White chest patch???

[MNpurple]

I got my first look at the pups I will choose from today, they are about 4 weeks old. Good looking pups and good personality for this age.

What suprised me though was that one of the black females (only 2 to choose from as it is a mixed yellow/black litter) had a very small patch of white on her chest. The breeder said a previous repeat of this breeding produced one pup with a white chest patch. I've seen the pedigree and both father and mother, all lab. I actually kinda like the little blaze but do you know where it comes from, or what causes this white patch?Is ita sign of a mutt way up the lines some where? The dame is from Candlewoods and Roaring Winds Lines and the Sire is the son of Riks Risky Raider.

It doenst take long to get attached to a certain one! and it was little blaze.

[fechmupbud]

Cut and pasted from the AKC website. http://www.akc.org/breeds/labrador_retriever/


Color
The Labrador Retriever coat colors are black, yellow and chocolate. Any other color or a combination of colors is a disqualification. A small white spot on the chest is permissible, but not desirable. White hairs from aging or scarring are not to be misinterpreted as brindling. Black--Blacks are all black. A black with brindle markings or a black with tan markings is a disqualification. Yellow--Yellows may range in color from fox-red to light cream, with variations in shading on the ears, back, and underparts of the dog. Chocolate--Chocolates can vary in shade from light to dark chocolate. Chocolate with brindle or tan markings is a disqualification.

Mom taught me, let the pup pick you. If the pup with white spot is the one, then run it. (Of course, that's only my opinion) - My brown dog has a little white spot and the black dog has about 7 or 8 white hairs, and personally, I couldn't care less -999 out of 1000 of themhavegot SOMETHING about them that's not "desireable."

[msdawg1]

I think they call that a "watermark"? Mine is a chocolate lab and has that same mark and I could care less. Great dog. He's not for show, just hunting and family.

[Doc E]

Unless you are going to "Show" the dog, don't worry about it. As was already mentioned, in Dog Shows (bench shows) a small white star is allowed but not desired -- It does not have anything to do with "purity".
The white patch comes from one of the original ancestors of the Labrador, namely the St. John's Water Dog.
Here is a rare picture of the St John's. Back in the old days, dogs with the white star were considered to be the best hunters.

[Phil from Maine]

Wow Doc, thanks for sharing as the lab we had looked alot like them with white toes and everything. We had thought that she was a mixed breed or something and now I am not so sure about that. You got me wondering so I will have to look for some pictures of her now. We had to put her down after her 17 birthday and her blood line was unknown. As she was recovered after she was found chained to a tree in the woods behind some druggies house.

[Doc E]

Phil

Do a websearch with the words "bolo spots" ........ That may exdplain the white toes as well.



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