The chart lower down the page shows the possible puppy colours and colour gene combinations when High House Labradors stud dogs are mated to your labrador bitch, and the predicted proportion in the litter of each colour. For completeness, all other possible matings are also included. How parents pass different combinations of genes to offspring in the same litter is dealt with on a separate page.

For almost all labrador colouring, the key inheritance factors are the skin colour (B locus or B gene) and the presence or absence of yellow hair. The skin colour is either Black (B) or brown (b). B is dominant over b which is recessive. The hair that covers the skin is either skin coloured or yellow (E locus or E gene). Skin coloured (E) is dominant over yellow (e). The E gene is also called the Extension gene or Epistatic gene, and determines whether yellow Extends beyond the root of the hair. Chocolate and liver are just fashion names for brown.

You can see whether a yellow dog is black or brown under the hair by looking at the skin inside the cheeks. The black's is mainly black, and the brown's is mainly pink.

We had one black bitch who was mated with the same yellow dog for all three of her litters and produced two litters of all blacks, then a litter of all-but-one yellows. On the other hand, we recently had a litter that exactly matched the prediction of 25% each of black dog, black bitch, brown dog and brown bitch. Each puppy is given its genes independently of the others in the litter, but from a limited range of possibilities. While the odds of (say) all yellow puppies may be only 1 in 512 for a particular litter, that is not wildly improbable in a world where people will put money on the National Lottery at odds of 1 in 32 441 381 280!

What we can predict with confidence is the possible colours and the impossible colours. If an "impossible" colour does emerge, it is because the information on the colour genes of your bitch is not accurate. Sometimes you need to say that your bitch is either this or that colour gene makeup, and the puppy colour predictions will therefore be either ................................ or .........................

Rush, Dell and Piro are a variant of yellow called "Fox Red" or "Red Fox", another fashion name. Another set of genes, other than the B and E genes, is at play here. It gives a fox-like reddy brown, with a very even colour distribution. This will only appear in puppies both of whose parents carry these genes, and for most bitches this means that Rush, Dell and Piro can just be treated as a very dark yellow. The kennel club does not recognise fox red as anything other than a shade of yellow, and all red fox puppies are therefore registered as yellow.

All of the predictions in the chart are on the assumption that your bitch is a pure labrador retriever, not a cross. Other breeds have different colour genes that give colours and patterning that we do not know enough about to predict. There are a few other patterning effects in labradors that are very rare and not covered here.

Most labrador puppies will never breed (or should never breed a separate issue), and for those the difference between the colour genetic makeup of one black dog and another does not matter one tiny bit. The chart may therefore be quite irrelevant to most readers except for interest, but it is useful to breeders in choosing which dog to mate to which bitch AS LONG AS everything else is right.

It is very important indeed to realise that everything on the outside of your labrador is dead! However, that is the part that most people notice when they look at the dog: the colour of the dead hair, the patterning, the length of the coat ... It is pretty much the least important aspect of the dog, too. If you are going to work your dog in the dark, at a distance from you, then a light yellow colour is probably best as it can be seen more easily at dawn and dusk and in torchlight. If it is going to be filthy a lot of the time, black or chocolate will allow you to get it close to your fussy relatives without them realising the awful truth. We regard the colour as just another feature of the dog, and we breed for health, athleticism, temperament and intelligence. However, once you have all of those right, why not indulge in a bit of artwork for fun? For that you need to understand the colour genes of the dogs and bitches.

If you are approaching this topic for the first time, treat this is as all new. Don't try to make it fit in with what you have already heard bits and pieces of. The genetics of colour are fairly straightforward, but there are also some myths that completely block understanding. One typical example is the FALSE idea that some dogs with 3 black grandparents and one yellow are three quarters black so three quarters of their puppies will be black.

Another myth is that chocolate labradors are lazy, stupid, badly behaved and unhealthy. Well OK, it's quite true for some!!! However, it is also true for some black and yellow labradors, but not at all true for the ones that are energetic, clever, well behaved and bouncing with health. So how did the myth come about? One version of the story is that when labradors came into the country, the blacks were the shooting dogs, the yellows were the house dogs, and the browns were shot. This may or may not be 100% accurate, but the number of browns being bred was very small. They were not fashionable. Then a few people decided to breed them to be a bit different. The feature of the difference was the colour, and to get the best colour meant concentrating on that. Health, temperament and intelligence went down the priority list. Then a super chocolate dog won at Crufts, and there was an explosion in chocolate breeding. We know of one breeder in the UK (careful!!!) who went straight out and bought 2 chocolate dogs and 12 bitches. Hey presto, lots and lots of expensive puppies, and not a lot of care about their health, athleticism, trainability, and so on.

On the other hand, some breeders have decided to breed labradors that are energetic, clever, well behaved, bouncing with health AND ALSO chocolate. That is done by breeding good chocolates with good blacks and yellows, always picking the best puppies for the next generation. That way the chocolate colour re-emerges in top quality adults that can form the continuation of a top quality breeding programme. Here at High House Labradors, we have just such a programme, and stud dogs of all sorts of colours. Ours happen to be bred for extended work in the mountains, and so we tend towards the lighter built, faster, field trialling type.

To keep this bit simple, we describe our own chocolates as "proper labradors in idiots' clothing."

If you want to use one of our stud dogs, we will first be interested in the health aspects, the temperament and so on of your bitch, and in the support you will offer the puppies and their new owners. The colour of the puppies you would like can also be used to help decide which dog is best for you.

If you choose one of our puppies, we give a comprehensive health background as well as guidance about making the most of the temperament and athleticism of the pup without being outwitted by its intelligence. Oh yes, and the colour will be "good", too!

High House Labradors Puppy Colour Guide

For each combination of parents' colour genetic makeup, the predicted % of different puppy coat colours are given above the predicted % of different puppy colour genetic makeups, separated by a dotted double horizontal line across the box. The % figures are the statistical proportions of those colours appearing in any litter, not a firm prediction of the puppies in your litter.

The result of each combination can be found to the left of the same combination in the B & E genes column.

Your Bitch

High House Stud Dog(s)

Hair Colour

Colour Descriptions Commonly Used

B & E genes

BBEE

BBEe

BbEE

BbEe

bbEE

bbEe

BBee

Bbee

bbee

Black:

Dominant Black

BBEE

Black ========== 100%BBEE

Black ========== 50%BBEE, 50%BBEe

Black ========== 50%BBEE, 50%BbEE

Black ========== 25%BBEE, 25%BbEE, 25%BBEe, 25%BbEe

Black ========== 100%BbEE

Black ========== 50%BbEE, 50%BbEe

Black ========== 100% BBEe

Black ========== 50% BBEe, 50%BbEe

Black ========== 100% BbEe

Black:

Black carrying Yellow

BBEe

Black ========== 50%BBEE, 50%BBEe

Black 75%, Yellow 25% ========== 25%BBEE, 50%BBEe, 25%Bbee

Black ========== 25%BBEE, 25%BBEe, 25%BbEE, 25%BbEe

Black 75%, Yellow 25% ========== 12.5%BBEE, 25%BBEe, 12.5%BBee, 12.5%BbEE, 25%BbEe, 12.5%Bbee

Black ========== 50%BbEE, 50%BbEe

Black 75%, Yellow 25% ========== 25%BbEE, 50%BbEe, 25%Bbee

Black 50%, Yellow 50% ========== 50%BBEe, 50%BBee

Black 50%, Yellow 50% ========== 25%BBEe, 25%BbEe, 25%BBee, 25%Bbee

Black 50%, Yellow 50% ========== 50%BbEe, 50%Bbee

Ferto

Black:

Black, carrying Chocolate or Liver

BbEE

Black ========== 50%BBEE, 50%BbEE

Black ========== 25%BBEE, 25%BBEe, 25%BbEE, 25%BbEe

Black 75%, brown 25% ========== 25%BBEE, 50%BbEE, 25%bbEE

Black 75%, brown 25% ========== 12.5%BBEE, 12.5%BBEe, 25%BbEE, 25%BbEe, 12.5%bbEE, 12.5%bbEe

Black 50%, brown 50% ========== 50%BbEE, 50%bbEE

Black 50%, brown 50% ========== 25%BbEE, 25%BbEe, 25%bbEE, 25%bbEe

Black ========== 50%BBEe, 50%BbEe

Black 75% brown 25% ========== 25%BBEe, 50%BbEe, 25%bbEe

Black 50%, brown 50% ========== 50%BbEe, 50%bbEe

Black:

Black, carrying Yellow and Chocolate;
or Black, carrying Yellow and Liver

BbEe

Black ========== 25%BBEE, 25%BbEE, 25%BBEe, 25%BbEe

Black 75%, Yellow 25% ========== 12.5%BBEE, 25%BBEe, 12.5%BBee, 12.5%BbEE, 25%BbEe, 12.5%Bbee

Black 75%, brown 25% ========== 12.5%BBEE, 12.5%BBEe, 25%BbEE, 25%BbEe, 12.5%bbEE, 12.5%bbEe

56.25% Black, 25% Yellow, 18.75% brown ========== 6.25%BBEE, 12.5%BBEe, 6.25%BBee, 12.5%BbEE, 25%BbEe, 12.5%Bbee, 6.25%bbEE, 12.5%bbEe, 6.25%bbee

Black 50%, brown 50% ========== 25%BbEE, 25%BbEe, 25%bbEE, 25%bbEe

Black 37.5%, Yellow 25%, brown 37.5% ========== 12.5%BbEE, 25%BbEe, 12.5%Bbee, 12.5%bbEE, 25%bbEe, 12.5%bbee

Black 50%, Yellow 50% ========== 25%BBEe, 25%BBee, 25%BbEe, 25%Bbee

Black 37.5%, Yellow 50%, brown 12.5% ========== 12.5%BBEe, 25%BbEe, 12.5%bbEe, 12.5%BBee, 25%Bbee, 12.5%bbee

Black 25%, Yellow 50%, brown 25% ========== 25%BbEe, 25%Bbee, 25%bbEe, 25%bbee

Brown:

Chocolate or Liver

bbEE

Black ========== 100%BbEE

Black ========== 50%BbEE, 50%BbEe

Black 50%, brown 50% ========== 50%BbEE, 50%bbEE

Black 50%, brown 50% ========== 25%BbEE, 25%BbEe, 25%bbEE, 25%bbEe

brown ========== 100%bbEE

brown ========== 50%bbEE, 50%bbEe

Black ========== 100%BbEe

Black 50%, brown 50% ========== 50%BbEe, 50%bbEe

brown ========== 100%bbEe

Cairn
Milo

Brown:

Chocolate or Liver, carrying Yellow

bbEe

Black ========== 50%BbEE, 50%BbEe

Black 75%, Yellow 25% ========== 25%BbEE, 50%BbEe, 25%Bbee

Black 50%, brown 50% ========== 25%BbEE, 25%BbEe, 25%bbEE, 25%bbEe

Black 37.5%, Yellow 25%, brown 37.5% ========== 12.5%BbEE, 25%BbEe, 12.5%Bbee, 12.5%bbEE, 25%bbEe, 12.5%bbee

brown ========== 50%bbEE, 50%bbEe

75% brown, 25% Yellow ========== 25%bbEE, 50%bbEe, 25%bbee

Black 50%, Yellow 50% ========== 50%BbEe, 50%Bbee

Black 25%, Yellow 50%, brown 25% ========== 25%BbEe, 25%Bbee, 25%bbEe, 25%bbee

Yellow 50%, brown 50% ========== 50%bbee, 50%bbEe

Rush
Dell
Piro

Yellow:

Fox Red:

Yellow on black

Fox Red on black

}

BBee

Black ========== 100% BBEe

Black 50%, Yellow 50% ========== 50%BBEe, 50%BBee

Black ========== 50%BBEe, 50%BbEe

Black 50%, Yellow 50% ========== 25%BBEe, 25%BBee, 25%BbEe, 25%Bbee

Black ========== 100%BbEe

Black 50%, Yellow 50% ========== 50%BbEe, 50%Bbee

Yellow ========== 100%BBee

Yellow ========== 50%BBee, 50%Bbee

Yellow ========== 100%Bbee

Yellow:

Yellow carrying Chocolate

Bbee

Black ========== 50%BBEe, 50%BbEe

Black 50%, Yellow 50% ========== 25%BBEe, 25%BbEe, 25%BBee, 25%Bbee

Black 75% brown 25% ========== 25%BBEe, 50%BbEe, 25%bbEe

Black 37.5%, Yellow 50%, brown 12.5% ========== 12.5%BBEe, 25%BbEe, 12.5%bbEe, 12.5%BBee, 25%Bbee, 12.5%bbee

Black 50%, brown 50% ========== 50%BbEe, 50%bbEe

Black 25%, Yellow 50%, brown 25% ========== 25%BbEe, 25%Bbee, 25%bbEe, 25%bbee

Yellow ========== 50%BBee, 50%Bbee

Yellow ========== 25%BBee, 50%Bbee, 25%bbee

Yellow ========== 50%Bbee, 50%bbee

Yellow:

Yellow on Chocolate or Liver

bbee

Black ========== 100%BbEe

Black 50%, Yellow 50% ========== 50%BbEe, 50%Bbee

Black 50%, brown 50% ========== 50%BbEe, 50%bbEe

Black 25%, Yellow 50%, brown 25% ========== 25%BbEe, 25%Bbee, 25%bbEe, 25%bbee

brown ========== 100%bbEe

Yellow 50%, brown 50% ========== 50%bbee, 50%bbEe

Yellow ========== 100%Bbee

Yellow ========== 50%Bbee, 50%bbee

Yellow ========== 100%bbee

Contacting Us

Regulated under The Animal Welfare (Licensing of Activities Involving Animals) (England) Regulations 2018
License number DBR041133
Issued by South Lakeland District Council on 15th June 2024, valid until 14th June 2027

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