I agree Phill about the training part. What i ment is a family dog females are the best. I have had several dogs, and by far my best huntingdog was a male black lab that was 120+. He was a 110% all the time, but family wise no. He didn't try to bite the kids or anything, but he just didn't like them. Good info on the checking them out. They are all like people having their own personallity. Good Luck