Labrador Retrievers are considered the world’s most popular dog. The Labrador Retriever has been the AKC’s most popular dog breed for the last 18 years running. Unfortunately the popularity has become a draw back. Because of the fact that so many people own Labradors, there are a lot of unscrupulous breeders.
Chocolate Labradors are fairly rare for a couple of reasons. The first reason is genetics, Only a couple of different pairings in adults will produce chocolate colored Labrador puppies.
Mostly though, the scarcity of Chocolate Labradors is due to human ignorance. In the past, when Chocolate Labradors were more abundant, breeders treated them unkindly and deemed them genetically abnormal. Most breeders would drown Chocolate Labrador puppies in order to erase them from the genetic bloodline of Labradors. Because of this cruel act, Chocolate Labrador’s genetic line was almost eradicated; which at the same time makes owning one a novelty.
Due to the shortage and scarcity of the Chocolate Labradors gene pool, unscrupulous breeders and especially puppy mills would cross breed any brown dog just to produce a dog that looks like a Chocolate Labrador. The result is a half-breed Labrador that might not necessarily have the Labrador temperament that made them so popular in the first place. This has tainted the reputation of Chocolate Labradors. Purebred Chocolate Labradors are really as good-natured and loving as their Black and Yellow counterparts.
Find a reputable breeder who really specializes in Chocolate Labradors. It may be a bit expensive, but you will be able to save yourself from future problems. If you do buy a Labrador that is not purebred, you might have some problems later in their lives.
Health problems due to genetic incompatibility can become a headache for you and treating the illnesses will be costly. You also can’t be sure what kind of temperament your puppy will have. This is not necessarily a big problem, just be aware that your puppy might not have the typical Labrador puppy behavior that you might expect.
However, if you are one of those lucky ones who can find Chocolate Labradors, be responsible. Take care of your Chocolate Labrador, make sure that you are ready for the arrival of the puppy and that you have everything he needs. Prepare the place in which he is to stay in. Provide proper love, care and attention, and you will reap the rewards of having a Chocolate Labrador.
Hopefully, from this information, you understand now that while purebred Chocolate Labradors are more rare than their black and yellow cousins, they still possess the same Labrador temperament and behavior that makes the Labrador such a wonderful dog. All Labradors tend to have the same temperament, regardless of what color they are. Which color Labrador you choose is purely a matter of personal taste. Chocolate Labradors do tend to get a lot of comments from people you meet as they are rare and most people don’t see them often, but apart from that, they are still just a Lbrador retriever.
This entry was posted on Sunday, April 4th, 2010 at 12:11 pm and is filed under Puppy Behavior. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.
