Lab Puppies

Question
Just put down a yellow lab 2 months ago and are preparing for a new puppy.  Met two litters tonight and have two questions:  1. Your thoughts on purchasing littermates or two pups of the same age?  We were contemplating 2 males, but after spending time researching the 'net tonight...I see nothing good about getting two.  Is this just because people tend to only share their "bad stories"?  2. Is 6 weeks too young to bring a pup home and take him from his littermates & mom?

Thanks!

Answer
Starting with the easier one.  6 weeks is the very earliest.  7-8 weeks is the ideal time.  Even at that age, they still need continuing contact with other dogs, both older and younger ones.  You must be very careful to avoid exposing them to any that could be carrying disease.  Even one sniff where a diseased dog eliminated in the last 6 months is enough to catch a life threatening disease.  

Two puppies of the same age that grow up together can bond too strongly to each other and not be as people oriented as they should be.  better to wait until the first is over 6 months before getting the second.  

The conventional wisdom is one of each sex.  A male and female tend to cooperate rather than compete.  If you have 2 of one sex that both have a strong drive for dominance, you can have problems, with 2 females being the worst.  In many cases, 2 of the same sex do fine together.