What Is the Difference Between Yellow & Black Labs?

When choosing a lab, many pet owners tend to lean towards one color or the other based on preconceived notions regarding the temperament of that particular color versus the temperament of the other. However, in reality, there is really only one difference between yellow and black labs and it has nothing to do with temperament.

  1. The Difference

    • The only difference is the color of the dog's coat. In fact, it is even possible for a litter of puppies to contain all three lab colors (yellow, black and chocolate), proving to any doubters that there is no other difference. What color a lab will be has nothing to do with anything except genes, with two sets controlling the color of the dog.

    Genes

    • There are two sets of genes that will determine the color of the lab. The first controls whether the dog will be dark (black or chocolate) or light (yellow). Since dark is dominant, if the puppy possesses either EE (homozygous dominant) or Ee (heterozygous) it will be dark. The only way a puppy will turn out yellow is if it has the genes ee (homozygous recessive). The second set of genes comes into play only for dark labs. If an EE or Ee dog also has the genes BB (homozygous dominant) or Bb (heterozygous) it will be black. The only way an EE or Ee gened dog will be chocolate is if it also has the bb (homozygous recessive) gene.

    Temperament

    • Many people believe that labs that are different colors have a different temperament. For instance, it has been said that black labs make better hunters or that yellow labs are lazier, but in reality this sort of temperament merely differs from dog to dog, not from color to color. As previously mentioned, the reason the labs are a different color has nothing to do with anything except for genes. The fact that these dogs can be part of the same litter only proves the point that there is no other difference than the color.

    Puppy Litters

    • While it is true that there are some cases where a puppy litter can have all three colors of labs, it should also be stated that this is not always the case. What colors are possible in a litter simply depends on the genes of the parents. For instance, if both parents are yellow, the puppies will always be yellow. Additionally, if both parents are chocolate, there can be yellow or chocolate puppies, but never black.