Help with labrador coloring

[Love my Critters!]

A friend of mine's dog just had puppies. The parents are both registered yellow labradors. The male is darker than the female, but is still yellow. She had 9 pups and 5 of them are a light cream color like the mom, and the others are a darker tan/rust color. She is selling these pups for 700 each! Well she is advertising that the darker ones are chocolate and I don't think they are even close to chocolate. She is telling people they will darken. I don't think she's right... what do yall think?

 

[Akane]

Genetically you can only get yellow from 2 yellows. Yellow=ee, black or chocolate=EE or Ee. If you cross 2 yellows (ee) there is no E to make black or chocolate.

 

[Love my Critters!]

That is what I thaught too. Also the babies I have seen that are chocolate, look chocolate when they are born.

 

[Duck Keeper]

Chances are they're just darker yellow, and the others are lighter yellow. Any lab I've ever seen was the color it grew up to be when it was younger too.
And 700 dollars? Is she on crack? Unless the parents have had all of their OFA and CERF and such done (not to mention any genetic testing if applicable. I'm not sure what's reccommended to test for in labs), and are like titled champions, I wouldn't pay over $100 for the pup.
Hm, maybe that's just me.

 

[Love my Critters!]

Duck Keeper: I agree! The dad is from champion bloodine, but his papers say that his offspring can not be AKC registered. The original breeders want control of the bloodline. The pups are only going to be CKC registered. There has not been any other testing done either. I just think that if you are breeding dogs and selling them for such a high price you should at the very least know the colors....

 

[Duck Keeper]

I wish nobody would buy them and she'd be stuck with the puppies until they were all adults and fixed/neutered/castrated/spayed, and had cost her a good fortune to raise. I'm sorry. It's true.

If only it would work that way for everyone that randomly breeds two dogs together... Especially if they're just doing it to churn out puppies. It might give them the hint, huh?

And ANY dog can be in the CKC. You send a couple pictures in to them, and they'll say "Yup, that's a Beagle." or "Uh huh, Labrador Retriever."
I'm not saying AKC is the law or anything, but come on.

This is why people get dogs from a "breeder" with hip dysplasia and PRA showing up across the board. I guess they think the more it costs the better quality it is.


Boy, I feel like I was just ranting there...

Apologize for that.

Edit - spelling

 

[Diamond Wire Farms]

I've seen people calling that color "red." It is really a darker variation of the yellow coat. Haven't seen anybody try to pass it of as chocolate though.

 

[hokankai]

Yeah, they could be red, but you really can't tell until they start to get their real fur vs puppy fur.

Here's the red guide dog puppy I raised, Templeton. Absolutely beautiful dog and full yellow lab.

 

[Duck Keeper]

Oh he's very pretty.

See, I'd classify him as a bit darker yellow than "normal," but not red.
On the other hand, I've heard some people call their very light light yellows "silver" so who knows. That made me think something was up right away, but whatever. I am by no means a dog breeder or a geneticist, so what would I know?

 

[PuppyBantamCochin]

Probably these ''chocolates'' are really what's called a ''fox red''. They are not rare and shoudn't be priced any higher than your ordinary yellow lab-pup.
As for the price, I think trying to sell those pups at $500/each would be crazy, especially since their parents are not proven and have had no health testing.

I do hope that the price is changed, the pups find good PET homes were they will be spayed/neutered, and hopefully the parents will be neutered too...UNLESS they are health-screened, titled, etc. for future litters.