Labrador Retriever
BreedDog
America's most popular breed. Friendly, outgoing, and active. Excellent family and sporting dog.
Trait profiles
Heritable traits and their typical frequency in this breed population.
Brown (TYRP1)
B
bb = chocolate, one of the three AKC standard Lab colors. Very common.
Black (CBD103)
K
KB common for black Labs. ky/ky required for Agouti expression (moot in most Labs due to ee or KB).
Extension (MC1R)
E
ee = yellow Lab. One of the three standard AKC colors. Em (mask) common in black Labs.
Intensity (MFSD12)
I
Intensity (MFSD12) modulates yellow Lab coat from pale cream ("English Cream") to deep fox red. Present and phenotypically relevant.
Agouti (ASIP)
A
Agouti alleles exist in the breed population but are usually masked by K (KB/-) or E (ee) locus. Rarely expressed phenotypically.
Spotting (MITF)
S
Small white chest spots occasionally occur. Not a breed feature. No pied/piebald Labs in standard.
Dilute (MLPH)
D
dd = "silver" (on chocolate base) or "charcoal" (on black base) or "champagne" (on yellow). REVIEW: Frequency set as rare/controversial. LRC disputes dilute origin. AKC registers as chocolate/black/yellow respectively.
Long Hair (FGF5)
L
Labrador Retrievers are short-coated. Long hair locus not present in the breed.
Merle (PMEL)
M
Merle does not occur in Labrador Retrievers. Any merle in a dog claimed to be a Lab indicates crossbreeding.
Harlequin (PSMB7)
H
Harlequin locus absent in Labrador Retrievers.
Morph names & registry status
Breed-specific naming conventions and recognition status across major registries.
Chocolate
Commonbb. Chocolate Lab. One of the three standard AKC colors.
Yellow
Commonee + intensity dilution. In Labs, the cream/pale end of the yellow spectrum. AKC registers all as "yellow." English Cream Labs are popular globally.
Fox Red
ee + full phaeomelanin intensity. AKC accepts as a shade of yellow. Not separately registered -- listed as yellow on AKC papers.
Charcoal
dd on black base. Called "charcoal" by dilute Lab breeders. AKC registers as black. Labrador Retriever Club of America considers dilute non-standard. Same CDA risk as all dd dogs.
Silver
bb dd. "Silver Lab" is the breeder term. AKC registers as chocolate. The Labrador Retriever Club of America does not recognize silver as a valid Lab color. CDA risk applies.
Champagne
ee + dd. "Champagne Lab" = very pale cream with grey nose/points. AKC registers as yellow. CDA risk applies.