What is the rarest type of Labrador?
Silver Labrador Silver Labradors are by far the rarest of all colors. These dogs are a light gray to blue color that looks silver in the sunlight. These Labradors are often mistaken for Weimaraner mixes because of their silver coat.
How can you tell if a Labrador puppy is good quality?
There are three main methods you can use to determine if your dog is a purebred Lab. These are a visual assessment, a DNA test, and pedigree papers. Visual assessments are the least accurate, as they only compare a dog to the official breed standard.
Should breeders do genetic testing?
Detecting inherited diseases Breeders have a responsibility to choose the sires and dams that have the best chance of producing sound, healthy puppies. Genetic testing plays a huge role in this, by giving breeders a heads up that there may be a tendency toward a disease lurking in a dog’s DNA.
What is a good hip and eye score for a Labrador?
Introduction
| Breed | Average Hip Score |
|---|---|
| (Groenendael) | 12 |
| Labrador Retriever | 16 |
| (Laekenois) | 9 |
| Large Munsterlander | 14 |
What is the best hip score for a Labrador?
Most Labrador breeders should be aiming to breed from stock with a hip score that is lower than average and balanced. This should result in gradual improvement in the breed over time. A good hip score for a Labrador is probably anything under 6, made up of even numbers on each side.
How do you know if a dog breeder is reputable?
Most reliable breeders earn their reputation by providing healthy pups to good homes resulting in “word of mouth” references. Meet breeders at local dog shows or look online for local breed clubs and review the AKC Breeder Referral page on their website www.akc.org.
Should I buy a puppy without DNA tested parents?
Puppy buyers are encouraged to bring about change in the dog breeding world by only buying from responsible breeders. There is no legal requirement for breeders to health test their dogs but The Kennel Club strongly recommends puppy buyers to only go to breeders who do so.
What genetic tests are done on Labrador Retrievers?
Common Labrador genetic tests include hip and elbow scores, eye tests, PRA and dwarfism. Good breeders will check the sire and dam’s genetic health before breeding.
What should I look for when breeding a Labrador Retriever?
Good breeders will check the sire and dam’s genetic health before breeding. At the minimum a Labrador puppy’s parents should have low hip and elbow scores, a recent eye test and be PRA clear (or one carrier and one clear).
Is it better to mate only dogs with two good genes?
You may be thinking ‘surely it is better to mate only dogs which are free from the bad genes, clear dogs, with two good genes’. The problem is, that in many pedigree breeds, the gene pools are quite small.
Should more dogs be excluded from the breeding programme?
After many years of closed registry breeding, and because certain breeding practices involve the over-use of certain individual dogs, the dogs within the breed are often quite closely bred and share many relations. Excluding more dogs from the breeding programme would be disastrous.