A lot of people have asked me this question:
Male Vs. Female Labrador: Which Is Better?
I think the most crucial step, which is one of the answers to this question is to know how to choose a Labrador retriever puppy before considering gender.
Usually, the first mistake people make when choosing a puppy, be it male or female, is to go for the most active dog.
That is fine if we want a dog with energy and character, because the owner may wish to acquire a Labrador for hunting.
Now, if we want a farmer for the family, as a pet, it will be convenient for us to choose a calm and serene puppy that is not dominant.
For example, in my family, it was clear to us that we wanted to have a black-cloaked male Labrador because we fell in love when we saw Jacko’s father.
We were also lucky that he was from the litter, one of the calmest puppies, so today, I can say that my Labrador is a submissive dog, relaxed and with a good character.
It is true that it also depends on socialization and the environment in which the puppy was raised, but 50% comes from the nature of the character, and the other half depends on external factors.
That is why it is so important to know the parents of your future puppy if you are going to acquire it from a kennel of the breed because you will see the character that each of them has and you will be able to get an idea of how they will be as adults.
Therefore, we can make a small outline of the best tips to follow when choosing a female or male Labrador retriever puppy.
Generally, there is a tendency to differentiate male dogs from females from a character point of view.
But for Labrador, this is not the case. On the contrary, the Male Labrador will present strong similarities with the female Labrador. The only notable difference, but minimal in itself.
When deciding to adopt a Labrador dog, one of the first questions we ask ourselves is whether we will choose to share our life with a female or Male Labrador.
We often hear that dogs are very different depending on their gender. In general, the female indeed has a more docile behavior than a male.
Male Or Female Puppy? Let’s Analyze The Labrador.
Once you have chosen the color of the Labrador and the breeding, the doubt to be resolved immediately after is the sex of the puppy. A real dilemma for those who have never had a dog in the family.
They are legitimate doubts of those who responsibly seek a dog as a friend and fear that they will not be able to manage it serenely.
So we too are asked with the critical question:
Which is better Male or Female?
The request is to find a generally quieter dog who does not take advantage of future owners’ inexperience.
We are convinced that sex can marginally influence the character of the adult dog. It is often the clichés that lead to making irrelevant considerations with the Labrador dog; each breed has its peculiarities.
The differences between the two sexes are there; let’s analyze them for Labrador.
Labrador Female versus Male Labrador
- The massive Physicist of the Male Labrador
- The difference in size between the Male and female of a Labrador can be significant.
- The Breed Standard does not speak of weight, but only height, the difference between a male and a female can even reach 10 KG.
- In some situations such as walking on a leash, the management of the Male can be more demanding. The Labrador remains an easily trainable and very greedy dog , for this reason, soon with a little effort, you should be able to have a correct behavior and not pull on a leash. For those who have never had a dog, the doubt of knowing how to manage the walk and meetings with other dogs can remain.
Female Elegance Or Male Grandeur?
For those who do not have a male in the breeding and usually turn outside to have breeders with all the health requirements and compliance with the standard, the Labrador’s meeting always leaves them stunned.
We speak of males with excellent structure and morphology in full compliance with the standard. The fact is that the male dog is generally more beautiful.
We are comparing excellent males with equally superior females; if we consider a normal male with an attractive female for elegance and femininity, then?!
It’s impossible! You can’t give a beauty tip based on a puppy’s sex. We have to see every single puppy.
If the intention is to participate in beauty events, we will have to evaluate the morphological characteristics as the puppy grows.
Labrador Character And Intelligence
There are character differences, in my opinion. A bit like in humans, there are differences between girls and boys as children.
The female is more astute and has more intellect, especially at an early age.
I think the male is more inherent to say it’s elegant, a little more slack. Then as things grow, they often change.
The female Labrador, in particular, can become more complicated. The first heats create hormonal changes. A blow of instinct that until now, we had not taken into consideration.
When the heat comes early, it can also affect character growth; at least that’s my experience. Physical disruptions that affect the dog’s mood.
Male Labrador, in the long run, is generally more constant. Once he has passed the adolescent phase, all muscles, and little brain, he has a behavior of easier interpretation.
Remember, however, that we are talking about a breed that is second to no other dog breed for reliability and intellect.
The Heats Of The Labrador Female
The management of the heat of the female sometimes determines the choice of the puppy. If we live in an apartment, evidently, the difficulties increase.
As a manual, the heat of the females occurs every six months; in reality, for medium-sized dogs like the Labrador, it is not a rule. Sometimes the months are nine or even 12. The duration is about twenty days.
Blood loss lasts about ten days, but the risk of unwanted litters comes immediately after. We will have to be careful in our walks in the presence of male dogs, and some owners could even complain about our appearance.
Since the female Labrador has two periods of heat during the year, she loses a lot of blood. This can be a disadvantage if you live in an apartment with your Labrador dog, although it is possible to use clean diapers.
The female Labrador retriever’s heat period, which lasts about three weeks, is an excellent time to attract dogs from the surrounding area. You will be strongly requested in these moments and will have to react by vigorously repelling them.
Don’t worry; mating doesn’t happen in a minute. Courtship-based foreplay will soon alert you to the mating intention of the two parties. Rare are the owners who can tell you that their dog has been covered during a walk with their back turned.
It is also mistakenly believed that a bitch in heat tends to escape quickly. Note that it is instead the Male who will tend to leave, sometimes for miles, in pursuit of a bitch in heat, rather than the other way around.
Another belief about giving birth is that a female Labrador retriever must give birth at least once. While this is recommended, it is not strictly necessary. Don’t beat yourself up if you chose not to procreate your female Labrador.
If we have a garden, we will have less difficulty with blood losses per house. However, we will have to be sure that some male dogs taking advantage of our absence cannot visit our Labrador.
Sterilization should always be done to a female who is not intended for breeding, in the interest of dog health.
The reasons for sterilizing your dog are far more important than getting rid of the heat ailment. However, a consequence remains like character and psychological benefits.
The Male And The Territory Marking
Like all dogs, the male Labrador is no exception to the rule of marking territory with urine. The Male will, however, be much quicker to mark his territory than a female.
This can become problematic if the dog has developed bad habits or has been poorly trained in toilet training.
In this case, a male Labrador dog maybe a little less suited to apartment living in a limited space, especially since his size is slightly larger than that of a female Labrador.
However, in practice, it turns out that female and male Labrador both adapt very well to apartment life as long as the dog goes out for a walk every day.
And For The Competitions?
Another point that must be taken into account before choosing a female or Male Labrador is the question of investment. Female or Male Labrador, which is the best investment?
Competition and prize giving or breeding of Labrador puppies, which sex of the dog is the most likely to generate money?
Besides, is it or not possible to get rich by raising Labradors?
While it is true that owners and breeders of males who have won competitions cover many females, for payment, the Male is not in itself an extremely profitable investment.
The reason is simple; such dogs are rare! It is, therefore, not possible to get rich with your Labrador dog. This fact is somewhat reserved for other more widespread dog breeds.
Conversely, even a mediocre female Labrador will produce a litter of Labrador puppies per year that it will be possible to resell without a problem.
Final Thoughts:
In conclusion, we will not even have this as a motivation to choose a Labrador based on gender.
Ultimately can you choose a Labrador based on gender?
Previous positive experiences with dogs of other breeds also may lead you to choose a dog of the same sex.
The presence of other dogs in the family may preclude a Labrador of the same sex or opposite sex.
For example, avoid unwanted mating if you do not intend to sterilize or vice versa to prevent aggressive reactions between dogs of the same sex.
The sex of our puppy will also be decisive when considering how to choose a Labrador Retriever puppy.
Males are usually more dominant concerning markings, and there is always the possibility of having an altercation with a male dog, while females are not as territorial, but you have to be careful when they are in heat to avoid unwanted pregnancies.
In all other cases, the significant and vital fact on choosing either Male or female Labrador should be based only on the relationship you will be able to have with your Labrador.
Even between siblings, puppies of the same sex and the same litter show differences. Quieter and more enterprising puppies.
When the puppies leave our kennel, they turn the page. If we have been good, they will have points of reference, experiences, and self-confidence to allow them to interact correctly with their new family.
The new stimuli and education will also change the behavior and character of our puppies. Their resourcefulness and exuberance. Some sides of their character will be amplified, and others will be muted.
We can only rely on a certainty: both male and female labs are great, loving and affectionate pets, our decisions in choosing the best should be based on their various personalities and how it’s going to fit into the purposes of raising them—having given each puppy the serenity and security for excellent growth together with beautiful families.