Silver Labradors

Silver Labrador puppies turn up in plenty of adverts. Plenty of people who see one wonder whether silver is a Labrador colour at all. The breed has a written standard that sets out its colours.

The colours of the breed

The Royal Kennel Club's page for the Labrador lists the breed standard colours as black, chocolate, liver and yellow. It describes a breed standard colour as one "accepted within the breed standard" and "a traditional and well-known colour in this breed".

The same page lists three non-breed-standard colours for the Labrador. They are charcoal, champagne and silver.

Where silver comes from

The Royal Kennel Club's page on the dilute (d1) DNA test explains that this gene variant dilutes a dog's natural colouring. It says "chocolate Labradors tend to have a silver-coloured coat (known as ‘silver’)". Black Labradors with the variant tend towards a dull black or dark grey known as charcoal, and yellow ones have a colour known as champagne.

The variant is inherited in an autosomal-recessive way. A dog needs two copies, one from each parent, before its coat colour changes. A dog with one copy is a carrier and may pass it on.

What non-breed-standard means

The Royal Kennel Club says a non-breed-standard colour "is not accepted within the breed standard". It adds that, while some dogs in the breed may be this colour, "it is advised to only select a dog that fits within the breed standards for all points".

Its Colour Watch system puts the Labrador in Category 3. That category covers breeds where more than 10% and up to 30% of registrations are in non-breed-standard colours, or where there are between 500 and 1000 such registrations a year. The club describes Colour Watch as a way to communicate the importance of breed standard colours to breeders and puppy buyers.

Colour and choosing a dog

The Royal Kennel Club says, "Colour is only one consideration when picking a breed or individual dog. Health and temperament should always be a priority over colour."

If you are buying a puppy

Defra's guide to buying a cat or dog says a responsible seller will never sell a puppy younger than 8 weeks old. It says a dog breeder or pet seller should display their local authority animal activity licence number online, and you can check it with the local council. It also suggests meeting the puppy with its mother in its own home.

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