Labrador colours, a guess anyone? Discussions

Here we go, these are my two again, Indie, on the left, compared to her half sister has a zipper, or line of fur that runs the wrong way up the centre of her muzzle....



Close up of Indie to show the zipper



Close up of Tau (with stick) no zipper...


The zipper or calflick, isn't mentioned in the breed standard.

If it int mentioned then it shouldnt be there. Like pale chocolates.

It is very much what colour is in fashion.

I know one working chocolate lab, not sure if she's from working lines, but I can't fault her ability. She's not my personal preferred 'look' in a lab, but she does the job and her owner loves her a lot!

The most common colour lab I see out on shoots where we live now, is black. Theres a yellow lab, owned by one of our pickers up, but then he's got 2 black labs as well. If he's not out, OH is the only one with a yellow lab, but then Hamish is of the fox red variety, so I wouldn't call him 'yellow.'

Hamish is fantastic out on a shoot day, is really steady in the beating line, but then has done some awesome retrieves for OH and was taken picking up for his first season, he's a general good all rounder. He has a fantastic temperament, such a happy go lucky dog. His colour doesn't come into the equation, if he wasn't very good workwise, then he wouldn't be with us. I do love his colour though, but I wouldn't go out and buy a dog, based on what colour it is!

Here's the boy himself

And bolo spots eh? You'll be pleased to know, my liver bitch, Tau, has no zipper ;-)

No, spots behind the paws are not mentioned either. I rather like the term "zipper"

Bang on the money, colour doesn't come into it for me either, and it's nice to read about Labs out and about doing what they're bred for! I doubt if the choc girl you see is from working lines as in working bred, but possibly has some working breeding in there, a halfie, or some similar breeding. I think Grangemead are possibly one of the kennels at the forefront of working chocolates at the moment, although if any others know of kennels with proven working chocolates it'd be interesting to know.

Any excuse to show a pic of my Maple, she is dark yellow and of working lines, her mum was black and her dad was a really dark yellow, bit darker than Maple but not quite fox red. Maples brother is much darker and more like Misty-pups dog. Maple has little bolo spots and a tiny paler (not white) mark on her chest.



Thankyou for the info on cowlicks, not something Ive ever really noticed before.

So, although spots behind the paws are not mentioned and are deemed acceptable, and although the BS states without doubt, that the coat should be free of kink or wave, and yet dogs with slight waves at the least are deemed acceptable within the show ring, different shades of chocolate are not deemed acceptable, funny old world ;-)

Is it the first time you've heard the term zipper then, as opposed to calflick?

If a lab was pink and purple, but did the job well, then so be it!!

I don't think the chocolate labs owner has any paperwork for her, either that or his mum has it, so he doesn't lose it. I think she has working breeding in her, I vaguely remember him saying, because I did comment on him having a working choccy lab, because I've never seen it before. I don't really speak to him anymore, but if I do, I'll try and remember to ask him!

What a cutie, you can see she's working lines, would be interested to know her breeding (only because I'm a nerd when it comes to these things), lovely nose and eyes, really show against her dark yellow.

Jackie Hodge works her Labs, she has a beautiful choc champ called "Naiken way out West"

http://naikenlabradors.moonfruit.co.uk/#/way-out-west/4536253756

Many chocs do have working breeding in their pedigrees, from what I understand, but not an awful lot in most cases, either far back, or from a recent outcross. They are not the working dog of choice for the vast, vast majority of working folk, who have many more proven lines to choose from.

Yes Ive always know them as cow/calf licks. I dont think the spots are "acceptable" just not classed as a serious fault by some judges, all dogs should be judged on the day, on their merit, spots wouldnt put me off if the next dog was the wrong colour all over, that to me is more of a fault. One of the big problems in Labs is missing teeth.

Yes, I know of Naiken Way Out West, lovely boy by all accounts, but the definition of working a dog may differ, is he out 50 or 60 days per season, I don't know, perhaps you do?

You'd be pleased to know in that case, Tau has full dentition ;-)

Edited to add, she's liver all over as well, just not your preference of liver ;-)

Couldnt tell you, Jackie is really nice though if you wanted to ask her.

lovely colour but nowhere near the same muscly build of a decent working lab. The show ones are all to fat for me

They are not fat at all. The standard ask for:

Not something racy, lean and looks like its been crossed with a whippet!

Nor does it ask for any excess weight, and I'm not suggesting that Naiken Way Out West does carry any extra, but there are some that do over compensate for a poor construction with excess weight.

This thread wasn't about show vs working, nor the interpretatin of the breed standard, but to try and educate people about the colours of Labs, which will of course lead to a widening of the debate, but it would be good if it could be kept educational.

Then its up to the people that judge the dogs NOT to place dogs they see as "fat." Likewise when you see the ribs through what should be a double coated breed is equally as wrong.