Black Labrador Retriever

Black Labrador Retrievers make excellent family pets. They are friendly and active, great with kids, and easy to train. Because of their intelligence and friendly nature, the Labrador is the most popular breed of dog in the United States and has been for the last ten years. Although black used to be the only accepted color for Labradors, today the black Lab is slightly surpassed by the yellow Lab in popularity. In other parts of the world, the yellow is by far more popular and the chocolate even quite uncommon.

History of Different Colors

Black Labrador Retrievers were the only registered Labs before 1899 when yellow finally became an accepted color. Chocolate was not recognized as a distinct Labrador color before the early 1900s.

Yellow and chocolate Labradors existed before 1899 but were not registered because they did not comply with the breed standard. Today, chocolate and yellow are considered to be standard colors for Labradors, along with the original black.

Difference Between Colors

While some breeders may try to claim that there is a difference in the temperaments or health of the various colors of Labrador, this has not been proven. Most Lab enthusiasts agree that there is absolutely no difference between black Labrador retrievers and their yellow and chocolate peers.

While in some breeds of dog the genes for certain colors have been linked with an increased risk of certain health defects, this does not seem to be true of the Labrador. Yellow, chocolate, and black Labrador Retrievers are all equally as healthy and active.

The color of Lab you get is really just a matter of personal preference. Color should not be a big determinate in what Lab you choose, as the personality of the dog and how it matches with you and your family is what is really important. You may want to keep in mind, however, that Labrador Retrievers do shed, so if you have a lot of white furniture or clothes, black fur might show up more than yellow, just as yellow would show up more on dark furniture.

Buying a Black Lab

If you are ready to buy a black Labrador Retriever, make sure that it comes from a reputable breeder. This will ensure that your Lab is as healthy and compliant with the standards of the breed as possible. Buying a Lab at a pet store is risky because these Labs generally come from irresponsible breeders who do not test their puppies' parents for genetic conditions that they could pass down to their pups.

Good breeders are interested in improving the breed and will only breed healthy, well-mannered dogs that comply well with the breed standards. These breeders care about their puppies and will not sell them at a pet store because they want to be selective in whom they sell their pups to in order to ensure that they go to a good home.