If you are an animal lover, the chances are that you would love your pet to be loving and playful. And that’s what Silver Labrador Retrievers are. These wonderful breed of dogs are always full of energy and are super brilliant in their ways and not to mention they have an awesome grey color skin coat which makes them stand apart from all the other dog breeds. If you want to know more about the Silver Labrador Retriever, this is the article for you.
What is Silver Labrador Retriever?
Silver Labs have a very distinct appearance among all the other dog breeds. Silver labs are said to be extremely enthusiastic and loyal, and that is why they are the most famous dog breed in the USA as of today. They have an amazing personality and make an excellent hunting buddy, service dog, show dog, etc. The main purpose of breed Silver labs was to make them work so they are always so full of energy and stays hyperactive all day.
As for their appearance, a silver Labrador retriever looks like any other retriever dogs, board structure with flappy eyes and a bushy tail, except they have a unique skin coat. The color of their dense skin coat can vary from silver to grey to blue at times. They weigh around 55 to 80 lbs. and can be as tall as 21 to 24 inches. But the most attractive factor of the Silver Labrador retrievers is their eyes. Usually, silver labs have blue eyes are very rare and look exquisite. Silver labs have a life expectancy of 10 to 14 years.
The reason why silver Labrador retrievers are silver because these dog breeds have two recessive genes instead of two dominant or a mixture of dominant and recessive genes. These two recessive genes are called the dilution gene as it, in reality, dilutes the skin color coat of the breed. The dilution is said to come from the usual chocolate or brown color from the chocolate Labradors and the coat color can be either silver, grey r blue. For more information visit petdogplanet.com.
Where did Silver Labrador Retriever come from?
Labradors first came about during the 1830s and gained popularity fast because of their loving personality. This is the reason why breeders started experimenting with this breed and they did it for 50 years. Finally, during the 1880s, they came about with Labrador Retrievers.
About a century later the Silver labs emerged out of nowhere in about 19650s and they are said to have come out of nowhere, as they have no proper documentation of this certain kind of breed as Labrador Retriever was always yellow, black or chocolate. It is assumed that Silver Labs are a breed of Labrador and Weimaraner because Weimaraner has similar characteristics as the Silver Labrador Retriever. However, these breed of dogs were so captivating that very soon they became one of the most popular and wanted dog breeds in the USA.
Silver Labrador Retriever Temperament
Being known for being so playful and friendly, silver labs can excellent family pets. You can not underestimate the energy level a silver Labrador retriever has. They can be up on their feet all day and not get tired at all. Silver labs love to be around people, it does not matter who they are as long as they can play with them. They are generally very good around other dogs as well if they are trained to be social properly. Silver Labradors are very intelligent and loyal hence usually there is no need to put them on a leash. They would love to run around and explore the area on their own.
It’s a people’s dog that’s for sure. You must expect a silver lab to do something silly and make all of your friends and family laugh and adore it. If you do not give them something to do, they will get bored easily and find its ways to keep it occupied. And silver labs bark a lot when they are bored. So be prepared for a messy house or chewed pillow unless you make sure you have enough activities for your silver lab.
Also, silver labs love to eat and can easily find food. If the kids in the house finished all of their vegetables on their plates in one go without any complaints, you can expect to find your silver lab under the table. They are always hungry and will go scavenger hunting for food in your garbage, back yard, anywhere really. Hence make sure all the food is out of reach with you have this ball of energy in your house. This epic appetite might cause a weight control issue so you have to be a little strict and careful while feeding a silver Labrador retriever.
How to train a Silver Labrador Retriever?
As we already know by now, silver Labrador retrievers are a friendly and highly intelligent breed of dogs so training them is quite fun as the dogs enjoy it so much. The best way to do so is rewarding in the form of treats, toys, love, etc. treats will be their favorite and easier of the rewards for good behavior as silver labs have a huge appetite.
However, also due to their high intelligence they might get bored too soon so you have to be innovative, consistent, patient and repetitive with the training session. A good train game is fetching and silver labs love that. Also, it is very important to make sure silver labs socialize with people and animals when they are pups so that they can access their personalities fully when they are grown up. So it is recommended to take your silver lab puppies to social public areas where he can have access to many acquaintances.
Taking care of a Silver Labrador Retriever
You need to take a considerate amount of care of your silver Labrador retriever but all of it is worth the cuddles and the laughter they guarantee to provide. Silver labs need to exercise at least one hour each day. This could be going to walks or some other activities but it is essential. if you own a backyard then the dogs can play all day long but they will get restless if they are stuck in the apartment for the entire day. One thing that silver labs love to do is swim and that could be a brilliant form of exercise and training for them.
Grooming a silver lab is not very difficult. They require usually grooming like any other dog. You have to clip their nails, clean their teeth and brush them as least twice a week to keep their coat clean and healthy. As silver labs love to swim, they can easily catch an ear infection so make sure their ears are clean at all times.
Some Advice if you are willing to purchase a Silver Labrador Retriever
If you are willing to purchase a silver lab, the first thing you must do is to make sure you have a good breeder. This is essential to ensure the correct temperament of the dog. Make sure to ask a lot of questions to the breeder and ask for documentation. Also, it is wise to interact with the parents or the pups first to make sure how they were treated or taken care of. Silver labs are quite expensive, costing around $1,200 so make sure you have exactly what you were looking for
Pros and Cons
Here all the pros and cons of a silver Labrador retriever are listed so that you can make an informed decision.
Pros
• The silver lab is just as healthy and fit as any other Labradors.
• They are adorable and trainable just like every other Labrador retrievers
• Silver labs are said to be a great family pet.
• The unusual skin coat gives you the pleasure of owning a unique and rare breed of dog
Cons
• Some people may identify the dog as not a good sight to the eyes and be rude to them.
• They are more expensive than other Labradors
• It’s difficult to find a certified breed that breeds silver Labrador retrievers.
• They have certain health issues like alopecia which can be harmful if you do not take care of your silver labs properly.
Conclusion
If you are not in love with silver Labrador retrievers already, you need to give this article another reading my friend. It is the number one dog breed in the USA for all the reasons mentioned above. A word of caution would be to make sure your silver labs have enough exercise and affection from you. It is not the dog who will just sit in an apartment all day. So to keep your dog out of mischief you must confirm that. Silver Labrador is the dog for anybody as they have taken it to be their life mission to make sure they make your day. Such a happy, friendly bright adaptable presence in your home as a part of your family is surely going to bring joy to your life and everybody around you.
