Is My Labrador Purebred? How To Tell (And Why Looks Can Be Misleading)

Worried that your dog might not be purebred? Not sure if your Labrador is a genuine pedigree dog? This is the article you need to read.

I have a steady stream of people coming to my forum, posting questions in the comments boxes at the foot of my articles, and writing to me by email, to ask this question. And the question is very often accompanied by photographs or detailed descriptions of the dog in question!

There are several ways that you can attempt to discover whether or not your Labrador is a purebred pedigree dog including:

• Visual assessment
• Pedigree papers
• DNA test

None of these approaches is entirely foolproof, and we’ll look at why that is as we go. Let’s look at a visual assessment first, because this is what most of my readers are hoping I will give them when they send me photographs.

Visual Assessment of Pedigree or Purity

A purebred dog comes from parents that are both registered members of the same breed. Purebred dog breeds have a lineage that has been selected for generations to have certain personality and physical characteristics. But breeding is not an exact science and there is plenty of scope for variation.

A visual assessment of pedigree involves looking at a dog and comparing their appearance with the breed standard. And I want to give you a couple of examples to illustrate the problems involved with this approach

Example 1: purebred but doesn’t look it.

For many years, I shared my home with a Labrador who bore little resemblance to the breed standard. She had a thin, whippy tail with an upwards curve, overlong ears and a long narrow face. These features, combined with her ginger coat mean that some people didn’t recognize her as a Labrador at all. I have been asked if she is a Viszla cross, a Lab x Greyhound, and other unlikely combinations.

In fact this Labrador had an impeccable pedigree full of noble ancestors with famous names. But if someone made a visual assessment from a photo of her, unless they were familiar with working line Labs, they might well put her down as a crossbreed.

Example 2: crossbred but looks like a Lab

I have a friend with a Labrador X Pointer that looks for all the world like a classic Labrador – The father is a show line lab, and his looks have dominated in this particular dog.

A visual assessment would wrongly put him in the purebred category when he is actually no such thing

So while I can point out that your dog may have faults that will eliminate them from the show ring. Neither I nor anyone else can possibly tell you for sure, whether or not they are purebred by looking at them.

Obviously if your dog looks like a chihuahua then your best guess and my best guess is that he is a chihuahua, rather than a Labrador. But no-one can tell you definitely what breed your dog is based on a white patch, or the shape of your dog’s nose, or the set of their ears.

Purebred Lab Breed Standard

Breed standards vary slightly from one country to the next. So, here, we will just be focusing on the AKC breed standard. This standard says that a purebred Labrador Retriever should weigh between 55 and 80 pounds, growing to between 21.5 and 24.5 inches tall.

The three recognized colors are yellow, black, and chocolate. But, yellow is accepted in a variety of shades. My own yellow Labs are a dark redish color, while Labs from show lines are often paler. Other key physical traits include a short, dense coat, an otter tail, broad skull, and “kind” eyes.

But as we’ve seen, many purebred Labs don’t meet those standards. That doesn’t mean that the Lab in question isn’t purebred.

Dilute colors for example, are not permitted under the breed standard, but silver Labs can still be registered with the AKC, they are simply registered as Chocolate. And with the right papers, mismarked puppies can be AKC registered but may be disqualified from the show ring.

Are Visual Assessments Any Good?

I hope you can see from these examples that visual assessments are not terribly helpful. While I can point out that your dog may have faults that will eliminate him from the show ring, I cannot possibly tell you whether or not he is purebred by looking at him.

Purebred Dog Colors

Can you tell if you have a purebred black Lab or a purebred chocolate Lab from their color alone? Unfortunately the answer here is no. Labs aren’t the only dogs that come in the colors yellow, chocolate, and black. So, a mixed breed could easily have a solid coat in one of these colors.

Do purebred Labs have white on them?

The current Labrador breed standard is very clear on what a purebred Labrador should look like. But not all Labradors meet that standard. Sometimes a mismark (a mark that is prohibited in the breed standard) occurs because the Labrador isn’t purebred. But equally a mismark can occur in purebred Labrador Retriever puppies too.

Common Lab Mismarkings

A small white spot on the chest is permitted in the show ring. And larger white chest patches are fairly common in field bred Labs. My own red Lab’s mother had one, and a few white hairs on toes or under the chin are not unusual either. One of the puppies in a litter I bred had two white toes. This was a purebred litter with a great pedigree. It is even possible to get a purebred Labrador with tan points (like a rottweiler) or patches of brindle fur.

These types of puppies are genetic accidents and the puppies are usually sold as pets to owners who appreciate their unusual friend.

Pedigree Papers

If you buy a purebred dog, the breeder should give you the registration document with the names of both parents. Most breeders will also give you a copy of the pedigree which lists the ancestors of those parents, together with any titles they may have, back through five generations.

Pedigree Papers Have Limitations

If you have the correct pedigree papers, then your puppy is probably a purebred dog. I say probably because there is room for dishonesty with this system. It is possible for a dishonest stud dog owner to mate his female dog to one stud dog and register the puppies to another. If your breeder doesn’t own the stud dog, this is most unlikely to have happened.

So, pedigree papers are a good indication of pedigree, and sufficient for most people’s needs, but they are not an absolute guarantee. Which brings us to our final method, DNA identification.

How to tell if your puppy is full blooded by DNA Identification

It is now possible to have some dogs DNA checked for identification purposes. There are various laboratories offering this service.

The laboratory will examine the sample you send in. It will look at hundreds of individual sites within the DNA and compare these with a database of thousands of breed samples to determine your dog’s ancestry. You’ll need to send your dog’s sample in the form of a cheek swab. You’ll find instructions when you purchase your kit.

Of course, how accurate these genetic tests are, is open to debate!

So, to sum up, as visual confirmation of pure breeding is not possible, you need to use pedigree papers, and/or DNA results to confirm whether or not you have a purebred dog.

How To Know If A Puppy Is Purebred Before Buying

If your heart is set on a purebred dog, before you purchase your puppy make sure the paperwork is in order. This greatly reduces the chances of your dog being cross bred. Ask to see the registration documents! Do not accept any excuses, your breeder must have registered the litter in order for you to be able to register your puppy.

Meet the mother and make sure that you like the way she looks. If you can’t meet the father make sure you see photos and a certificate of mating that confirms he is actually the father.

If the puppies have markings on them that you don’t like, then don’t buy a puppy. There is always another litter. Let someone else who loves unusual markings buy that puppy.

Most importantly, don’t forget about health. Make sure all the health checks are in order before you bring them home.

Does it really matter?

Remember, the only problem with buying a mismarked puppy is that you won’t be able to enter him in a dog show. If that doesn’t matter to you, it certainly won’t matter to him.

Once you have purchased your puppy try not to worry about whether or not he is purebred. Remember that many purebred dogs have mismarks or poor conformation, so if you have pedigree papers for your dog, they are probably purebred no matter what he looks like.

Try to ignore any other people that criticize your dog, or try to convince you he is not a purebred. After all, the most important thing is that your dog is happy, healthy, and a great addition to your family.