I heard yellow lab puppies with pink noses are to be avoided, any truth behind this?

Answers:
Any lab with a thoroughly pink nose or one lacking in pigment is disqualified according to AKC standards. I'm not telling you not to get one, but definitely do not breed one. The lack of pigment in their nose is a sign of a mutated gene. Which means, that there is a good chance that there are more mutated genes.
Example: White Schnauzer -there are many of them out there that are perfectly fine dogs. But the ones that I have met have been aggressive. And, their puppies have been worse.
Any time the AKC (or anyone who has expertise with a particular breed) avoids a particular trait, they have a good reason for it.

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That sounds like a myth. Only thing I can think of is sunburn in the summer?

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I've never heard that before. I looked it up and it seems that's just a rule for dog shows.

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The noses should be dark but some breeds (such as labs and goldens) have dark noses that will fade to a somewhat pinkish-brown color during the cold winter months. They darken again in summer. That is OK. See the breed standard below. A fully pink nose is a disqualification.

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We had a yellow lab with a pink nose and had no problems except to be careful the dogs nose didn't get sunburned. :) I think the only reason to avoid a lab with a pink nose is if you plan on showing the dog at dog shows. They have strict rules on how a dog being shown should look.

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Loss of pigment is in no way a health risk as far as I know. They do need to have care taken in the summer months so they dont get a sun burn but other than that No I have never hear to avoid them.
NOTE: This does mean that it is a major fault and is a disqualification for showing. For a pet it is just fine.

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Well, that depends. If you're planning on getting a Yellow Lab to show it in conformation (dog shows), then you should not get a puppy that has a pink nose - it's a disqualification at shows.

However, that applies only to true "pink" noses. Some Lab noses are a brownish color called "liver", and some Labs' noses also tend to fade toward liver as they get older. While liver is considered a fault, it's not a disqualification.

If you want the puppy as a companion and don't plan on showing, there's nothing wrong with a pink nose!

Woodhaven Labs has a great website about pigmentation in Labradords - http://www.woodhavenlabs.com/yellow-pigm... - that is very informative.

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Not something that'll affect a dog as a pet, but one of the persnickety things the look for in the show ring is a dark nose- an all pink one is a disqualification. BUT may yellow labs have a pink patch's and this can even vary with season - my brothers was dark in summer and faded in winter (same dog each season).

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It is a fault according to the breed standard. For a pet it does not matter. But if you are looking at puppies to buy, try to educate yourself so you know how to find a good breeder.
And find a puppy that will grow up to be a healthy dog.

If you want a dog to show, then buy from a member of the National and local Labrador Retriever club. And learn what questions to ask before you go see puppies.

http://dogs.about.com/cs/before/a/ethica...

http://www.kateconnick.com/library/breed...

http://www.dog-breeds.net/buying_a_puppy...

some good websites with some helpful info.

regards

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dog is lacking good pigment,, if you just want a pet and do not intend to show the dog.. don't worry about the lack of pigment.. just a poor breeding...