# Decisions......



## Sp00ks (Nov 8, 2013)

Basically I thought this might be a fun thread. In reality there will likely not be much of a decision to make.... 

Background: 
-always owned females (I have never owned a male dog in my lifetime)
-last Shepherd was all white

I spoke to the breeder yesterday. We pick up our pup on New Years day. Our breeder is choosing our pup based on temperament alone. We gave her full creative license otherwise. She knows our situation and has a lot of experience. We trust her. 

Litter: 
3 black females, 2 black males and 2 bicolor males
1 black male, 1 black female has been ruled out. 
so that leaves 2 black females, 1 black male, 2 bicolor males. 

Last night my wife and I were just discussing if we had the choice of the remaining pups, what would we choose?? Temperament aside. 

That would leave us with two decisions. Male or Female? and Solid black or bicolor? Bicolor would be an obvious commitment to male as well. 

I know there really isn't enough information about us here. Our last female was pretty independant. She only wanted attention in very brief encounters. Drove my wife nuts. She is home with the dog all day everyday and it will be a companion, protector and we hope to train at least some service aspects as my wife is mildly (?) disabled. (use of only one arm, chronic pain) 

As for color, we like both. If the pups take after Dad (Belgian import), they will be 90% black with only the feet and part of the legs being tan. Right now they have little black highlights on the toes. Obviously, the solid back ones are just that. Mom is solid black, gorgeous, shiny, wavy coat. (Czech import)

So, give me some opinions...Ask questions...I can post a few of the breeders pics if needed of the adults. I have a few of the pups.


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## lhczth (Apr 5, 2000)

Go with the puppy that will best suit you, male or female.


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## doggiedad (Dec 2, 2007)

find a reputable breeder, pick a color, pick a gender, train
and socialize. that's how what i do. train and socialize
and you're going to have a very nice dog. good luck
with the new pup.


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## Sp00ks (Nov 8, 2013)

Ok, maybe it isn't as fun as I thought it could be. Nvm.


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## onyx'girl (May 18, 2007)

If I could choose a pup(and they were all similar in temperament) I'd go with a bicolor male. I prefer males, and bicolor over black.


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## Harry and Lola (Oct 26, 2013)

In my experience, the bitches are much more aloof, like their space and more independent than the males. 

Males are big sooks, they are more affectionate and love being right near you whereas females will be near enough to see you but not near you (usually)

Perhaps a male would be better suited to your wife


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## Sp00ks (Nov 8, 2013)

See, thankyou Onyx and H&L. Thats what I was looking for. 

When Mia was with us, we had talked about a solid black shepherd and not that I ever looked very hard, I hardly ever saw one, no less a pup. This litter came along and we liked both parents and jumped on it. Now, I'm also leaning toward black/tan vs. black. 

I have heard that about the male temperament and that pretty much describes our females over the years. This also helps confirm what our breeder was telling us. 

My wife chased an escape artist terrier around the neighborhood throughout her childhood. That is a concern of hers. He was in love with a female Great Dane on the next block it seems. 

I appreciate the feedback.


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## blehmannwa (Jan 11, 2011)

Havoc is my first male and I can not get over how sweet and affectionate he is. I'm home alone with him a lot and only rarely does he leave the room that I'm in. If the pit is being a jerk, he'll go upstairs to nap but he's usually within arm's length of me.


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## onyx'girl (May 18, 2007)

My male is intact and he's never wandered or tried to escape due to his hormones....and he has been around plenty of females in heat when we train. 
Marking is a training issue, you can control it.


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## Cusack's Human (Sep 11, 2010)

My pick would be bicolor male, obviously LOL I have had the same experience with our intact male as onyxgirl. He never leaves our side. And I have also heard females described as independent but I couldn't tell you that from experience.
Congratulations on the new pup!! 

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## gsdsar (May 21, 2002)

My females have always been the cuddles. My males, while always in the same room, resented cuddling. Even so I love my males. They have such an amazing presence. 

So I would pick the bi color male. Only because my last make that I lost was solid black, and I would not want to compare just yet. 


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## middleofnowhere (Dec 20, 2000)

Oh dear - I've never had an aloof dog with the possibility of a samoyd... Males and females were both very affectionate. I will say that sometimes in the past the connection with a male has been more instantaneous - but that's probably more me than the dog. 

Both sexes have been easy to train; both have been smart. All have required attention and been best when they received a certain amount on a regular basis. Take the dog the breeder things will suit your family best.


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## Jax08 (Feb 13, 2009)

All things equal, I would choose a black male or a sable female.

Having said that....the puppy picked for me by my breeder was a sable male. I am thrilled with him.


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## ksotto333 (Aug 3, 2011)

If I could pick by color and sex, all other things equal.....I would love a bi-color female...and I love me a long coat...


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## vicky2200 (Oct 29, 2010)

I have never seen any correlation to sex and personality. That being said, if you have only had females, I think it would be interesting for you to choose a male. Personally, if it were me, right now I would choose a black and tan male. Simply because I prefer the markings. That being said, I usually do chose when I see the litter. I have a terrible time not choosing them all though.


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## Sp00ks (Nov 8, 2013)

Our past two female Shepherds acted the exact same way as far as wanting affection. They were both pretty independant and only wanted affection on their terms. They wanted to know where everyone was at all times but would lay in another room. Our breeder says her females act the same way. When we met mom, she was just as content to lay in the grass and chew on a stick, Dad was on us the entire time. We met them separately. 

We had an alaskan husky female that would take affection anytime, anywhere. She was always in whatever room we were in. However, she was a rescue so maybe there was an environmental factor. 

Based on this, I would say breed has at least something to do with it. I have heard more than a few make these statements about female Shepherds so there must be some truth to it. I'm sure there are females that don't have this temperament but in general......

There is a joke between us that I choose dogs that are always independent and hard headed. Well, I always choose female.... Maybe there is something to that. When we visited the pups, I took to one black male. I held him awhile and when I put him down, he went to edge of the play pen on his own and laid down and fell asleep. sigh.....  I told my wife if we have a choice this time, she is picking. She didn't like that idea since the joke will turn into "Hey, you picked this one". All in fun of course. 

We are definitely leaning male. However, there is a level of uncertainty there since we haven't owned a male before. We really like the black/tan's but we like the solid black as well. At the end of the day, we don't care about the sex or color but more about the temperament of the pup. We have every confidence in this breeders experience and ability to access the pups as well as you can at that young of an age. 

In the event that we do have a choice when it comes time to take the pup home, this discussion has helped. If nothing else to pass the time in the excruciating wait until New Years day.  I will contact her again just after Christmas and see where we are at as the pups personality continues to come to the surface.


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## martemchik (Nov 23, 2010)

Biggest thing is to be truthful to the breeder about what you want out of the dog. Don't tell her that you're really interested in Schutzhund or doing some other type of sport and not truly be committed to it. I've seen too many horror stories where people have gotten a very high drive dog because they thought they were interested in doing dog sport and then not going into it and ended up with a dog that was too much for them and their family.

My experience is limited to two dogs...my 3.5 year old male does not cuddle. He'll be happy to see you, let you pet him, and then its done. He lays in the middle of the house, or on the bay window, so that he has a full view of everything that is going on in the house. I am currently fostering a 2.5 year old female. She's a cuddler. After 1 day in our house all she wanted to do was be in your lap, be near you, sleep in your bed. She will sit on your lap all day long if you let her (and it helps that she's 50 lbs and not the 85 that my male is).

Anyways...its all about the dog's personality and probably a bit how you raise them. Although we tried really hard to turn our boy into a cuddler and he just wasn't having it.

I think you'll be happy with any dog you get from this breeder if they truly are that good at what they do. You'll also love any color you get. My male is a sable, and I love sable dogs. After him, I really waned a dark sable female. Well, this little girl came into our lives and she's a blanket back. But she's absolutely beautiful and I wouldn't change her for anything. Just shows...you can have any color preference you want, but when you see them, they're all stunning.


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## wolfstraum (May 2, 2003)

This is one I cannot generalize on....I have had super affectionate females and more aloof females....I have had affectionate males and aloof males...I have had more females than males tho. The males I have had were all very drivy and wanted to engage you in play - dropping their toy/ball on my keyboard when I am working on the computer....one would use a piece of straw to engage a person when we were at the barn - he wanted them to throw it for him...his sire was the same way....a stick, a toy, anything he could get you to throw....a few minutes of affection here and there but more engagement motivated.....my females have been affectionate, lying with me on the couch, wanting to cuddle....the most affectionate female I have ever had is Basha, who was raised in a kennel in Belgium...when she came here and lived in the house, she thought she had died and gone to heaven I think! 

I don't think affectionate and engaging is sex oriented....it is genetic IMO....if one parent is more affectionate, I'd try to get one who exhibited personality more towards that parent...

Personally - I like pure blacks, and have no preference for training....if you are not going to be doing sport or planning on breeding - go with what the breeder says is your best match.

Lee


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## Sp00ks (Nov 8, 2013)

Thanks Lee, very insightful. We have a great amount of respect and trust for the breeder. She has been awesome. She has allowed us to be involved through the entire process. 

I thought it would be fun to see everyone's thoughts but ultimately we will go with the pup she suggests, no matter the color or sex. 

Love your avatar. If we decide to do a 2nd, which we have talked about, It will likely be a dark sable.


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