I would first like to add that I don't have anything against GSP's at all. They are great dogs. I have found them to be a little hard headed though. Probably the best dog I've ever hunted behind, as far as nose goes, was a German Wirehaired Pointer. That dog was simply amazing! I saw her pointing birds with a bird in her mouth a number of times. But you asked about Labs. My current Lab is 6 years old and I've never owned a better dog. I've hunted with better noses as mentioned previously but I've never seen a dog who could do it all as well as this dog. By that I mean, we can Duck hunt all morning, Pheasant hunt all day, and then he can go home and play Barbies with my daughter. That's what I mean by a well rounded dog. The best family dog I could have ever hoped for. Now, if you're looking at getting JUST a hunting dog, and not a PET too, they're are certainly better choices. Labs are people dogs. They want to be by there people all the time. They think they are people. I originally wanted a female out of this litter because I also thought it would be easier to train but my female died at birth. The owner of the B!tch gave me her male out of the litter and I couldn't have been happier. You are going to get dominant dogs in female or male, it's just a crapshoot. Now, I just scrolled up to see where you're from and I read New Mexico. If you hunt in the heat, that could be a factor. Labs obviously have a heavier coat than GSP's and get hotter quicker. I have to really watch my dog in the early season here. Plenty of water on upland hunts but waterfowling is not an issue. A hard driving lab can overheat pretty easy on a warm upland hunt. Now, your question, Male or Female? I'm gonna have to say Male. But if you don't want puppies, get him fixed. Don't believe all the cr#p about it making them lose their drive. If they have a birdy drive, they ain't gonna lose it. This is coming from a guy that never had his dog fixed because I wanted a pup from him someday, and I still do, but I'm not sure it's worth all you have to put up with. Males that are uncut are tough to hunt together. You gotta keep an eye on them or a fight will break out. Nothing worse than two dogs going at it in the middle of a hunt. Plus, they get distracted while hunting when other females are out there. Again, this is upland related and not waterfowl related. If I had to do it all over again, I would probably have had him fixed. JMO, I hope this helps. I would also like to add, I paid alot of money for my pup and this was also a reason I didn't get him fixed. I had originally planned on hunt testing him and a few field trials then charging a stud fee, but time constraints and money kept that from happening. Now I've got the best dog I could have ever hoped for that hunts GREAT with other cut males and most females unless they're in heat, that likes to pee on EVERYTHING!! I don't check this forum very often, feel free to PM me if you have any questions.
