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Labs with white spots? Full blooded or not?

186K views 36 replies 32 participants last post by  fishin444 
#1 ·
I have always heard that a lab with white spots isnt a full blooded dog. I have seen some registered dogs with the white on the chest and paws but that dosnt mean they are purebred. What do yall think? If i go to see a dog and i see white on them it turns me off. Also what causes these marks if the dog is purebred?
 
#2 ·
I've got a litter on the ground right now and about half of them have "Bolo spots" on their feet. I'm pretty sure they are pure bred. On the other hand, I wouldn't breed to a dog with white on its chest, head or the tops of its feet.
 
#4 ·
A little white spot doesn't mean anything. There are lots of purebred labs with white spots on their chest and/or toes. It's no big deal, unless you intend to show your dog in conformation.

I actually have a yellow girl with a black splash mark on her right shoulder and chest that is about as big as two to three man-sized handprints. She is a show bred dog, and her pedigree is impeccable. I own and bred her mother, so I'm absolutely sure of her lineage. It's just a "birthmark". She's unusual, for sure, but she is absolutely purebred.

Sometimes a spot is just a spot.
 
#5 ·
I have always heard that a lab with white spots isnt a full blooded dog. I have seen some registered dogs with the white on the chest and paws but that dosnt mean they are purebred. What do yall think? If i go to see a dog and i see white on them it turns me off. Also what causes these marks if the dog is purebred?
The black lab female i got has a spot of white on her tail. I found out that this goes back three generations and i know for a fact mine is pure bred lab. I also had a female a few years back that was black with yellow streaks on her front legs and chest. It would be interesting to find out what causes this.
 
#10 ·
Our late and lamented girl Georga had yellow tipping on her face and legs, everyone called it gold frosting...her dad was chocolate and her mum was yellow....funnily enough she held her own in the show ring despite the tipping. Java has Bolo spots and her pups have too...she also has a gold band around her tail, which cant be seen unless you rub the hair back the wrong way..her pups have that too and I would really like to know about that.
 
#6 ·
Some of the best field trial Labs, including Lean Mac, are known for throwing pups with white. Bolo spots (white marks in the undersides of hocks/paws) are very common. White spots on the chest, while not desirable under the standard are still permitted. White chins -- some claimed as prematurely gray even if there when the dog is a pup -- are not at all uncommon and may be found on some national champions. I have a Patton pup with a sprinkling of white hairs on her right front leg. When you see dogs with names like blaze, salty, powder, etc., you may find a few white spots to go with the name. There is a difference between having markings inconsistent with the standard, and not being purebred.
 
#12 ·
Some of the best field trial Labs, including Lean Mac, are known for throwing pups with white. Bolo spots (white marks in the undersides of hocks/paws) are very common. White spots on the chest, while not desirable under the standard are still permitted. White chins -- some claimed as prematurely gray even if there when the dog is a pup -- are not at all uncommon and may be found on some national champions. I have a Patton pup with a sprinkling of white hairs on her right front leg. When you see dogs with names like blaze, salty, powder, etc., you may find a few white spots to go with the name. There is a difference between having markings inconsistent with the standard, and not being purebred.
That explains a little for me since he is part of my females bloodline.
 
#9 ·
My Flat Coated pup has a white spot on her chest. She is a big time pure breed. Very good pedigree. She was the only one in her litter that way. I picked her because she is very birdie and don't want to breed her, the breeder marked her limited, no big deal. The breeder said it happens, some times it goes away and others not.
 
#13 · (Edited)
I had a whole litter with bolo markings on their feet...by the time they were a year old, no markings remained...they did have Lean Max in the pedigree...see this link...he is in Lean Mac's pedigree and the marks are named after him...
http://www.lorkenfarms.com/banchory_bolo.htm

It is also an interesting article about a dog that someone had faith in...
 
#18 ·
This thread has really encouraged me today, thank you to everyone who shared.
 
#19 ·
All else being equal, I would pick the puppy with white between it's pads over one that had none! Same if they have a Zipper between the eyes!
 
#20 ·
FWIW, Im one more guy with a Bolo'd black girl who is a great retriever and throws awesome pups. I had her grandma too and she was a big choc girl, when she was bred to a black stud, the pups would all have some white hairs some where.
 
#21 ·
My Little Man male has white spot about the size of a dime on his neck along with a few random white hairs sprinkled around.
 
#23 ·
I've owned several dogs either directly sired by Maxx or sired by FC-AFC Lean Mac sons that had the bolo marks...
 
#24 ·
You probably know this already but here's the color standard from the AKC. Of course this is primailry an issue if you're showing the dog.

Color
The Labrador Retriever coat colors are black, yellow and chocolate. Any other color or a combination of colors is a disqualification. A small white spot on the chest is permissible, but not desirable. White hairs from aging or scarring are not to be misinterpreted as brindling. Black--Blacks are all black. A black with brindle markings or a black with tan markings is a disqualification. Yellow--Yellows may range in color from fox-red to light cream, with variations in shading on the ears, back, and underparts of the dog. Chocolate--Chocolates can vary in shade from light to dark chocolate. Chocolate with brindle or tan markings is a disqualification.
The nose should be black on black or yellow dogs, and brown on chocolates. Nose color fading to a lighter shade is not a fault. A thoroughly pink nose or one lacking in any pigment is a disqualification.
 
#25 ·
seeing how this topic is up, I have a 6 mo old female that has a very noticeable 2 inch section in the middle of her tale that is white. Very, very strange and semi alarming to me. She has an impecable pedigree with Ten Bears road trip "Tic" as her sire and the mama is a full sibling to high waters tina turner and FC all that Jazz. I would like to hear from anyone else that has this line and might be in the same situation. I am concerned as I got this dog for breeding potential. Im not sure if this defect would turn anyone off or not....?

Feel free to PM me if you would like...
 
#26 · (Edited)
seeing how this topic is up, I have a 6 mo old female that has a very noticeable 2 inch section in the middle of her tale that is white. Very, very strange and semi alarming to me. She has an impecable pedigree with Ten Bears road trip "Tic" as her sire and the mama is a full sibling to high waters tina turner and FC all that Jazz. I would like to hear from anyone else that has this line and might be in the same situation. I am concerned as I got this dog for breeding potential. Im not sure if this defect would turn anyone off or not....?

Feel free to PM me if you would like...
See post #15 regarding the gland in the tail... ...OMG it's not a defect....
Your dog's sire is chocolate.. this is very common in chocolate factored blacks and chocolates...
Also, sometimes if the dog has been injured even a minor cut, sometimes the hair around the site will grow back white.
 
#27 ·
My dog bullet is defective, he is chocolate factored! ;)
 
#28 ·
I cannot believe the number of people who supposedly know the labrador breed (biting tongue) enough to buy a labrador for breeding purposes, who don't even know the basic principles of the labrador breed standard. Not to mention the ones that have owned and trained/hunted a dog for a year or more that are suddenly concerned that their dog is purebred or not. Do they not do ANY research on the breed that they are buying? Are people really that lazy that they cannot do a simple google search on the breed? Or is the educational system in the US that defunct that they cannot read? Oh, wait. They can use a computer, enter a forum, and post a ridiculous post/thread, so they should be able to read.
 
#30 · (Edited)
#31 ·
My little boy has bolo spots on front foot. When a pup, we called him Gordon Whitefoot. The 20 something Vet techs didn't get it. I must be old. He is sired by Gates, who was sired by Lean Mac. Couple littermates also had white spots, a choco with white spot on chest and a choco with white spot on the tail. The Dam also has the same spot on tail like her daughter, on both you can only see it when they're wet. At least one other Gates sired dog, one that I train with her owner from time to time, also has a white patch on her chest.
 
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