Experienced dog people... male vs. female dogs?

[Janie Grace]

We are going to get a dog soon. I thought we wanted a female dog (it will be mostly dd's and she wants a "girl" b/c she only has brothers!). However, a friend of mine told me yesterday that males are nicer dogs and that females are often... well, b*tchy (excuse her/my French!). Is this true? If you have had both, do you think the males have nicer temperaments? The breeder actually did allude to this, too... but dd is going to be sad if we add yet ANOTHER boy to this family! (Joking -- she'll be happy with any dog but she hope for a female.)

[Remudamom]

Dogs are like people. *****ey or not, grumpy or not, whatever or not. I've had lovely and grumpy females and lovely and grumpy males. Let the kid get what she wants.

[Once Again]

I strongly prefer female dogs. They are more affectionate in my experience.

[LND1218]

We strongly prefer female dogs too for a lot of reasons.

[gingersmom]

I have a female dog after only having male dogs for 20+ years.

 

Just based on the dogs I have had, my male dogs have been much more mama's boys than my female.

 

My female thinks she is a lapdog (all 70 pounds of her), but it is just different.

 

I am sure your daughter will be happy with whatever she picks.

[stephanier.1765]

I don't know if this is true of all pets or all families but in our family the female pets have preferred the female family members while the male pets have preferred the male ones. Even our female sugar glider prefers me over the males in the family. So if she was my daughter I'd get her a girl dog.

[Old Dominion Heather]

We have both. It just depends on the temperament of the dog. Our girl is a wanderer and we have to watch her carefully since she is the most agressive, especially around other dogs. The male is a big baby. He is super submissive and is the one I would never worry about around other kids. He is big and exuberant, though and can get overexcited easily. As someone else mentioned, our male is a big mama's boy.

[TheHomeScientist]

My parents brought home our first Border Collie, a female, in 1959, when I was six years old. Over the next 30 years, they had at least one and usually two BCs, always female, and I was around them regularly except when I was in college. In 1988, my parents brought home the first male. When my dad died in 1990, we moved my mom and that male BC in with us. My wife had been afraid of dogs until then, and actually was more worried about living with the dog than having my mom living with us. She soon fell in love with Kerry, and we've had at least one and usually two or three BCs ever since, all male. My wife also volunteered with BC rescue for ten years or so, and we often had foster dogs of both sexes.

 

Based on that sample, it's pretty clear that the males are more affectionate than the females. Not that the females were bad, but they were definitely more standoffish than the males. For example, if we're in the den watching TV, the females tended to leave the room and lie out in the foyer or hall, while the males tended to stay in the room with us, and are usually up on the sofa between us.

 

Of course, our sample size is only maybe three dozen, some of which were rescue dogs that were with us for only a few days to a few weeks, and many of which had been abused. Also, most of the dogs we owned came from the same few breeders, so there's a great deal of genetic commonality there. And, of course, it may be breed-specific.

[TravelingChris]

I have a male cat and a male dog. I will be getting a female cat and a female dog this year. No, I will not be breeding since both of my animals are neutered and both of the new animals will be spayed. For my situation, I think getting opposite gender will more likely lead to better results with the older animals. My dog gets along with everyone so I guess he would be fine with a male but my cat is much more picky which is why I think a female, younger, smaller cat would be better.

[Jann in TX]

Our current dog is a female-- she is so sweet with us...so happy... BUT she stinks!

 

Our first dog was a female and we swore when she left us (after a long happy life) that we would never get another female...

 

A few dogs later and we have another female (via a rescue right after the unexpected death of one of our males).

 

Now we are a German Shepherd family-- so our dogs are large and that means the female 'scent' is magnified a million times! We have to pay to have her scent glands cleaned out every few months (smells worse than a skunk)-- I can't bring myself to do it.

 

Our next dog (hopefully this spring/summer) will be a MALE.

 

As far as affection goes we have not noticed a difference-- but the females do tend to get 'b$tchy' at times--but more with our other dogs than with us.

[Lucy in Australia]

I just voted (for a boy) and just realised that my vote made your poll 5 votes each for all three options! :D So glad we can help you like this :001_tt2:

[houseofkids&pets]

Our female dog is super sweet and submissive. She follows my dd around the neighborhood when she goes out to play. She just kind of hangs out and waits for her to finish and then walks home with her. She would follow my dd to the end of the earth:). Unfortunately, she thinks she is a lap dog and she is 60+ pounds (she's not a large breed, she is just a bit on the plump side).

 

Our male dog loves all of our family members. He is a "lap dog" size and is quite a cuddler. However, he is extremely protective of our home and kids and has been known to go after anyone who enters our yard (unless it is someone he is familiar with, like family and friends who are over frequently). I think this may be just due to his temperment since our neighbors have a huge male dog that is a sissy. Our dog just has that "small dog" issue where he over compensates for his size by being a bit of a bully.

 

I grew up with 2 male dogs who were quite friendly and were also great watch dogs. As an adult, I got my first female dog and what I immediately noticed when we went for a walk was that we DID NOT have to stop at every stinkin' tree to mark territory. I could have never done this with my males that I had as a child. When I used to try to jog with my shepherd mix, he still tried to stop constantly along the way to raise his leg and go potty. The female we have now just happily goes for a walk and does her "business" right before she goes back in the house. I don't know if this is typical, but it has been my experience. The only reason we got a male for our second dog is the breeder mentioned that sometimes different genders will get along better.

[houseofkids&pets]

Just curious about the poll. I see that there is one vote for "other". What kind of dog is that:tongue_smilie:?

[sparrow]

I *used* to have a strong preference for female dogs, until I got a male last year :001_smile:.

 

It struck me that many of the male dogs I came in contact with previously may not have been neutered. We spay and neuter all of our pets. Our neutered male is a very sweet, affectionate, and social guy.

 

My experience now leads me to vote that I have not noticed a difference, with the caveat that the dogs are neutered or spayed.

[Shellers]

I strongly prefer female dogs. They are more affectionate in my experience.

 

:iagree:

 

We currently have six dogs, 4 girls and 2 boys. The girls are all so sweet and loving. They follow me or the kids around all day. One of the boys, hates everyone except his mama, my DD15. He's not mean or anything but he really dislikes everyone.

 

My other male dog is a 12 year old Fox Terrier and he has some sort of old age memory problems but he's always been friendly with everyone.

 

We had a male McNabb (boarder collie) for 12 years. He was a great dog but he didn't like to be pet for very long. He was into drive-by affection.

 

I prefer females. If you have a garden, keep in mind, boy dogs will lift their leg to your plants. I've had many plants killed from dog urine.

 

ETA: All of our dogs are spayed and neutered.

Edited January 7, 2012 by Shellers
Added more info

[jg_puppy]

My husband and I have had 6 dogs in our married life. All of the females except one (she is still a puppy and doesn't have a preference yet) have strongly attached to him. We have had two males and they both strongly attached to me. The males that we have had tend to be calmer and more easy going, but I don't know if that is because they are males or more due to the fact that we got them as puppies and the females we adopted when they were around 2 and we were not sure about their life before we got them.

 

Janet

[DarlaS]

I have a female dog after only having male dogs for 20+ years.

 

Just based on the dogs I have had, my male dogs have been much more mama's boys than my female.

 

My female thinks she is a lapdog (all 70 pounds of her), but it is just different.

 

I am sure your daughter will be happy with whatever she picks.

 

:iagree:

 

I can hardly keep our German Shepherd male off me. :tongue_smilie: If I sit on the sofa, he will stare and nose (or even paw! :lol:) at whoever is sitting next to me as if to say "Hey, don't *I* get to sit by mom?!". He's not even my dog. :001_huh:

 

ETA: Since we are talking temperament, I voted that I haven't observed a difference based on gender. I will tell you though that since adding a second dog, our female has become awfully touchy/snarky. She is 7 years old though and the puppy was always (until recently) trying to play with her.

Edited January 7, 2012 by darlasowders

[OLG]

It all really depends upon the dog's own personality and how it fits with your family, I say. I've had dogs my entire life and each mutt or breed has been different whether they were male or female. If a female is your daughter's desire, then so be it, I say!

[ChandlerMom]

I'm no expert, but I think the personal temperament matters more than the gender. I have heard it depends a lot on the breed, so if you have a certain breed in mind (or mutt from a certain group), I'd search on that or check the webpages/forums for the breed fanciers. Neutering nullifies a lot of this,and much of the opinion seems to come from dog showers with uneutered animals -- females are a PITA because you can't show in season (I understand), but they claim females tend to be "smarter" and more focussed at training than males. Females have a rep for being a little more independent. Again, probably not as important as the individual or the neutered dog, even if these generalizations were true.

 

For mine, I read someplace a description I like (tho don't know if it is true): a female will love you, a male will be in love with you. :D

 

I'd find the right dog, regardless of gender. If your dd really wants a girl, then consider that. I would consider any pragmatic over temperament bias when picking gender: neutering is usually easier and cheaper on males, even neutered males can mark, easier to predict where female pee goes, if you have more than one dog (or plan to get more latter), sometimes gender matters.

 

Good luck!

[beaners]

In my experience, there is so much variation that generalizations won't help you. Even if most males or females were better pets, individual temperament plays a much larger role. We have one of each right now. Most people can't tell which is the male and which is the female without looking to check.

[I talk to the trees]

I have noticed distinct differences in the dogs I have owned. The males tend to be more affectionate, and also have been "mama's boys." (Especially one of my current males. He gets separation anxiety if I'm in a different room, and can be very vocal about it.) The females have been a bit more aloof, and a bit more territorial, but still wonderful pets. I do think there is a good reason for the b-word's current usage, though!;)

 

I voted "other" in the poll, because although I have seen differences when comparing my own dogs, I don't think it really matters which you choose. If a dog is showered with affection and attention, it's going to respond in kind. It's the old nature v. nurture argument, and in this case, I think nurture plays the greater role.

[Unicorn.]

Just curious about the poll. I see that there is one vote for "other". What kind of dog is that:tongue_smilie:?

 

That will be for the people who tell her to get one of each!

[I talk to the trees]

 

I prefer females. If you have a garden, keep in mind, boy dogs will lift their leg to your plants. I've had many plants killed from dog urine.

 

 

Girls do this, too, occasionally. Ask me how I know....better yet, ask my dearly departed tulips.:glare:

[Coffeetime]

 

I prefer females. If you have a garden, keep in mind, boy dogs will lift their leg to your plants. I've had many plants killed from dog urine.

 

 

And females will literally MURDER your lawn. :glare: My poor, formerly green grass. Brown spots everywhere. No more females for us.

[jennsmile]

Male dogs are more likely to mark. :glare:

 

 

I have one of each and temperment wise there really isn't a difference.

[dirty ethel rackham]

We've only had one dog - male - and he follows me wherever I go. If I go to the bathroom, he is waiting for me to get out. If I am on the computer, he is at my feet (like right now - he is having doggie dreams about chasing squirrels right now.) I have not noticed any difference between male and female dogs at the shelter as far as affection goes. Some dogs are and some aren't. Gender doesn't seem to play a role.

[Janie Grace]

Thanks everyone. You've convinced me to stick with getting a female. No plans to get a second dog and honestly, I'm fine with not having a dog that follows me from room to room and wants to be on top of me. We dogsat a dog like that and it made me a little crazy. I want an affectionate, sweet dog but I'm okay to not have a shadow. ;) I can't wait to get our dog! Dd will be thrilled to have another girl in the family.

[stephanier.1765]

Thanks everyone. You've convinced me to stick with getting a female. No plans to get a second dog and honestly, I'm fine with not having a dog that follows me from room to room and wants to be on top of me. We dogsat a dog like that and it made me a little crazy. I want an affectionate, sweet dog but I'm okay to not have a shadow. ;) I can't wait to get our dog! Dd will be thrilled to have another girl in the family.

 

Another plus to getting a female dog, and I can't believe I'm going to say this, but rubbing a female's tummy is much more enjoyable (easier, less things getting in the way) than rubbing a male's tummy. This was probably my number one reason for getting a girl dog. :blush:

[Laura Corin]

We've only had a female dog and she's not grumpy in the least. I like the fact that she doesn't feel the need to stop and mark every tree when we walk.

 

Laura

[Laura Corin]

And females will literally MURDER your lawn. :glare: My poor, formerly green grass. Brown spots everywhere. No more females for us.

 

I was expecting brown spots on the lawn from our female dog, but we don't have any. No idea why.

 

Laura

[joannqn]

We had to put down a female dog because she lost her mind every time I got pregnant. She tried to attack any human of any gender or age who came within 20-30 feet of me. After a vacation, she ended up biting (not a serious bite but still bit and broke skin) my neighbor when she came over to give us our mail. Our dog knew our neighbor most of her doggy life, but it didn't matter.

 

Our male dog thinks everyone who comes to our house is there to give him attention and has been a chair and step stool for three of my kids. No, we didn't allow it, but every time a toddler used him to climb onto the coffee table he'd just look at me like "seriously? again?" He's a sweet dog.

[Ellie]

I've had male dogs and female dogs. ITA with the others who have said that gender doesn't really make a difference; it's the personality of the individual dog.

 

If you get a female, you should get her spayed ASAP. JMHO. :)

[cin]

We prefer female dogs and male cats. The female cats we

 

One thing that plays into that decision is the male dog habit of, um, playing on human legs. I don't know if neutering fixes that.

[Myeightkiddies]

I think it depends on the breed. Sometimes female smaller dogs tend to be fussy, even with being spayed. For example, my female chihuahua, who happens to be the alpha - in her mind, can be fussy. She is spayed. My female schnoodle, who pretends the chihuahua is in charge but puts her in her place periodically, is not fussy at all. She is also spayed and bigger in size. The other tiny chihuahua is insanely hyper and isn't fussy because she is too crazy to be.

 

My friend will only have female dogs (spayed) because she likes to rub their bellies and cuddle, and females have - smoother - bellies than males.

[Jann in TX]

Our current dog (white German Shepherd female)-- marks as much as possible when we go for walks around our property-- she tries very hard to restrain herself when we are off property but sometimes she just can't help it...

 

She and our last dog would keep 'marking' the same bush over and over-- he would then she would...

 

The male dogs we have had who were neutered before 6 months did not mark-- or really even raise their legs... DH thought it was sad.:tongue_smilie:

[DarlaS]

Our current dog (white German Shepherd female)-- marks as much as possible when we go for walks around our property-- she tries very hard to restrain herself when we are off property but sometimes she just can't help it...

 

She and our last dog would keep 'marking' the same bush over and over-- he would then she would...

 

The male dogs we have had who were neutered before 6 months did not mark-- or really even raise their legs... DH thought it was sad.:tongue_smilie:

 

We had our male GSD neutered @ six months. He just squats not much differently than our female (he lowers his belly rather than his rump).

 

No marking attempts at ALL and he's 10+ months old. Nothing sad about that since it means he gets to keep living in the house with all his favorite people. :D

[Shellers]

I was expecting brown spots on the lawn from our female dog, but we don't have any. No idea why.

 

Laura

 

I've never had that problem either and we have four females. We have a corgi, two 11 pound rat terriers, and a nine pound Shih Tzu. Maybe it's a big dog thing?

[jhschool]

Note: All our dogs were spayed/neutered.

I don't have information on unfixed dogs.

 

I have had an English Setter female. Best dog ever. Sweet, kind, loving, gentle, loyal,

etc. Very obedient. I had her when I was a child. She passed away.

 

I have had an Aussie mix female. Best dog ever. Sweet, kind, loving, gentle, loyal, etc. Very obedient. Very wise. She passed away of leukemia last year.

I still miss her.

 

I currently have an Old English Mastiff male. Best dog ever. Sweet, kind,

loving, gentle, loyal, etc. Very obedient.

 

I also have two Boxer/Border Collie females. Sweet but nuts; destructive;

Loving but very rough. NOT gentle! Very loyal. Also disobedient.

 

I voted OTHER.

I think it depends on your breed.

Get a good breeder.

Don't get one from a pet shop. Don't support puppy mills.

My Aussie mix

came from a rescue society whose owner had kids so I knew she would

be good with kids.

My Boxer/Border Collies came from the shelter.

My

Old English Mastiff male came from a very good breeder (Rydalmount

Mastiffs).

My English Setter came from a friend of the family.

So I think it depends on the breed, but

I think it also depends on whether you get a good breeder who breeds

for temperament or a bad one that supplies to a pet shop. That said,

my Aussie mix came from a rescue society. So I voted OTHER.

Edited January 7, 2012 by jhschool

[houseofkids&pets]

A pp mentioned the male dog's habit of "playing on people's legs." Our male dog has never done that to one of us, but will go after our female dog. She has now started doing the same to him. It is a dominance thing (they are both fixed), so I guess gender doesn't matter.

 

I agree with the others who mention that giving belly rubs to a female dog is much easier.