Raised and owned 7 chocolates and two yellows. Better hunting dogs have been the chocolates hands down, and not because of a larger sample size, the yellows were good in their own right and very serviceable, while 3 of the chcolates were pretty much about as regular of a retriever that you could find and nothing special. But two of the chcolates were some of the best, non professionally trained dogs I've ever hunter over, with excellent noses to boot.
misundterstodd comment. chocolates have a same trait that is present in yellows and is only not found in blacks. I'm pretty sure the only thing that is KNOWN this recesive trait does is provide color Confirmation for breeding.
Never hunter with a silver but did see a few that used to come into the vet clinic I worked at. In my experience those dogs seemed much more like a wimeriner than labs in their attitude, temperament, and personality, as well as conformation for one.
And I'm not sure about this "dilute chocolate" phrase but the AKC allows registering of Yellow, Black, and Chcolate. That's it. No modifiers, so red phase yellows are yellow and "silvers" or sedges are chcolates, according the the kennel clubs.
