If you wait too long, the application can be misplaced or lost which will cause delays. It's best to take care of that early on. Once you have actually chosen a breeder and are faced with a litter of puppies, you have more choices to make. Any of these topics alone can fuel a never-ending debate about puppy choice. But we'll try to sum up some of the high points.
Gender is probably the least of the factors in choice.
The choice between male or female should depend on personal preference and with regards to future puppies, if desired, as well as what other dogs you may already have at home. Females do require more forethought for obvious reasons. Everyone has a favorite color, and no one is at a loss to express why they feel that way. It has been our experience to train more black labs than anything else, which could be due to a larger gene pool. Of course we have had many successes with labs both yellow and chocolate.