Is this true about Labradors?

Question

I was at a party and the subject of dog breeds came up. My friend has a chocolate lab female who has come into season and wants to breed her with another guy's black lab. She said she could breed these two dogs and it would be possible to get yellow labs, or chocolates or black labs. She said you can breed ANY two types of labs as long as they're purebred and they can still be registered adn full blood and that the colors dont' mix. (In other words you can breed two different color labs and you'll still get all of one type or another). Is this true?? I just dont' see how you can breed two yellow labs and get a black lab or a choc. lab. Please advise. If there's a vet out there ore a breeder you get best answer for being thorough.

Answer 1

You can't breed 2 yellows and get blacks or chocolates, you will end up with all yellows because yellow is recessive.

You can however breed 2 blacks and get all 3 colors, or only black, but the pups could carry the recessive color genes for yellow and chocolate.

Phenotype- an animals physical appearance
Genotype- an animals genetic makeup

Lets say B=black and b=yellow.

One dog is a BB (each has two color genes)
The other dog is a Bb. This dog would be black, but carries the yellow gene. (The dominant gene always shows through, in the case of labs black is dominant)

If these two dogs were bred together and say had four pups, you'd have the chance of getting
BB-black pup
BB-black
Bb-black pup carrying yellow recessive gene
Bb-another black pup carrying the yellow recessive gene.

Now if you have two dogs that are Bb and Bb you could end up with
BB-black pup
Bb-black pup carrying recessive yellow
Bb black pup carrying recessive yellow
bb-yellow pup.

One more, if you breed two yellow dogs, bb and bb, you will only get the recessive color of yellow. Anyone who tells you they have a black pup out of two yellow, needs to see which dog fathered that black pup, because it sure wasn't the yellow sire.

I could go on for hours about genetics, but there are some basics.

To answer you second question:
Yes these would all be purebred dogs, all three colors are one breed. The Labrador Retriever, that breed just happens to come in three different colors.

Answer 2

http://www.labbies.com/genetics.htm

This is a great website that talks about Coat color inheritence in labs. Much like in human hair color there are dominant and recessive genes. Black is dominant in labs, but can carry genes for both chocolate and yellow.

It's a little more complicated that human hair color genes, but the pricipal works the same. However there are some combinations that are impossible. For example, two chocolate labs will not produce any black puppies, but can produce both chocolate and yellow.

However all colors of labs are the SAME BREED. And any combination of breeding still produces the SAME BREED. Just like a red headed human getting together with a blonde!

Your friend is right, they could breed and chocolate and a black and get all three colors, however they are most likely to get all black puppies. Your friends are better off getting their dogs fixed and leaving it up to people that know the genetics and history of their dogs!

Answer 3

I'm not a vet or breeder, but I have done a rotation in genetics. Which is what this is. You know how sometimes two people with brown hair have a child that has blond hair, or how a blond person and a brown haired person can have a red haired baby?

It's the same thing. Dominant and recessive genes. Some of the puppies will get genes for yellow, some for chocolate, and some for black, and most labs carry a recessive set of genes for another color.

My yellow lab mix had a chocolate mother, and two black siblings. The rest of the litter was yellow.

Answer 4

Yes, this is true. I don't remember the genetics exactly but basically there's two genes that control color and you have no way of knowing if your dogs are dominant or recessive for these genes. For example your chocolate lab could be harboring a gene for yellow labs. And that black lab could have genes for yellow or chocolate. But two chocolate labs could never make a black lab.

Answer 5

Yes this is true because of the color pigment genes in the breed. If there is a black or yellow or chocolate color pigment gene in both of the dogs, the pups can be any of the three colors. But both parents have to have this gene. Please, please, please tell your friend not to breed her dog. She probably has no idea what she's doing, and there are already so many unwanted dogs in the world. Millions of dogs are euthanized every year because there is no place for them. And labs are in high demand, but usually people don't know how demanding labs are, and they end up in shelters.

Answer 6

My neighbor had a chocolate lab (full blooded) a black lab (full blooded) mated. They had 6 puppies. 2 were black, 2 were chocolate and 2 were yellow.

I had a Lab (mixed) mom was a golden retriever and dad was a full blooded black lab. Out of 6 puppies, 3 were black, and 3 were black with white on their chests.

Answer 7

I have scant knowledge of genetics and what colors produce what colors. I do know that the shelters are full of dogs and that most of them are euthanized. This includes many Labs and Lab mixes. If this person is your friend, speak frankly to her and then you both should go to our local shelter.

Answer 8

This is exactly why the shelters are full of unwanted dogs. Please tell your friends that "experimenting" with breeding is a bad idea. Responsible breeders will have their dogs' hips and eyes checked, at considerable expense - they will also show them and become well-known in the show ring - and they will guarantee the health of the pups, and be prepared to take the pups back for any reason - for the lifetime of the dogs. Are your friends prepared to do that?

Answer 9

Yes. My labrador/poodle mix puppy came from a litterl of almost all blacks. The mother was black, and the dad was white, but she (my puppy) turned out to be a teddy bear brown.

Answer 10

While I'm not entirely sure about this, I don't believe that the color of a Labrador will affect the color of its offspring, but I could be mistaken.

However, Please, Please, tell your friend to take a trip to the local animal shelter or Lab rescue, and see how many Labs people have already bred into this world, with nowhere to go. There are way too many dogs out there already without homes, and being killed everyday. Tell your friend to have her dog spayed, please.... Thanks.