Boy or girl lab?

[PuppySqueezy]

We've got our hearts set on a labrador and are in contact with a reputable breeder.

We need to decide whether to go for a male of female dog.

I read on a FB group that dogs 'ejaculate' every 2-3 days , which sounds a bit < not envy and of course girls have their cycles.

What's, on the whole, easier to manage?

[TheVanguardSix]

Ask the breeder. The breeder should guide you based on your family 'type', the ages of the kids, etc.

As for the ejaculation every 2-3 days, I never had to really deal with that. He did drip when he was a pup but outgrew this. He's 3 now and never has anything of that sort going on down there and he's actually intact, not neutered. He has more physical strength and stamina than a female. He needs a lot of walking. I notice when I walk female labs, they don't need as much walking as my male. But he's also still young and full of beans.

[Blondiejay24]

Either way you should get them fixed. For girls it helps prevent cancer later on, and unexpected pregnancies.

Have you considered contacting a Labrador shelter. There are a lot of young labs in need of a home.

We had a Labrador and sadly it was a bad choice for us. We learnt the hard way and had to find a home for her. (Please don’t judge). Our circumstances changed and it was the best thing for our dog, she is now in the best home imaginable with another lab friend for co and we have regular updates.. my point is, make sure this is 100% the right dog for your family. Labs are powerful dogs, they require plenty of walks, and although are easier to train because they are incredibly greedy, you need the time to do this otherwise they will become bored and very destructive which is so unfair on the doggy.

In terms of boy or girl, we had a bitch and had her fixed before her first cycle. She was brilliant with my daughter, so loving. But I hear males are S equally affectionate and really if you get him fixed also you shouldn’t have the humping issue. Although they will hump well before one year old until they are done.

Hope that helps. Good luck though, whatever your decision.

[BiteyShark]

My male (cocker) dog has never humped or anything whereas I have read on here female dogs doing so. He also pees like a girl and have never scent marked in the house.

I would be thinking in terms of whether you are happy to manage any seasons before being spayed versus any castration issues.

Castration may come into play if you plan to use dog walkers/daycare as some won't walk uncastrated in groups etc.

Female seasons seem a pain when you have to avoid walking for a few weeks or have to walk at times and places to avoid other dogs.

[PuppySqueezy]

That's reassuring TheVanguardSix. I'd never heard of that but find the thought a bit . I always thought we'd get a dog rather than a female but now I'm unsure.

[ilovesocks]

I have a dog and a bitch but they are golden retrievers not labs. I've never had an issue with my boy ejaculating. When he's been in a buster collar due to various health issues you can tell there is clearly a small amount of discharge, but I wouldn't be able to tell otherwise. Never noticed it on his bed or anything.

I also disagree about 'fixing' them. My boy is neutered, however my girl is not spayed. I have made the decision not to spay her because I think the benefits are greater leaving her as she is. Her seasons are not problematic, she is very clean and does not suffer with phantom pregnancies etc.

The odds of a bitch dying from pyometra are 0.0023%, meaning 230 in 100,000 dogs who will contract it and die. Spaying increases the risk of common cancer by 5.5 times, and bone cancer is a particular concern in golden retrievers. Being the breed she is, that's why I swayed to keeping her as she is. Sorry for the ramble on spaying, I did a lot of research about it and am now happy with my decision but it was difficult to research as a lot of it is quite biased (on both sides).

[MyGuideJools]

i have a male Lab, now 6 month's old. I've never seen him ejaculate! he did hump his bed for a few weeks but doesn't anymore.
He still sits to wee like a girl apparently he may or may not lift his leg when older.
He's my first dog so I can't comment on females. He's a joy tho, very hard work but a joy

[PuppySqueezy]

I have heard that dogs are more in demand than female dogs. Is this true and if yes, why?

[TheVanguardSix]

My intact male has NEVER humped, just to add. My friend’s spayed female is a humper! Humping is a dominance thing. It’s got less to do with ‘being randy’ and way more to do with an instinctive need to dominate. Females are more food focused generally. I would go male, every time. But that’s me.

[PuppySqueezy]

Thank you thevanguard.

I am wondering if pet insurance pays for neutering / spaying? Spaying is rather pricey.

[BiteyShark]

I am wondering if pet insurance pays for neutering / spaying? Spaying is rather pricey.

I have never seen any pet insurance pay for neutering. It's for accidents or illnesses which neutering is neither.

Tbh there wasn't much difference between spaying and castration at my vets. Certainly not large enough to sway my choice of sex given how much a dog costs anyway over it's lifetime.

[OverFedStanley]

Insurance will pay for castration due to undescended testicles.

Normal castration is way cheaper than spaying a bitch but as a one of cost not a big issue

[missbattenburg]

I read on a FB group that dogs 'ejaculate' every 2-3 days

...Am now looking at Battendog (2 yr old, intact, male, springer) with an odd expression because I don't think he's ever ejaculated....

[PuppySqueezy]

missbattenburg

[Labralion]

Never ever saw this in lab 1 who lived to be 15 and quite a bit and new lab I think may have had a little nocturnal emission in the couch once before he was snipped!

[XXcstatic]

OP, I don't mean this unkindly but- if you can't afford to neuter (if that's what you decide to do) - you can't afford a dog, especially a lab. We have a lab - she is more expensive than other dogs we have had in the past, because she eats more and because pet insurance premiums are high for pure breeds, especially as they get older.

If costs are an issue for you, please consider carefully whether a lab is right for you. Ours costs us several thousand pounds a year once you take food, insurance, vet bills (insurance doesn't cover everything) and boarding into account. And that's despite the fact that DH often works from home so we don't spend much on dog walkers/doggy daycare.

[BrokenWing]

Our lab is 5 and I have never been aware of him ejaculating!

Pre/post neutering he still humps, but only a few specific dogs. I have no idea why it is only the same ones, they are dogs and bitches and not always their rear end 🤦‍♀️.

I know quite a few other walkers with bitches that also hump.

Agree with pp, if cost of spaying is prohibitive think seriously about getting a lab. Our insurance alone is currently £54/month for a 5 year old lab and will only get higher as he ages. We have already claimed over £5k on the insurance so it is necessary. Our vet health plan was £11/month and covers worming/flea treatment/vacs/health checks and also gives 10% of neutering so was worth it in the first year.

[ProperVexed]

I have 2 labradors....and a litter of 6 Labrador puppies! Ddog has never ejaculated in the wrong place, if you get my drift! Of the two Ddog is easier than Dbitch as he is quieter and calmer. That might be down to personality rather than gender.

[Namechange8471]

I have 2 male dogs. One is half lab.

No humping, the one thing I've noticed is the odd "smegma" mark of his penis 🤢 every few days.

[Dodahdodah]

I've had both and would 100% have a bitch. You should definitely neuter or spay whatever you get. If you're worried about the cost, should you be getting a dog? Dogs are very expensive to keep.

[Fucksandflowers]

The odds of a bitch dying from pyometra are 0.0023%, meaning 230 in 100,000 dogs who will contract it and die

Dear God.

Where did you find that figure?!

The odds of a bitch dying of pyometra are quite a bit higher than what you've quoted!

It is a very fast developing and incredibly serious condition, bitches can die in days from it.
Sometimes it presents with no symptoms until the bitch is incredibly ill and probably beyond help.

The risk increases with every season and the older they get the less likely they are to survive an infection like a younger dog might.

Pyometra is incredibly expensive to treat and crucially it is not covered by insurance as it is 100% a completely preventable condition.
So unless you have thousands available at short notice if your bitch gets pyo your only option may be to euthanise...

There is evidence against neutering male dogs.
So much so that many vets refuse to neuter a male if there is any sign of a shy temperament.

The increased bone cancer risk is for dogs neutered before their growth plates have fused and they are 'mature'.
In other words before about 3 years of age.

There is little to no evidence against spaying females.

To neuter your male but leave your female intact is absolute madness to me!

[missbattenburg]

You should definitely neuter or spay whatever you get.

I disagree. I think you should definately talk to your vet, understand the pros and cons, take into account the dog you have (personality etc) and the environment you are keeping it in and make the best and most responsible decision you can.

For example, and as mentioned, there is correlation between neutering (especially at an early age) and fear-based agression in males. Testosterone can help with confidence levels so a shy dog might do better remaining in tact so long as you can keep him under control so don't risk unwanted puppies. Worth noting that correlation is not the same as causation which is yet to be proved. But still...

If your intact dog then turns out to be an escape artist with desperate wandering tendancies you may then decide the risk of puppies outweighs the risk to temperament.

If you have a large breed dog with higher risks of bone cancers you may want to consider the links between neutering and bone cancer when making a decision or when thinking about the age to neuter.

And so on...

Like so many decisions, it is not black and white and the devil is very much in the details.

[missbattenburg]

I have heard that dogs are more in demand than female dogs.

I always thought the females were... am off to Google....