Black Labs: Genetics, Breed Standard, Health and Lifespan

Short answer: a black Lab is a Labrador Retriever with at least one dominant E gene and at least one dominant B gene, so its coat makes full black pigment. Black is the most common Lab color, and it’s held to exactly the same breed standard as yellow and chocolate: solid black, with black nose and eye rims and brown eyes. Black Labs had fewer recorded ear and skin problems than chocolates in the largest UK study of Labs.

I have a black Lab at home alongside my chocolate Lab, so this site covers black Labs as much as brown ones. Everything about care, feeding and training in our other guides applies to both.

How common are black Labs?

In the UK VetCompass study of 33,320 Labradors under veterinary care, the most common recorded colors were black (44.6%), yellow (27.8%) and chocolate (23.8%) (McGreevy et al., 2018). Black was also the color early breeders favored. The first well-documented liver (chocolate) puppies weren’t recorded until 1892, and the first registered yellow was born in 1899. See Labrador history.

Black Lab genetics

Two genes decide every Lab’s color (UC Davis):

• The E locus (MC1R) decides whether dark pigment shows in the coat. A dog with two recessive e copies is yellow.
• The B locus (TYRP1) decides whether that dark pigment is black (B) or brown (b). Two b copies make a chocolate.

A black Lab needs at least one E and at least one B (written E_B_). That leaves four possible black genotypes, and they breed very differently:

That’s why two black parents can surprise you. Two EeBb blacks are expected to produce, on average, about 56% black, 19% chocolate and 25% yellow puppies. Those are odds per puppy, not a promise for a litter. Run your own pairing in the coat-color calculator, or read can two black Labs have chocolate puppies? A DNA test that reports the E and B loci tells you what a black dog carries. See best DNA test for Labs.

What the breed standard says about black Labs

The AKC standard is short and strict on color:

• “Blacks are all black.” A black with brindle markings or tan markings 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 mistaken for brindling.
• Nose: black. Nose color fading to a lighter shade is not a fault.
• Eyes: brown. Eye rims: black.

The standard lists only black, yellow and chocolate. A gray “charcoal” Lab is a black that also carries two copies of the dilute gene, and the breed’s AKC parent club says it does not consider charcoal dogs purebred. See silver and charcoal Labs. More on the full standard is in the Labrador breed standard explained.

Size, coat and temperament

Color doesn’t change size. Black males should stand 22½–24½ inches and weigh 65–80 lb in working condition; females 21½–23½ inches and 55–70 lb (AKC). See how big Labs get for the chart by age. The coat is the same short, dense double coat on every color.

There’s no good evidence that black Labs are smarter, calmer or better workers because of their color. The bigger difference is field (working) versus show breeding lines, and black happens to be common in field lines. See Lab temperament and chocolate Lab facts and myths. The same goes for the old claims that chocolates are more aggressive or less intelligent than black Labs.

Black Lab health and lifespan

The VetCompass study is the best data on color and health. It reported these differences (McGreevy et al., 2018):

The authors suggested the chocolate gap may come from breeding practices rather than the pigment itself. A black Lab still faces the same breed-wide risks: weight gain, ear infections and joint disease were among the most common problems across all colors. Start with common Lab health problems and hip and elbow dysplasia, and pick a breeder who health-tests.

Other Lab colors

• Yellow Labs: every shade from light cream to fox red
• Fox red Labs: the darkest yellows
• White Labs: the palest yellows
• Chocolate vs black vs yellow Labs: the side-by-side comparison