Labrador coat

 COAT COLOUR 

BLACK:  Black Labradors are solid black. A small white spot on the chest is permissible.  Sparse white hairs in between the toes and footpads are common in some of the blacks.  Some mature black Labradors will have a red or orange hue to their coats at certain times of the year.  This is known as casting.  Casting can occur when the Lab is shedding and the hair is dead but also can be a result of bleaching from prolonged exposure to the sun.    

CHOCOLATE:  Chocolate or Liver Labradors can range in shade from a light to very dark chocolate colour.  A small white spot on the chest is permissible.  Eye colour on chocolates can range from yellow through brown.  Darker coat and eye colour are most desirable in chocolates. Washed out chocolate coats and light eyes are not attractive for this breed.  The chocolate coat is hard to maintain in one uniform colour.  The sun easily bleaches the chocolate Labrador, giving him the appearance of various shades of the chocolate colour scattered throughout the coat.  

YELLOW:  Yellow Labradors can range is shade from a very light cream all the way to a rich dark red colour known as "fox red" with various darker shading along the ears, top line, tail and hocks.  A small white spot on the chest is permissible, however will not be noticeable in the lighter shades of yellow. Yellow Labradors should have black pigment on the nose, lips and eye rims with the exception of newborn yellow as they are born without pigment but within the first few days of life, the black pigment will begin to come in.  If by chance you see a two week old or older Lab puppy and he/she does not have black pigment already in then that puppy will never have black pigment.