im planning a flatcoated retriever litter from my 3 year old bitch, her next season is in september and i hope to get her mated. i narrowed the stud dogs i might use with the help of my bitches breeder to 2  which all work with my bitches lines.  she comes from a liver father and a black mother,  stud dog no1 is from mainly black lines but 8/9 generations back on both sides liver dogs appear. can i expect liver in the litter if i choose him even though its so far back?  the other dog is black all the way back to 1970s from what ive managed to trace.  both dogs have good hip scores and clear eyes and are beautiful dogs.
im not breeding my bitch for colour only but id like to have an idea what might be produced beforehand.
she is hip scored, eye tested and awaiting dna profiling certificate.
thanks

first like to say welcome to the site on this site are a couple fcr owners and breeders,
i got liver and black fcr,
bye what you say about the liver in the first stud dogs lines 8/9 generation back i would only think you will get all black,
even your girl comes from liver/black mating she may not carry the live gene it good that you have done the dna test i did twice on two of my dogs.i would just wait and see what the ruslts of the dna are.

any way good luck with what ever you decside to do.

Some liver is a possibility although after 8 or 9 generations the dog could have lost the gene. If the other dog has no liver then thats what you will get, no liver! My advice would be, forget the colour, go with the dog you like best. But whichever, please check that he is clear for Glaucoma. This is such a terrible and painful thing that I would never "Take a chance"

Regards, John

Terri - if the bitch is from liver x black mating, she has got to carry liver.    Or have I read the post all wrong?

Anyhow, welcome to the board - and as John says, go for the most suitable dog, regardless of colour.   If you get liver, it's a bonus (or I suppose, not, whichever way you look at it!!!).   But the look at the quality of the dog, how the two pedigrees link together, and especially do some research into temperament - go back at least 6 generations for this, as it dodgy temperament can be the devil to breed out.

Jo and the Casblaidd Flatcoats

colour transference
2 blacks sire/dam not carring liver all pups black.
1 black 1 black carring liver gene out of a litter of  4 pup two pup black with no liver gene two carring the liver gene.
both sire/dam black but carring the liver gene 1 pup black not carring the liver,1 pup liver ,2 black carring the liver.
1 black no liver and 1 liver,all pup blacks but all carry liver
1 black carrying liver 1 liver,the pups 2 black carrying liver,2 liver
liver to liver all pup be liver,
but when you get your dna colour test back they send a colour chart as well,which is basic on the labours colour gene pool,but use can go bye it for the fcr.beacuse fcr do have yellows that come up some times??????

Just have one piece of advice which is regardless of colour just enjoy having the puppies! They are with you for only 8 weeks!

The fact that you have gone to the trouble of asking advice from your breeder, and completed the health tests, is the first step towards having a nice litter of puppies. Health, temperament & type are the first considerations when breeding any breed of dog.