I have been researching and researching. Either chocolate or Bc. I know you can not just look at the dog, so you start with offsprings what is he producing. Good, Fairs ? but then check the mother of those pups. Then you go back and look at the dogs siblings, father and mother. What do you do ? Guess so much can happen in breeding its hard to find a nice sound line. Some milds, more fairs. Drives you crazy. Sure yellows are hard also. Just this gene pool is so much smaller. Do you just go for it.

Get over the breed by color thought process.

Soundness of temperament, in dogs and people, is even more important than sound hips and elbows. Otherwise you might as well just get a different breed, or for fewer risks, a machine with a warranty as well as a guarantee.If you decide to do that instead, that's okay too. So, yeah, research and meet the dogs and breeders, then maybe just go for it, and then do your best to raise the Lab well. Environment also plays a big part in the nature and nurture components of growth. These are living beings, and even with all the tests, mother nature holds all the cards close to her chest. There is nothing like a Labrador Retriever, even with the risks one takes in love and life. If the dog has a problem, you still have a great dog if it is a congenial happy Labrador!

Please don't think am saying anything about Fair stud dogs. I have used them and will again. Thinking right now of using a Fair and B optigen. I want to use the best match, always temperament but do look at how many Fairs or milds they might have thrown or the sire and dam show. Looking for the unsound patterns. Know you are going to breed the boys to all different pedigrees. I have seen and met alot of these nice boys. Just going a little crazy this time.
Some are nice but so young, no history. Understand where am coming from better now

These color lectures drive me nuts. If you go shopping for a white blouse and the clerk tries to talk you into a blue blouse, do you listen? If you want a white Mustang, will you buy a red one because the car salesman pushes one? If people prefer a color, so be it. Because some people have put a huge amount of effort into breeding good chocolates, we are seeing more nice ones in the ring all the time.

Amen to that breeder. I like blacks. I don't want to breed other colors. Breed what you like and is healthy and sound and happy.

Not too sure about the "color issue" in this thread, but you might need to be open to a stud dog that might carry a color gene that you weren't necessarily wanting to bring into your breeding (such as breeding a gal to a Byc dog) to get the soundness you are looking for.

That is exactly what I meant when I said don't breed for color. Look outside the box. If you have narrowed your search simply to dogs that are Cc or Bc , then you have not really looked at every thing out there. There may be a dog that is Bb , that is perfect for your girl etc...

In your research, take into consideration, that dogs that did not pass OFA do not show on the web site (except if the owner decided to to check the public data box)
I take who ever is elbow normal, and no hip results as Hip dysplastic.
I don't care about current CERF that much anymore, as soon as there is at least one done, and PRA clear.
Dogs with unilateral Hip dysplasia might not be genetically predisposed to it. It might have been an injury.
JMO