# Labs with white spots? Full blooded or not?



## matt

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?


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## Matt McKenzie

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.


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## ErinsEdge

The early Labradors-St Johns dogs had white (see pic)
http://www.lorkenfarms.com/labrador Retriever history.htm

Some white on the chest is acceptable


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## susanb

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.


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## croppiemstr

matt said:


> 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.


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## YardleyLabs

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.


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## Wyldfire

http://www.blueknightlabs.com/content/view/69/108/


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## Wyldfire

http://www.blueknightlabs.com/content/view/167/143/


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## Larry64

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.


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## lynette

croppiemstr said:


> 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.


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.


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## TN_LAB

It's not prefered, but it doesn't mean they aren't purebred.

FWIW, they make fine dogs.


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## croppiemstr

YardleyLabs said:


> 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.


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## SueLab

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...


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## croppiemstr

lynette said:


> 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.


That is the same with my female you cant see it unless she is wet or you rub the hair the worng direction. So weird


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## Cleo Watson

lynette said:


> 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.


Several years ago there was a Genetic Seminar at Cornell University that I attended. I had several questions I wanted to know concerning Chocolates. I was able to speak with the main speaker and he told me that chocolate was a 'color' gene only and had absoltely no bearing on the ability or inteligence of the Lab, it was all in the breeding. And, regarding the light ring about 2 inches below the base of the tail was a gland that could occur in all colors of the Lab, just a bit more visible in some.

The white spot on the chest, the bolo marks on the legs and the light ring around the tail has nothing to do with the performance of the Lab, they don't pick up birds with any of these. I am reminded of the Canadian National Champ, FC, AFC Overland Express who sported a large white blaze on his chest. Didn't slow Jake down at all. 

If the dog is healthy, well bred, loves to retrieve and pleases you, that is all that matters.


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## lynette

Thanks for that, Cleo...much appreciated


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## Steve

I'd recommend for any dog that is not full blooded to be taken to the vet. I bet they could top 'em off with a pint.


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## BWCA Labs Margo Penke

This thread has really encouraged me today, thank you to everyone who shared.


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## Breck

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!


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## Eli M

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.


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## Rick_C

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.


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## Dave Farrar

My Lean Mac grandson has a little white behind his paws. It's barely noticeable. I'm hoping that's not all he got from Grandpa...


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## frontier

Dave Farrar said:


> My Lean Mac grandson has a little white behind his paws. It's barely noticeable. I'm hoping that's not all he got from Grandpa...


I've owned several dogs either directly sired by Maxx or sired by FC-AFC Lean Mac sons that had the bolo marks...


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## Spring

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.


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## Tim Fitzgerald

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...


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## frontier

Tim Fitzgerald said:


> 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.


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## FOM

My dog bullet is defective, he is chocolate factored!


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## firehouselabs

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.


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## badhab31

I love the quote!


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## Keith Stroyan

"Bolo" spots are named for Dual Champion Banchory Bolo. That's about as "pure" as it gets. http://www.lorkenfarms.com/banchory_bolo.htm

A "star" on the chest is no big deal. I had one pup with a star in a well bred litter and I kept her. She's an amazing animal - even at 15.

http://homepage.math.uiowa.edu/~stroyan/Shohola/ThreeGenerations.jpg

The one in the middle has the star. Lulu, Star, Kate. Grandma Kate got the white when she was old.


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## downbirds

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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## Thomas D

Do a search for Woodhaven Labs.


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## Hunt'EmUp

Hmmm have had a few with bolo spots, which goes back to banchory bolo, not much more pure bred than that. He was also a chocolate carrier, thus in a lot of coco pedigrees. I will admit the white tail ring freaked me out when I encountered it on one of my nothing but pure bred black dogs, you can only see it when the dog is wet, but seems to be prominent in cocos and coco carriers. Had to do some research on it, and it runs in pretty much the same lines, as bolo spots. Never heard of it being a gland thing, will have to file that away.

The early graying- chest flares that runs in some lines of labs, I would hypothesize ties directly back to the St. John dog which had very large patches of white, and a distinct graying pattern around the eyes and chin.http://retrieverman.wordpress.com/files/2009/05/last-st-johns-water-dogs.jpg


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## kennel maiden

UK breed standard for the Labrador says small white spot on chest is permissible (nothing about desirability).


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## OTIS SANDERS

firehouselabs said:


> 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.


They have that DNA stuff now which will tell you all the mixes that went into making a pure blood don't they?


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## Don Smith

Keith Stroyan said:


> "Bolo" spots are named for Dual Champion Banchory Bolo. That's about as "pure" as it gets. http://www.lorkenfarms.com/banchory_bolo.htm


Thanks for posting that, Keith. Time for me to reread the Wolters book referred to in the article. I've still got it, but haven't opened it in decades.


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## fishin444

i'm not sure if any of you took a biology class in school. So here it is it's called a biological spore. this is why you see deer that are all white does this mean that it's not a full blooded deer. Nature does sometimes play tricks on us.


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