The chocolate Labrador retriever is valued for its beautiful rich color and for its fine qualities as a member of the Labrador retriever family. The Labrador retrievers are a part of the sporting breeds and are excellent companions in the field.

Learning about the history of the chocolate Labrador retriever is interesting and involves a little bit of a mystery. The mystery is that no one is sure how the Labrador retriever actually came to be a distinct breed. The dog was originally recognized in Newfoundland in the 1800s and at that time, was a dog used for working alongside fishermen and game hunters.

Not Recognized By The American Kennel Club

These early Labrador retrievers were all black with a small white spot on their chest and early on, the American Kennel Club did not recognize the chocolate Labrador retriever as an official breed because it was thought that the chocolate color was a result of a genetic error. This error almost led to the total destruction of the chocolate Labrador retriever as a distinct category of Labrador retrievers.

Genetic Stock Almost Depleted

During these early days, chocolate dogs were destroyed before they were able to add their genes to the breed stock. It was not until the 1970s that genetic testing proved that the chocolate Labrador was a purebred Labrador and could have the same breed recognition as the black and yellow labs. The result of the early destruction of the chocolate labs proved to be a disaster when the chocolate lab was finally recognized because as an official breed, more people wanted the chocolate lab and there were not enough dogs that carried the recessive gene to fill the demand.

Dilution Of The Breed

Some unscrupulous dog breeds began passing off other dog breeds as chocolate labs and the breed's purity began to be compromised that happened as a result of fake chocolate labs being bred with true chocolate labs. A problem that resulted from these mixing of breeds was that many people came to believe that the chocolate lab did not perform as well as the black and yellow labs although a true chocolate lab has the fine qualities that can be expected of Labrador retrievers.

The chocolate Labrador retrievers are a beautiful and valuable dog breed as a companion and a sporting dog. These wonderful chocolate Labrador retrievers have been brought back from the brink of disaster and are a valued member of the breeds recognized by the American Kennel Club.