ProLitter is dedicated to breed preservation, so-called Silver, Charcoal, or Champagne Labrador Retrievers are technically not pure-bred Labrador Retrievers and they are not recognized as such by the AKC. If you see an advertisement for AKC-registered Silver Labs, tread lightly as people are often found advertising these dogs as “rare colors” to make them seem more desirable when in fact the opposite is true. Silver, Charcoal, or Champagne colors in Labs actually come from a recessive “D” gene, or dilute gene that is traced back to crossbreeding a lab most likely with a Weimaraner. Silver, Charcoal, or Champagne labs that make it through the AKC registry are probably registered as a Chocolate Lab. Labs that carry the Dilute gene are often affected by skin health issues that cause hair loss and even baldness in some cases. Read more about this over at the Labrador Club, Issues of the Silver Lab.