This is another dog who was killed and burned in front of his or her companions.  If you think this is wrong, then remember that here in the United States, we do similar things to other animals when we slaughter them.  There’s no difference!  It all must stop.

The dogs that are still caged see what is happening to their companions, and hear their howls of pain and fear as they are being tortured and slaughtered.  The man on the right is using a torch to burn the fur off a dog.

Suppose you have silvery hair. The natural assumption of those with whom you live and work would be that you are of an age when the hair begins to lose its color. If your hair turned grey before you were 20 or 30 years of age, it might be a dietary deficiency, a medical concern – or genetics.

A black Labrador Retriever, silver factored with a coat that is something less than black, is claimed by some to be a pure bred dog. Purportedly rare and highly desirable, a black Labrador Retriever that’s silver factored may be offered at a higher than normal price. Does it merit this? Or is it simply a crossbreed – a mongrel?

Black Labrador Retriever Standard

The Labrador Retriever breed standard says: "The Labrador Retriever coat colors are black, yellow, and chocolate. Any other color or a combination of colors is a disqualification." The breed standard goes on to say that black Labrador Retrievers must be all black. If a black Labrador Retriever has a small white spot on the chest, it is "permissible, but not desirable" according to the breed standard.

A black Labrador Retriever, silver factored or not, must meet that standard. Every purebred black Labrador Retriever must be black.

Genetically Speaking

A black Labrador Retriever, silver factored or otherwise at odds with the standard, apparently has genetics that are not in line with those of the breed. The genetics of a true black Labrador Retriever’s coat color seem to be rather simple. Each dog receives two pairs of genes: one from its mother and one from its father.

You will remember from early science class that there are two types of gene in every living being: dominant and recessive. This is true of you and it is true of black Labrador Retrievers. Genes determine your hair color, just as genes determine the coat color of a black Labrador Retriever. You might have brown, black, red, blond, or a variation of any of those. A Labrador Retriever has only two choices: black and chocolate – although we see black, chocolate, and yellow.

Consider these facts.

1. In Labrador Retrievers, a dominant gene always determines what color the coat will be. Always. It does not matter what other genes are present. The black gene, which we will call "B" for short, is dominant. Therefore, if a "B" gene is present, the pre-selected coat color is black. But read on.

2. We will call the recessive chocolate gene "b" for short. The "b" gene can only produce a chocolate coat if the dog inherits no "B" gene. Those are the only choices: "B" dominant black genes and "b" recessive chocolate genes. There is no gene for yellow, silver, or other colors. A black Labrador Retriever, silver factored or other factored, would have to go against this genetic makeup.

3. In addition to the black and chocolate genes, Labrador Retrievers have two more genes. These genes determine the dogs’ ability to express a dark coat, i.e. to let the dark color show. Let’s call the dominant expression gene "E" for short and the recessive expression gene "e" for short.

4. Labrador Retrievers that have the dominant "E" gene are able to express a dark coat. They can show black or chocolate. If the dog has a "B" gene and an "E" gene, it will be black, no matter what other genes it has. If it has a "b" and an "E" gene, it will be chocolate.

5. Labrador Retrievers that have the recessive "e" gene cannot show a dark coat. They will show neither black nor chocolate. They will show the absence of those by being a shade of yellow. A Labrador Retriever with a combination such as BBee has 2 dominant genes for black, but the recessive "e" genes will not let the color show. The dog will be yellow.

You will see that a black Labrador Retriever, silver factored is not possible with these pairs of genes. There is no scientific data as of this writing (2007) that has found any silver gene in black Labrador Retrievers.

True Nature of So-called Silver Labs

A black Labrador Retriever that is said to be silver factored may be an unusually light yellow or chocolate Lab. There is also, in the U.S., a gray-brown shade similar to that of Weimaraners. It is reported that the U.S. kennel first to report "silver" Labradors also kept Weimaraners, a silvery-gray breed with somewhat similar appearance. It is widely believed that the true nature of a black Labrador Retriever, silver factored, is that of a crossbreed: Labrador Retriever – Weimaraner mix.

The AKC recognizes "silver" Labs only as chocolate, and rejects them because they do not meet the breed standard for chocolate Labs. A black Labrador Retriever that’s silver factored is not an AKC standard purebred dog.

By Anna Hart 

If you are one of the many dog owners of today that are having a hard time controlling your canine pet, then it is about time that you train your pet. However if your time is limited, there are lots of dog training aids to assist you.

As most dog owners would know, dog training is not an easy task. It usually takes considerable amount of time and effort just for a dog to learn the basic obedience skills. However, because of the innovations of today’s technology, dog training is not as difficult as it were a decade ago. The advancements of today’s technology has brought upon lots of dog training aids. Today, there are lots and diverse selection of dog training aids in the market. With these, you can train the dog in a short time with lesser effort.

Some people think that dog training aid are quite expensive, however, if you include the benefits that these dog training aids bring, you will eventually agree that it was worth the money.

Before you buy a dog training aid, you must first consider some of the essential aspects of dog training. It is commonly known that the temperament of dogs is somewhat unique (each and every single dog has its own). There are numerous dog training aids that are exclusively designed for a certain type of dog. Remember, the type of training that you will apply to your dog determines the type of dog training device you will be using.

Anti bark collars are for those who want to train their loyal pets for agility. It is dog’s natural characteristic to bark when agitated, moreover, dogs that undergo agility training will constantly bark. The anti bark collars prevents the dog from barking by discharging a small electric charge every time your pet barks and in some cases, sprays water on the dog’s face. To some extent, animal cruelty is not an issue. Rather, you are just making a point to your pet that barking is not tolerated. These types of dog training aid are mostly used by hunters.

One of the mostly used dog training aid is in a form of a harness; the harness worn on the dog. These dog training aids are commonly used on large dogs.

The dog training aids that are available on the market these days are safe to use. However, most of these dog training devices require constant attention. It works by emitting a mild electric discharge every time your canine friend does something wrong. The mild electronic discharge will not harm the dog; it has no affect whatsoever to the dog.

If the dog is not trained (or in some cases or not properly trained) its owner will have a hard time controlling the dog. Especially when going to places wherein there are lots of people. However, if the dog is properly trained, then the owner will have nothing to worry about.

The dog training aids that are manufactured these days are lightweight and durable. There are some that are barely noticeable. Some are even resistant to water and its maintenance is somewhat simple.

Bear in mind that dog training aids are temporary. They must be removed once your canine pet is properly trained. It is best that you train your canine friend while they are still puppies. Training them early will make them more controllable.

By Benz Slow

This is another dog being dragged to his or her death.  Such photos give a whole new meaning to the term "hot dog".  Think about these photos the next time someone is considering eating one.

For some owners who live in a suburban area they find that they have a beautiful dog who likes to go wandering and they escape from the yard by jumping the fence. Unfortunately unless you are able to put up a very high fence or wall that they are unable to jump over then you may be stuck.

However there is help at hand today in the form of dog jumping fences which are specifically designed to prevent your dog from getting out of the yard of your property. Below we are going to look at some of the fences that you may want to consider if you are having a problem with your dog jumping over the fence.

1. Hidden Dog Fence

This fence makes use of an electric system which co-ordinates between underground connection which is the transmitter and will then send a small weak radio field to the receiver which is attached to your dog’s collar. Once your dog decides to move within a certain distance of the perimeter of the hidden fence then the underground system sends an electrical shock to the receiver on the collar which should deter the dog from trying to actually jump over the fence and escape. The great thing about these kind of dog jumping fence is that they can easily be installed by the owner rather than having to pay someone to come in and do it for them.

2. Fence Height Extension

You will often find that some hardware stores stock a complete kit or the materials in order that you can increase the height of your fence. Or if you want you can ensure that your fence becomes jump proof by using welded wire leaners which are much more affordable and practical as well as effective solution to this type of problem and are not too difficult to construct. It is important that you use either welded wire or fabric fencing for the leaners as your dog jumping fence instead of barbed wire as this can cause injury to your pet.

Above we have provided you with two effective ways of getting a dog jumping fence which will stop your dog straying but will not harm them in any way.

By Keith Burke