Coat & Nose Color DNA of Purebred AKC Lab Puppies

Yellow Labs Are ideal for Arizona outdoors.  Their light coat color attracts and absorbs the least amount of sun, allowing them to remain outdoors for longer periods of time than their chocolate and black counterparts.  Yellow labs are also ideal for houses or apartments that have light-colored carpets or tiles.      

All yellow labs are born with pink noses.  Around the 2nd week, some of the pup's noses will start to turn dark.  A full-grown lab will most often have a black nose and amber to dark brown colored eyes.  As Yellow labs age, sometimes their noses will turn lighter colored and sometimes seasonally, most notably during winter.  Yellow coat colors range from white, cream, apricot, golden, to fox red.  (However, what I've noticed in the Fox Red version is that they tend to have markings which make me think that they are not purebred.)  In my experience, pure breed labs do not have any markings.    

With the right mating pair, a "DUDLEY" is born with a pink nose & green eyes.  

AKA: Albino.  A true Dudley's skin will never darken.  Color Coat DNA Specialists pinpoint that Dudleys are the result of eebb allele combination (NBP = No Black Pigment).  Most often these Dudley's sport greenish-blue eyes.  Dudley's are special.  They are one of the only 2 allele combos that can mate with a chocolate lab to produce an all-chocolate litter.      There are people who continue a myth that the Dudley is a result of a genetic flaw.  Their words reflect their ignorance.     

We believe that "Fox Red" Labs are NOT Pure Breed.   ​At least that's our experience.  We've tested "AKC" Red Labs over and over but the results continue to show a mixed breed.

Yellow x Chocolate Parents Can Produce All 3 Colors:  Black, Chocolate, & Yellow

Chocolate Labs Dark colors absorb and attract the sun.  During the warm months chocolate labs will prefer to be in the water to keep them cool. Chocolate Labs have brown noses that match their coat color.  Chocolate colors range from medium brown to dark mocha.  Chocolate labs typically have hazel eyes.      

Silver Labs are NOT Pure Breed Labs.  According to Health Gene, a canine DNA coat & nose color color specialist, a small proportion of Labrador Retrievers have an allele at the D of dilute locus that causes brown labs to be a pale grayish brown often sold as "silver labs".  Pure Breed Labrador Retrievers do not carry this dilute locus.  According to the Labrador Retriever Club, this color is a disqualification. ​ When the silver color first showed up in Labradors it came from a kennel that also bred Wiemaraners (which carry the dilute gene). Therefore, Labrador Retrievers with the dilute gene are thought to be mixed breeds. This a good example why it's never a good idea to buy from a breeder that breeds more than 1 type of dog. Accidental breedings happen, hurting the integrity of the breed and AKC Registration process. 

Black Labs ​Dark colors absorb and attract the sun.  Black absorbs the most.  Similar to chocolate labs, black labs will prefer to be in the water during warm months to keep them cool.  Black Labs have black noses and typically have amber to dark brown eyes.  Pure Breed Labrador Retrievers do not come in Charcoal color.  This is another variation of the dilute gene that stems from the mis-breeding & dishonest registration mentioned above.