Which Lab Is Best – Yellow, Chocolate, or Black?

You decided to get two puppies. You looked around, and narrowed it down to Labrador Retrievers. But now you wonder about color. Which Lab is best – yellow, chocolate, or black?

Lab puppies come in just those three colors. The American Kennel Club (AKC) does not recognize other colors or combinations of the three. Only those three are correct colors. Be wary of pet store or breeders selling “rare” or other “off-color” Lab puppies.

Color Standards

1. Black

Black Lab puppies are the most popular in the U.S. and the U.K. Black is also the dominant gene in Lab puppies. The AKC standard says Black Lab puppies must be black from head to tail. A very small white spot on the chest is permissible, but it isn’t desirable. There should be no brindle markings, that is, no streaks or flecks of different colors.

Individual Lab puppies are not perfect, but yours should be as close to the AKC standard as possible. If they are not, you will have something other than Black Lab puppies.

2. Chocolate

If you like chocolates, you may choose Chocolate Lab puppies. The AKC standard says Chocolate Lab puppies must be chocolate from head to tail. They may be light chocolate or dark chocolate. They may have slight shading here and there, but they should have no spots, streaks, or flecks of other colors.

Again, individual Lab puppies are not perfect, but stick closely to the AKC standard to be sure you get Chocolate Lab puppies.

3. Yellow

The third accepted color for Lab puppies is yellow. Some people mistakenly call this color “Golden Labradors”. The color in Yellow Lab puppies should range from light cream to gold to fox-red. As with the other two colors, there should be no spots, streaks, or flecks of other color. Very light Yellow Lab puppies may have golden ear tips.

Yellow Lab puppies are not Golden Retrievers. The Golden Retriever is a separate breed.

4. No Black and White

Some disreputable breeders are trying to sell black and white dogs as “Lab puppies”. Photos of such dogs appear on the Internet, even heading up unprofessional sites that claim to offer information on Labrador Retrievers, but there are no such things as black and white Lab puppies.

No Other Difference

Aside from color, there are no other differences in Lab puppies. Some people “believe” that Black Lab puppies become better hunters, Yellow Lab puppies are lazier, and Chocolate Lab puppies are stubborn, but none of these is true.

Colors of Lab puppies are determined by two genes. Those genes do not control anything else – just color. Since all three colors of Lab puppies can be born into the same litter, color makes no difference in temperament and behavior.

If it seems that certain colors exhibit certain traits, the dogs may simply be living up to the expectations of their owners.

Which Lab is best for you? It’s simply a matter of what you like.