Getting a lab--Male or Female?

[Texas Stalker]

I have two black labs. One male, one female. I love the male and have a great bond with him. He is 6 and still quite a handful. Not very easy to train. The female is soooooo much easier to train. It's like she knows exactly what I'm saying. In the training aspect of it I choose female.

[Black Dog]

Depends on your training style. Are you rough? Or are you softer handed in your training?

Its been my experience that females are much more likely to cow down to you if you are heavy handed. Most of my experience has been with training cattle dogs, with a few gun dogs in the mix, but I can tell you, the males I've had you could dang near murder and they'd still love you without cowing.

With that being said, I prefer Males.

^^^My experience as well with labs...I prefer males.

[Bill]

Well, we picked up Sage at the airport yesterday after her flight from Montana. She did OK last night away from brother and Dad for the first time- she only yelped in her kennel in the family room for 45 minutes before going to sleep.

What's the recommendation on any toys at this age? I hear it's bad for them to chew because they get a 'hard' mouth, but does that mean none?

I needed a picture with a spec decoy while she was smaller than it.

[HR3]

I've trained a lot of hounds and huntin' dogs and would say....I'd take training a female over a male......HOWEVER, my most recent duck dog was a yellow Lab.....and danged if that wasn't hardest headed animal I ever seen.....o.b. trained her male litter mate in a few weeks....not so with her....had ever bad habit a dog could have.....and upon picking a pup she was the most energetic of the bunch....to her credit she had good hunting instincts and worked better afield than in training....strangest thing I ever seen........took forever to train.....the laziest male in the litter would be my choice.....

[double lung]

Well, we picked up Sage at the airport yesterday after her flight from Montana. She did OK last night away from brother and Dad for the first time- she only yelped in her kennel in the family room for 45 minutes before going to sleep.

What's the recommendation on any toys at this age? I hear it's bad for them to chew because they get a 'hard' mouth, but does that mean none?

I needed a picture with a spec decoy while she was smaller than it.

Excellent choice on the name...

[WyoHunter]

without a doubt FEMALE dogs are easier to trane and are better behaved.

[Bill]

If you want cheap laughs, put a mirror on the ground with the pup. This was from behind a door so it's not glass for safety. She walks by trying to figure out who her 'new' friend is!