Seeking your opinions on who makes the better retriever. I've always owned female labs. I've never been a breeder nor do I plan to breed (I've always had them fixed). I'm purely a duck hunting fanatic. My personal opinion has always been that they are more obedient, not subject to straying for reproductive purposes, and develop a stronger bond. I will admit that I feel biased. Well I had a deposit down for second pick female in a litter whose pedigree I REALLY like. Unfortunately she birthed 3 males and 1 female. That said I am still being given an opportunity at a male. Heavily weighing the option but concerned about what I would encounter with a male. What are your thoughts?

IMO, about like asking if a black is better than a chocolate. I personally have always hunted males so that I didn't have to worry about hauling around and hunting a dog in heat.

I was the same way until I got a male, and this is by far the most loyal, smart, obedient dog I have ever owned. He will be 6 years old tomorrow and its been the best six years with him!

Spaying takes care of that.

To the OP, it is personal preference. One does not hunt better than the other, or smarter, or anything like that. I personally like females, cuz I don’t want to look at his junk, and I don’t like males trying to hump my leg all the time, and they do that even if you clip them.

i have had a male golden and now have a female golden/lab. the male was a good hunter but much more hard headed, the female i have now is a fantastic hunter and listens way better. every dog is different though.

The only valid opinion on which is better male vs female would be someone who has trained multiple dogs. Every trainer Ive talked to that has trained a lot of dogs says not one is better than the other. All personal preference

I’d look at how the dog is bred and watch the parents. Pick a good litter and get whichever flavor you think suits you best. If I weren’t going to breed dogs and had more than one, I would prefer to have all males or all females.

I think back in the day on bird dogs, not labs, you had a better chance of getting a good one if you picked a male. But nowadays I think your chances are equally as good if you pick a well bred pup. That may have just been the litters I had to pick from, that friends had? Now I prefer gyps.

I have had both male and female Labs and haven't seen any difference in retrieving. The females we've have had made bit better pets around the house.

It doesn't matter. I subscribe to the theory that, while we have many dogs in our lives, we only, truly get one dog. THE dog. I've had my one. From here on out I'm just looking for a companion to hunt with. I'm partial to females only because my one dog was a female.

You need to go through more dogs.

Just an opinion.

I vote female

To the OP, it is personal preference. One does not hunt better than the other, or smarter, or anything like that. I personally like females, cuz I don’t want to look at his junk, and I don’t like males trying to hump my leg all the time, and they do that even if you clip them.[/quote]

I have a female lab mostly b/c I also don't like their junk and I like to give a good belly rub without it getting in the way. My female does alright but never developed the aggression I would have preferred in a duck dog. But I can give her a belly rub.

Either sex chessy

Many on here have suggested that both sexes hunt equally well. But can't we to some extent quantify that? Someone -- Brady Buck? -- should be able to tell us what percent of the national field trial champs are males or females. Or other tests.
Now some will say that's not the same as hunting. True, but it gives a good idea of training/desire/nose etc.

54 males
16 females.
AKC National Field Trial Champions retrieving
Doesn't prove anything. Also, looks like more females in recent years. Maybe labs are having their Me Too movement.

There are so many variables that go into making a NFC.

If your goal was to make a NFC then yeah maybe go with a male because they don't have any down time from heat cycles or litters.

Many of the FT females get a title and then are bred vs the males who just keep training and campaigning.

When it come to choosing a hunting dog one is not superior than the other. It all comes down to personal preference.

The only real measurable difference is that males in general are bigger. However you can find a smaller male if you look.

All you rookies need to be taking notes.

there is a reason men are paid more in the workplace

Thanks for the feedback on this one guys. Lots of great input here. I decided to stick with what I've been accustomed to and have obtained first pick female from another litter expected 9/3. I think a little more patience now will help ensure that I choose the right dog for me.

Hopefully the litter is out of health tested parents. EIC, PRA, CNM as well as OFA hips, eyes and elbows.

Absolutely! I think the importance of this can't be stressed enough! Fully tested/clear parents are a must for me. Also, I would add that using www.huntinglabpedigree.com has been very helpful in my research of lineage this go around. I wish I knew about this website sooner!

Here are three preferences and opinions I've formed through experience with labs:

For a duck dog male or female make no difference to me but females tend to mature quicker.

If you hunt a lot of geese, particularly big honkers, a big physical male holds up to the workload better over time.

If a lot of upland birds are on your agenda, a smaller, thin framed, deep chested for lung capacity, tight coated to help with overheating lab will stand up to the rigors of upland work better. For an upland dog I would start my search looking at the smaller, wired hot, athletic, FT lines. That is not the only place you will find lines of smaller labs with big motors but percentage wise they are more common.

I only hunt doves and I don't hunt with my chocolate Lab in the dove field because there are too many shooters but she sure does track frisbee's like there's no tomorrow! She seems to be able to judge where it's going based on rotation, etc. and changes direction before the frisbee changes direction!

Neither is a Chesapeake so.... neither.

I've had several of each, the only difference i've noted in my limited experience is that the females seem to be a bit more with you than the males, less easily distracted. As someone with limited time to train, I'd prefer a female as they've seemed a bit easier to train.