for years. All were AKC registered and pedigreed. When I called the AKC to ask about it, they said they don't check the pups, just the bloodline/pedigree the breeder submits.

 

[Steelheader69]

That is only partially correct.

1. They are not recognized by AKC. That is correct.
2. They are still labs. That is not necessarily correct and only genetic testing can show that for sure. As already pointed out, many labs outside the recognized three colors have had other breeds introduced to produce some other colors.
3. Reputable breeders produce a much lower frequency of health issues because they understand the genetics involved. Test their lines for eyes and hips and don't breed dogs that aren't certified. Yes you can still get a dog with heath problems. But the incident rate is much lower. Add in breeding for colors outside the recognized spectrum and it just increases the odds of issues.
4. I ran my labs in AKC master hunt tests and have been to many tests and AKC trials. And have discussed this with many pro trainers. The dogs that they really have had issues with historically are chocolates. It is the least dominant color of the three recognzied.

Here's a link to an article that explains the genes that cause a lab to be one of the three colors. The short version is that are 9 gene combinations. 4 combinations produce blacks, three produce yellows, and two produce chocolates. And if you mate two yellows together they will only throw yellows.

https://www.thelabradorsite.com/labrador-colour/

If you read my other post you'll see I commented on that. It's part of my wife's job dealing with certification and what constitutes AKC approval. Say it this way, she's easily dealt with it more than most breeders, since she deals with many at her hospital. I didn't go into detail since it didn't matter, but even she commented that a good majority of silver and charcoal and are DANA correct labs. Only some of the breeders used a wein to get silver.

 

[Steelheader69]

The "blocky" labs are usually called "show" dogs - I'm told because some with that build were placing well in shows. The ones you're looking for are often called "field" dogs. Might help when you're talking to breeders.

The AKC doesn't give a rat's ass about the dogs they register. You might not be able to show a readhead or a silver, but the AKC will happily issue pedigree papers.

One of our labs was born with a persistent aortic arch. Turns out two other pups in the litter had the same fatal defect, and the bitch had been pumping them out for years. All were AKC registered and pedigreed. When I called the AKC to ask about it, they said they don't check the pups, just the bloodline/pedigree the breeder submits.

Actually yes they do. Especially when it comes to color and bloodline. But they don't care, you're correct, about other health certifications. Why it's best to see if they have been OFA certified.

I'd have to ask my wife about the different body styles of labs. She did her continuing education on doing the testing, certification, and inspection of dogs. Especially labs since they have a few breeders that come to get hospital.

 

[Allan H]

How much are you willing to spend? My wife is a vet tech who has a reputable breeder. We even bought one of her dogs. You'll pay a premium for charcoal. Blacks are much cheaper.

She's Circle B Labs in Yelm. You'll have to see what she has coming up.

Great info and great looking dog, I'll be giving them a call today. Thank you

 

[Guest]

Lee at Wind River Labs is an excellent recommendation, another would be Tim and Julie Higgins at Skookum Creek Retrievers if you are looking for a reputable breeder selling pups with health clearances and excellent lines.

Since it got brought up I have to agree with the others. Charcoal and silver are not legitimate colors for a lab whether the AKC recognizes them or not, and no reputable breeder worth their salt is selling them. What do I care though ? I'm a Chessie guy.