Labs are VERY SOCIAL animals. If they're to be left home alone a lot, not the best breed to choose and you'll probably have to deal with seperation anxiety and thus a lot of destructive chewing. As another poster suggested, don't get one, get two! They'll both be much happier, provide company for one another and its just about as convenient to care for two dogs as one.
That said, I currently own a black, yellow and chocolate. The Black & Yellow Labs are females, the Chocolate is a male. I hunt sea ducks in salt water, so I opted for a big Chocolate male. He was bred for cold water and is consequently very large and heavily muscled.
He handles the cold water much better than his sister (the Black female) from the same litter. She is faster, but tires more quickly and where she runs out of steam, her brother is still quivering in anticipation of the next retrieve or flush.
The Yellow female is the most affectionate and sticks like glue. The Black female is also very affectionate and prefers to stick close. The male Chocolate is more independent and will range further afield.
Overall, Labs will bark when strangers first appear, but will quickly do their best to make friends and tempt the new potential playmates into a rousing game of fetch.
Note: They shed....A LOT. If you or your wife are picky about pet fur on your clothes, furniture, etc...all I can say is good luck!
Even with regular grooming, all three shed constantly.
Also, for the first two years, most Labs are basically "foolish" and only start calming down after age two. That isn't to say they aren't trainable before then, but they can be prone to near hyper-activity. They do require lots of exercise and lots of your time and love as a consequence. If you aren't in a position to provide heaping portions of each, you should think about a different breed. If a potential owner thinks he/she can get away with chaining a Lab outside while they're at work, etc...think again. Labs can be hardcore barkers and your neighbours will learn to hate you pretty quickly if you allow your dog to develop into a barker.
That said, I currently own a black, yellow and chocolate. The Black & Yellow Labs are females, the Chocolate is a male. I hunt sea ducks in salt water, so I opted for a big Chocolate male. He was bred for cold water and is consequently very large and heavily muscled.
He handles the cold water much better than his sister (the Black female) from the same litter. She is faster, but tires more quickly and where she runs out of steam, her brother is still quivering in anticipation of the next retrieve or flush.
The Yellow female is the most affectionate and sticks like glue. The Black female is also very affectionate and prefers to stick close. The male Chocolate is more independent and will range further afield.
Overall, Labs will bark when strangers first appear, but will quickly do their best to make friends and tempt the new potential playmates into a rousing game of fetch.
Note: They shed....A LOT. If you or your wife are picky about pet fur on your clothes, furniture, etc...all I can say is good luck!
Even with regular grooming, all three shed constantly.Also, for the first two years, most Labs are basically "foolish" and only start calming down after age two. That isn't to say they aren't trainable before then, but they can be prone to near hyper-activity. They do require lots of exercise and lots of your time and love as a consequence. If you aren't in a position to provide heaping portions of each, you should think about a different breed. If a potential owner thinks he/she can get away with chaining a Lab outside while they're at work, etc...think again. Labs can be hardcore barkers and your neighbours will learn to hate you pretty quickly if you allow your dog to develop into a barker.
