24.4 percent of Labradors carry the dilute gene
(10.2 percent carriers, 14.2 percent dilute)
These are not “mystery dogs.” They are DNA verified Labradors tested by real breeders.
Now here’s where it gets wild:
From 1987 to 2025, AKC registered roughly:
• 4.29 million Labradors
• 1.97 million Labrador litters
Apply the conservative 2023 frequencies to that AKC population, and you get:
• 1,046,000+ AKC Labradors born in the last 39 years that either carry or express dilute
• 845,000 AKC litters involving at least one dilute carrying parent
Let that sink in.
For nearly four decades, dilute genetics have moved through the AKC Labrador population across ten to thirteen generations quietly, consistently, and in huge numbers.
And all that time:
• They were registered as purebred
• Their parents were registered as purebred
• Their offspring were registered as purebred
• AKC repeatedly stated there was no reason to doubt their purebred status and instructed breeders to register them as their base coat colors
Here’s the truth nobody in the anti dilute camp wants to admit:
• You cannot have over 800,000 AKC Labrador litters involving dilute genetics and still claim they are not Labradors
• Generations of registration into the Labrador breed itself proves dilute is a long standing part of the breed
• Recording “Silver” did not add anything to the breed. It simply acknowledged what was already there
The genetics are real.
The registrations are real.
The lineage is real.
The dogs are purebred.
Silvers are not an intrusion into the breed. They are the visible tip of a genetic iceberg the AKC has already accepted for nearly 40 years.
The debate is no longer about purity.
The debate is about whether we’re honest enough to acknowledge the data.
