Here is the position statement from the Labrador Retriever Club regarding Silver Labrador Retrievers:

"There is no genetic basis for the silver gene in Labradors. The silver color is a disqualification under the Standard for the breed. The LRC does not recognize, accept or condone the sale or advertising of any Labrador as a silver Labrador. The Club opposes the practice of registering silver as chocolate."

Some dog breeders are only interested in breeding Labrador retrievers that look exactly like the AKC standard; they are not concerned with breeding labs that act like sporting dogs. If a Labrador retriever completes the ARC championship, they are not able to use that title until they have also completed and passed a working test called Field and Hunting trial training. Although the testing itself is not difficult, the Labrador club traditionally makes it difficult for a regular person to manage the testing.

When the Labrador is in testing they do not have to stay steady because they can be held by the judge on the line until the judge is ready to send them. Once the judge releases the lab they have to retrieve a pheasant, then enter the water and retrieve two other animals. One of the hardest elements for an owner to teach their Labrador retriever is for them not to be gun shy. Any grown Labrador retriever that has never heard gunfire before will not respond well if the first time they hear such a loud noise is in the middle of their field and hunting trials. Therefore, it is important to begin working with your lab at a very young age to get them use to loud noises. Read More...

The most distinguishing characteristics of the Labrador Retriever are its short, dense, weather resistant coat; an "otter" tail; a clean-cut head with broad back skull and moderate stop; powerful jaws; and its "kind," friendly eyes, expressing character, intelligence and good temperament.

Above all, a Labrador Retriever must be well balanced, enabling it to move in the show ring or work in the field with little or no effort. The typical Labrador possesses style and quality without over refinement, and substance without lumber or cloddiness. The Labrador is bred primarily as a working gun dog; structure and soundness are of great importance.