A lab can trail, but they dont pick it up as naturally as a beagle or a deer hound. You will have to teach a lab to trail, a beagle will let you train him, but they already know how to trail, and will do so.

I would suggest a Beagle for you, they make great family pets, and are small enough for the house, and are excellent recovery dogs.

I have had both beagles and labs that I used for trailing, beagles are more instinctive trailers, labs are retrievers.

Below is a lab that I use to trail occasionally,Labs are best suited outdoors in a fence, they are destructive as hell for the first 2 years... Chew on everything. Plus they shed like crazy. But they do make a great pet/hunting dog.