Finding a silver lining
Shooting Times & Country|December 11,2019
Is there such a thing as a fantastic dog that’s a bad colour? Some may think so but conformation is more important.
- David Tomlinson
Finding a silver lining

THERE’S A SAYING IN the equine world that a good horse can’t be a bad colour. Sadly, that doesn’t apply to gundogs. To compete under Kennel Club rules, dogs have to conform loosely to the breed standard. There’s no check of a dog’s conformation at a trial — if there was few would be permitted to take part — but colour is another matter.

There would almost certainly be objections if you entered retriever trials with a silver Labrador or AV spaniel trials with a solid-coloured springer. I have yet to see my first silver Lab, but they have long been a subject of heated debate in the Labrador world, especially in the US where they first appeared almost a century ago.

If you can imagine a Labrador the colour of a Weimeraner you will have a good idea of what a silver one looks like. It is often claimed that these socalled silver Labs have Weimeranerblood in their ancestry, though this has never been proven.

There’s even a website called Say No to Silver Labradors “supported by Labrador retriever breeders, judges, pet owners and enthusiasts around the globe”. Our Kennel Club doesn’t recognise silver as a Labrador colour; the American one does, though it classifies them under chocolate.

Solid-coloured English springers occur rarely and, again, I’ve never seen one, but I have been sent photographs of handsome all-liver individuals, invariably born in a litter of liver-and-white puppies.

Throwbacks

この蚘事は Shooting Times & Country の December 11,2019 版に掲茉されおいたす。

7 日間の Magzter GOLD 無料トラむアルを開始しお、䜕千もの厳遞されたプレミアム ストヌリヌ、9,000 以䞊の雑誌や新聞にアクセスしおください。

この蚘事は Shooting Times & Country の December 11,2019 版に掲茉されおいたす。

7 日間の Magzter GOLD 無料トラむアルを開始しお、䜕千もの厳遞されたプレミアム ストヌリヌ、9,000 以䞊の雑誌や新聞にアクセスしおください。

SHOOTING TIMES & COUNTRYのその他の蚘事すべお衚瀺
United we stand
Shooting Times & Country

United we stand

Following United Utilities' decision to end grouse shooting on its land, Lindsay Waddell asks what will happen if we ignore our vital moors

time-read
5 分  |
August 02, 2023
Serious matters
Shooting Times & Country

Serious matters

An old gamebook prompts a contemplation on punt-gunning

time-read
3 分  |
August 02, 2023
They're not always as easy as they seem
Shooting Times & Country

They're not always as easy as they seem

While coneys of the furry variety don't pose a problem for Blue Zulu, he's left frustrated once again by bolting bunnies of the clay sort

time-read
5 分  |
August 02, 2023
Debutant gundogs
Shooting Times & Country

Debutant gundogs

There's lots to think about when it comes to making the decision about when to introduce your dog to shooting

time-read
4 分  |
August 02, 2023
When the going gets rough
Shooting Times & Country

When the going gets rough

Al Gabriel returns to the West London Shooting School to brush up on his rough shooting technique

time-read
5 分  |
August 02, 2023
The Field Guide To British Deer - BDS 60th Anniversary Edition
Shooting Times & Country

The Field Guide To British Deer - BDS 60th Anniversary Edition

In this excerpt from the 60th anniversary edition of the BDS's Field Guide To British Deer, Charles Smith-Jones considers the noise they make

time-read
4 分  |
August 02, 2023
A step too far?
Shooting Times & Country

A step too far?

Simon Garnham wonders whether a new dog, a new gun and two different fields in need of protection might have been asking too much for one afternoon's work

time-read
6 分  |
August 02, 2023
Two bucks before breakfast
Shooting Times & Country

Two bucks before breakfast

A journey from old South London to rural Hertfordshire to stalk muntjac suggests that the two aren't as far detached as they might seem

time-read
6 分  |
August 02, 2023
Stalking Diary
Shooting Times & Country

Stalking Diary

Stalkers can be a sentimental bunch, and they often carry a huge attachment to their hill

time-read
2 分  |
August 02, 2023
Gamekeeper
Shooting Times & Country

Gamekeeper

Alan Edwards believes unique, private experiences can help keepers become more competent and passionate custodians of the countryside

time-read
3 分  |
August 02, 2023