Preference: male or female dog?

[xpaeanx]

LMAO! OMG, you are SO not right RTH!

Wowzers.

well because my male follows me everywhere faithfully, when I bring him to the beach by my house or w/e I can let him off the leash and we both run up and down the beach a few times... My female... forget it... she can't come off the leash... she'll be gone sniffing and getting into trouble in a hearbeat. Plus I kinda like having a shadow... it's very relaxing...

besides if I didn't have a male dog I couldn't use my fav phrase "The only man I need in my life is my dog!"

 

[BuckarooT35]

I prefer male. I have never had a female dog so I will lack experience on that choice area...all the dogs I grew up with are male and my current one is also male. I think they are more...protective??? I may be wrong..

 

[bubbatd]

I used to have more people on my waiting lists wanting a female for their first Golden , but would take a male rather than none . All came back for another male down the years . Females aren't called Bitches for nothing ! Bless their hearts !! My males would always jump into the car the minute I opened the door....the females would always find something to do and jump in when THEY were ready !! Too Funny !

 

[Cheza]

Odd one out, I prefer my girls haha

 

[IcyHound]

I don't notice any difference between sexes. I can say my boys tend to always be cuddlers while if I have an independent one its almost always a girl. However, most of my girls are also Velcro cuddlers and the three that feel they should attack to my body and grow like moles are all female.

 

[SmexyPibble]

My female Boxers tended to be moodier than the male Boxers. They didn't like to share anything and tended to get a bit snappy aronud other dogs.

Between my four past Boxers as far as being more cuddley[two now RB, one was a foster]; I noticed that the males, Diesel and Alaska were more cuddley. Alaska was always a lap dog at 120 pounds [big boy, yes] and Diesel loooved to cuddle ALL the time [boy do I miss him]. My girl, Georgia, was NEVER the cuddley type, but liked to have her ears nommed, so she was still a loving dog. Now Layla, another female, followed me EVERYWHERE but wasn't the cuddley type, either.

Between the Labs, Elly [female] loves to be pet, but she's not the cuddling type. Molly is definetly not a cuddler. She's friendly, but hard-headed. Bales [male] loooooves to cuddle and couldn't go a day without it. He is also very attached to me and loves to go everywhere with me BUT at the same time is happy lying on the doorstep watching the house. He actually prefers the porch [whether lying on it or under it] instead of the house. Oliver [male] absolutly LOVES to cuddle.

My males also listen verrry well while the females like to listen on their OWN time...

 

[Lizmo]

While I prefer my cuddly, kissy Blaze, I also adore my more independant girl who knows what I'm feeling, and can do her own thing without feeling left out.

I think each has their own strengths and weaknesses. So I'm not going to prefer one to the other.

 

[MafiaPrincess]

My experience is that the males I have had mature slower mentally and don't take life as seriously as females. I have found the females I have had can be very sweet and cuddly...just when they want to, unlike the males who are cuddly 24/7. I have also found that females have more health problems (mostly UT infections and female organ problems ranging from cancer to false pregnancies.)
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Just wanted to add...this is based on female dogs vs male dogs in general as I have never owned a GSD.

I'm all over this post. I have the same experience. I only have 1 of each and both cockers, but Smudge at 15 months has perpetual puppy brain.. he's more laid back though all the time. Cider likes to cuddle and will seek out loving. But Smudge is the one constantly lying on my feet..

 

[elegy]

well, based on a whole three dogs, i strongly prefer my itchy bitchy luce. she's naughty and opinionated and independent and i love that. she's not at all moody though.

mushroom and harv are/were both big mooshes who just want/ed to love and please, and while i loved them very much, i like dogs who aren't such softies.

 

[Amstaffer]

....., but Smudge at 15 months has perpetual puppy brain...

That might not change....Sal is 7.5 and still has a puppy brain.

 

[Picklepaige]

I've never had a male dog, so I couldn't say!

 

[CharlieDog]

Right now, Oz keeps creeping into my lap. This has just started though, he previously preferred laying at my feet...

And thirty pounds of dog in my lap is killing my bladder...

 

[bubbatd]

I really think that you have to compared males vs females of the same breeds to be fair .

 

[GoingNowhere]

just judging by the dogs that I've owned, fostered, and worked with, I haven't really noticed a huge difference in personality to humans, though all of the females that we've owned have reached a point at a few years of age when they decide that they are tired of young adolescent dogs (and aren't afraid to tell them off). The males have been the ones that really could care less if that other dog just body slammed them. But I haven't seen a real difference in their personality towards us. Though, when rescuing, I think it's easier to get a female, because you're less likely to have to deal with obsessive marking. A few of the boys we've fostered have been markers, which was a pain to say the least. Getting a puppy, though, I can't see why it wouldn't be easy to train out. But of course, all of the above is based on a limited view - just the dogs I've known.

 

[mrose_s]

We've mainly had females, thats what my mum and sister like. But now we have 2 girls and 2 boys and I prefer boys. The boys are more content to sit and cuddle forever, the girls will come when they feel like it. '
Buster is a lap dog at 21kg, an awkward lap dog but a lap dog all the same.

 

[YodelDogs]

My advice? Put gender aside and select the puppy with the temperament and personality that fits best with your family.

 

[Baxter'smybaby]

My advice? Put gender aside and select the puppy with the temperament and personality that fits best with your family.

winner here!!

 

[Romy]

My advice? Put gender aside and select the puppy with the temperament and personality that fits best with your family.

Best advice so far!

We had a female shepherd before, and fostered another female shepherd. Two of my aunts also owns female shepherds, and our SAR friends work a female shepherd. (Whoa! For some reason I didn't realize that until now!)

We also know several male shepherds through SAR and the training facility Strider goes to.

You can kind of generalize about the differences, but in the end all dogs are individuals. Some are cuddlers, some are more aloof, and it can be either gender. Anko and Tengu were both extremely cuddly velcro dogs. In general, I suppose the female shepherds I have known have been more protective of their "pack" and family members rather than their territory, whereas the males tended to be more territorial (barking at passersby, etc.) than the females. In the SAR group, once in a while the boys (mostly the intact ones) will get a little preoccupied with leg lifting instead of working and their handlers have to redirect them back to the task, whereas the females are overall a little more no nonsense when they get into working mode.

Also, if you have more than one boy together, they tend to team up on not listening. I think that trait crosses species though.

 

[MafiaPrincess]

That might not change....Sal is 7.5 and still has a puppy brain.

Aww don't tell me that.. He excels when he puts his mind to it.. but we have very little focus. I keep hoping he'll mature and gain more.

 

[Gypsydals]

I would go with what Yodel says. get the sex that fits the best.
That being said
In dals, boys a WAY slower to mature than the girls. At 3 Ivan still has his immature puppy moments (usually at the worst time). I think the girls can focus and ignore that ohh so inviting smell over yonder a bit more than the boys at times. The girls also are more sneaky in what they want. The boys are quite blatent about it. My girl Chloe would and could sneak up behind you, clean your plate off of hotdogs, and chips and you wouldn't even know it, even though it was right behind you (happened to my husband on more than one occasion). Ivan is much more the type to just walk up and attempt to clear your plate before you even turn your back to it.

In all I prefer girls over the boys. But if you get the sex that fits temperament and personality with your family it will be the best.