Looking at pulling the trigger on a choc lab question is should i get a male or female? i dont plan on doing any breeding. is there a difference in temperment or trainablity?

jason

There are overall generalities between male and females, but there are as many EXEPTIONS to those generalities as there are examples of them. They say males are more cuddly and follow you more, females tend to be more aloof. But I have also met lots of cuddly females and aloof males.

Let the breeder pick for you. Discuss what type of puppy (personality wize) would best fit your household and lifestyle and let the breeder pick the puppy that is best for you. The breeder spends 8 weeks with the puppies and thus knows them best.

Here are 3 links from this forum where the differences between male and female has been discussed:

http://www.lab-retriever.net/board/male-and-female-t7272913.html?t=7272913

http://www.lab-retriever.net/board/differences-between-males-t41736.html?t=41736

http://www.lab-retriever.net/board/male-female-differences-t8588.html?t=8588

There are overall generalities between male and females, but there are as many EXEPTIONS to those generalities as there are examples of them. They say males are more cuddly and follow you more, females tend to be more aloof. But I have also met lots of cuddly females and aloof males.

Let the breeder pick for you. Discuss what type of puppy (personality wize) would best fit your household and lifestyle and let the breeder pick the puppy that is best for you. The breeder spends 8 weeks with the puppies and thus knows them best.
+1

I have a male & female. They are both excellent pets & family members.
Wish you could do the same. IMO gender is nothing, but picking the right puppy is everything. Take your time when you choose your puppy. ;)

I have always experienced with all my dogs that the males are more cuddly and loyal and will follow you everywhere as previous mentioned whereas the females will be cuddly and very loving when they want but then they'll go in their own little corner to sleep and you won't see them around quite as much.

I have one of each, and both fall into the stereotypes of typical male and female personalities. Kenzie is a very sweet girl, but is more independent and aloof...she wants love and attention on her terms. Last night she was in a very snuggly mood, and DH and I were joking about feeling honored for being permitted to rub the royal belly. ;)

Bonham, on the other hand, is a sweet smooshy lovebug who can't get enough love and attention from his humans (especially from his mom!). He will follow me from room to room, and if I go in the bathroom and close the door, he will lay down and wait patiently for me to come out. He is very loyal, and would much rather be spending time snuggling with my undivided attention than doing much of anything else.

All of this being said, I have met males who were very independent, and females who were very affectionate, so it really just depends on the dog. I second Rocky911's suggestion of letting the breeder pick a pup for you based on the qualities you are looking for. Good luck with your new pup!

I have always experienced with all my dogs that the males are more cuddly and loyal and will follow you everywhere as previous mentioned whereas the females will be cuddly and very loving when they want but then they'll go in their own little corner to sleep and you won't see them around quite as much.

Good post I agree. Male dogs in general (all breeds) are more needy and mature slower.

Go for the right breeder, and you won't get the wrong puppy.

If its a trigger happy decision, I can't help but say you should probably wait.

Go for the right breeder, and you won't get the wrong puppy.

If its a trigger happy decision, I can't help but say you should probably wait.

Agree. I'd like to emphasize one more thing though: Go for the right breeder and forget about color being your apparent highest priority. Just get the right pup from the right breeder/litter that best fits your lifestyle. Black, chocolate, yellow... is it more important to match your furniture or your lifestyle?

I rarely take names from folks who are very specific about color and sex anymore, because it's not how I like to place my pups. It becomes a real hassle if you've got a typical color/sex mix in a litter (blacks and chocs, males and females) and in the end, after 8 wks, you are dealing with someone demanding they still only want a Choc Female (or whatever) but the one remaining has the temperament demanding a working home and not a pet home. Rarely will the pet home be happy if they wanted a mellow family pet but got the wild child. If more people were truly patient and willing to wait, it'd be easier... Anne

ive never noticed any major differences between males and females, ive seen super friendly laid back females, my 2 girls for example are happy go lucky super sweet dogs who just go with the flow and rarely give me any trouble, and ive seen aloof, not so loving males, it truly depends on the indivdual dog not the sex. although, i do think i have a female trapped in males body, she burps, farts, grunts, groans, drools, slobbers...

I simply own females because i like there names better :D

Second what windycanyon said! When we started thinking about getting another pup, I kind of had an idea in my head that I'd like a black male. Not "had to have" but would like. After a lot of research and time spent with the pups, I brought home a yellow female who seems to have been custom made for our family. Get the dog that works, not the dog that matches!

My late male lab was the most aloof of all the labs I know. He was a constant presence but he was not a snuggler. He liked to lean on us, but wasn't into more than petting.

Now my little girl at 11 weeks is a snuggle bug. She often comes and licks my face or asks for a rub. Every morning begins with me lifting her into bed and hugging and kissing her for a few minutes. If I get out of bed before her, she runs to the bed and waits for me to come back! :p:

If I never planned on breeding again, I would have only boys.

I love the boys personally, but the girls are awesome too and my next will definitely be a girl.

Agree. I'd like to emphasize one more thing though: Go for the right breeder and forget about color being your apparent highest priority. Just get the right pup from the right breeder/litter that best fits your lifestyle. Black, chocolate, yellow... is it more important to match your furniture or your lifestyle?

I do agree with Anne here...to a point.

I don't think anyone should ever jump on the WRONG puppy because it's the color and sex they want but I also don't see a problem in knowing exactly what you want. When I got Leo I knew EXACTLY what I wanted. I wanted a puppy whose lines were healthy, whose temperaments were solid, and I wanted a light yellow male. Period.

I did a ton of research and went to several reputable breeders in my area to see if anyone felt right and had the right puppy for me.

It took quite some time to find the right breeder and the right litter for me but I did and I don't regret a thing.

I did not budge on the color or sex of my dog and my breeder respected that. She told me that this is the one family member I get to "special order", and she thought it was important for me to get exactly what I wanted.

I have 4 male dogs, and one female. The female was the first, need I say anymore?