I have a GSP and a Lab and both are good hunting dogs. Depends what kind of habitat you will be hunting? A GSP will be able to cover a lot of ground and be able to be hunted over for a couple of days in a row. In my expereience with labs they just don't have the stamina to hunt for that extended amount of time. I know there are exceptions out there about stamina of dogs. Also as long as you introduce any dog at a young age to kids they will grow up with them and get along great with kids. This will come down to how well your able to train and guide your dog as he grows.