Originally Posted by IRescue452
Think before you speak people. A lot of breeds come in perfectly sound colour combinations that simply aren't often liked by show breeders. Take for instance the cocker spaniel. There is no link between health problems and white pigmentation but the show breeders don't like them to have more the 85% white. A cocker can be a representative of the standard and have 87% white, but it won't be shown. Likewise, a labrador can come in dilute chocolate "silver" and still fit the standard, but breeders just don't like the colour. Currently its rebellious breeders who either breed for money or don't care about showing labradors that are breeding silvers. There is something wrong with the for-profit breeders, but there is Nothing wrong with the labrador that comes in this colour. Here's further reading...
The AKC Stand on Registration of Silver Labradors:
Response of Jack Norton of the AKC on 1/24/00 giving AKC official position on the issue of Silver Labs.
The registry of the American Kennel Club is based on parentage and not the coat color of a member of any breed.
In 1987 the AKC, in corporation with the Labrador Retriever Club of America, conducted an inquiry into the breeding of litters that contained members that were registered as silver. An AKC representative was sent to observe these dogs. The report and color photographs of these dogs were reviewed by AKC staff and representatives of the Labrador Retriever Club of America. Both Parties were satisfied that there was no reason to doubt that the dogs were purebred Labrador Retrievers, however they felt that the dogs were incorrectly registered as silver. Since the breed standard at the time described chocolate as ranging in shade form sedge to chocolate, it was felt that the dogs could more accurately be described as chocolate rather than silver. This remains the current policy of the American Kennel Club.
Jack Norton
Special Services Dept
* One last note, at one point in time, the yellow labrador was in the same position as silver. They had to push to get the yellow lab accepted.