Energetic, affectionate, and a friendly dog, a Chocolate Lab weighs above 80 pounds and has a lifespan of around 10-12 years.
From the time they started to gain popularity, they have become one of the top alternatives for home dog buyers.
Chocolate Labs are great family dogs. They are the Labrador Retrievers of brown color.
These dogs were seen occasionally observed to be a part of black Labrador puppy litters.
Historically, they were disapproved and were hence slaughtered in bulks. Only the black Labradors were considered desirable and were respectfully preserved.
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Chocolate Lab Pictures
The History of Chocolate Lab
Labradors originated in the late 19th century. First born in England, they soon ended up in Newfoundland – a part of North America, and later came back to England.
Labrador litters were naturally comprised of three colors, namely: Yellow, Black, and Brown.
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The brown Labs don’t vary much in color. However, a change in the shade of brown can be seen throughout the Chocolate Labrador lifespan.
Depending on the age of the coat, if a brown Lab is new, its coat has a darker shade of brown. On the other hand, an older dog will have a lighter shade of brown.
Labs initially were used by the fishermen of Newfoundland. When they were taken back to England, they observed the brown color Labs appearing in black Lab litters.
This was because the black dogs carried the genetic information necessary to give birth to brown color Labs in the same way as some black dogs also carried genetic information to give rise to yellow colored Labs.
In the second and third decades of the twentieth century, liver Labradors increasingly started to appear. Back then, they were used in shooting sports.
Those who liked the brown Labradors named them Liver Labradors and this name remained prevalent until the late twentieth century. The breeders considered it as a defect and the brown Lab puppies were slaughtered, which was a common occurrence.
Since the 1960s, the brown Labradors started gaining wider popularity. The craze for these dogs began with homeowners who gave the word “Chocolate” to their name.
Today, the Chocolate Labs are much desired by dog owners all around the globe. Labradors were registered in the American Kennel Club in 1917 and by the UK Kennel Club in 1903.
The Genetics of a Chocolate Labrador
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A gene is a factor that decides what a dog will look like, and what color he will have after birth.
Genes always come in pairs. The gene that determines that a Labrador will be brown in color is represented by “b”.
The gene that determines that a Labrador will be black in color is represented by “B”.
A Labrador has a possibility of having any one of these three pairs of genes, namely: BB – two genes for a black, Bb – one for black and the other for brown, and bb – two genes for a brown.
Black dogs are predominantly seen because even if a Lab possesses one gene of brown and one gene of black, the resultant Lab will be of black color.
This situation occurs because a black gene overrides the brown gene and the brown gene’s effect gets nullified.
You would ask: How does a Chocolate Labrador puppy come into being? Well, when a Labrador has two genes of brown (bb), then there is the Chocolate Labrador for you.
Only when there are two brown genes in a pair, does a brown gene dominate and a chocolate Lab is formed. Merely a single brown gene in a pair won’t do the trick.
So, even if a black Labrador has a “Bb” gene pair, he can pass down a brown gene to his children and thus keep alive the possibility of producing a Chocolate Lab in the upcoming generations.
Good information I have had Labs for 15 years and I believe they are the best family dogs. They are smart and great with kids and most other dogs. And you are right you have to watch their weight and they need exercise and lots of love.