# Male or Female?



## TxTech (Mar 29, 2008)

My husband and I need to decide if we want a male pup or a female. I have two questions for you:

1. Would you recommend one sex over another for a first time dog owner?

2. What should a first time dog owner know about males and about females when making this choice?

Thanks!


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## WiscTiger (Sep 25, 2002)

What are your plans for the pup, Companion, SchH, agility, etc.?

I think it depends on a lot of things, part of it is bloodlines, part of it is the actual pup itself (easy going, independent, etc) and then the big part is do you have a preference.

I have always been a believer in a very laid back male for a first GSD makes a good combination. My males have always been very attentive and very much momma's dogs and wanted to please. That isn't saying that they were wussies, one of them would have laid his life down to protect me. Maybe it is my make up but I still like my male dogs better than my female dog. I love them all but If I had to have one dog I am pretty sure it would bw a male.

Val


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## baxterbrown11 (Mar 23, 2009)

First gsd. ,male, for sure, when they are neutered they are so easy going.


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## VectorSketcher (Jul 20, 2008)

I have to agree with Val. My male is exactly as Val has explained above, I also have a female, she is so opposite, she is very explosive and very reactive. Not sure if all females are like her though, she is my little firecracker, I love her energy but she is alot to handle.


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## zyppi (Jun 2, 2006)

My males have been more easy going.


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## littledmc17 (Apr 9, 2008)

I have a male and he is so laid back
he is intact and the biggest baby 
he is my first GSD (when I got him in over 10 years)
Personally I will only have males 
I have a female lab and she is the biggest bitch and we butt heads


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## BucksMom (Aug 13, 2007)

Male..


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## TxTech (Mar 29, 2008)

The dog will be a family companion dog. I don't think we necessarily have any strong preferences as far as sex goes...but I've been told that you should decide if you want male or female and let the breeder know. Then the breeder will pick which male or female fits you best. Originally I thought we would just let the breeder know what we are looking for in a dog and then let them pick the pup regardless of sex. But people here have said that most breeders will want you to choose what sex you want.


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## TxTech (Mar 29, 2008)

Looks like most here prefer male for first dog...


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## WiscTiger (Sep 25, 2002)

Male with exceptions.....

You don't want the hardest or roughest pup in the litter. As a first dog that could be a bit much for you. I still think some of it comes down to genetics, some lines have very hard females and some have very hard males. Tell the breeder that this is your first GSD. It sounds like you have a breeder in mind, if you don't want to post publically can you send me a PM.

First thing to know is no matter what pup you get GSD are little allegators for a while. They are very active about exploring and using their mouth. So be prepared for that. Save all you old shirts and jeans to wear for the first oh 3 - 4 months.... That way you won't be upset if a piece of clothing gets wrecked. My males trashed as many cloths as my females, it is just most males are a bit easier. Females can be bitchy, they can be like some human females and never forget any thing, so if you mess up it will crop up even as an adult. Males are a bit more let things go and roll off their back.

Val


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## Caledon (Nov 10, 2008)

Wow, I'm surprised to see the responses for males as being more laid back. I thought the opposite.

If I read this post before I got Dakota I may have ended up with a male, although Dakota is the pefect match for our family. The one thing I read in a previous post was that males tend to bond more with their female members, and females tend to bond more with the male family membrs. I've never had a male dog before, but I can tell you that my female puppy has a special bond with my husband and my 17 year old son. I always believed that to be because she had a special bond with the breeders husband. She loves me and my 24 year old daughter as well but she always looks to those two. Maybe it is the female dog attraction to males?


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## GSD07 (Feb 23, 2007)

My female dog is glued to my husband and adores him to death even though he does nothing with her, not even a single walk, everything is on me. She uses me because she needs me to get food, exercise, the door to the backyard open but doesn't really love me or is devoted to me.

My male shepherd, on the other hand, is truly attached to me since the first minute we saw each other and I can't tell you how strongly the bond between us is developing, stronger every day with every training session or a walk or just goofing around the house. He brought joy in my life even though he's not my first dog.


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## aubie (Dec 22, 2008)

Anna is glued to me...she loves both my husband and I, but as he puts it, she's definitley "my" dog. Actually, she doesn't like either of us to get out of her sight...she's and Equal Opportunity puppy lover.


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## george1990 (Nov 24, 2008)

I see the same with Max (pom mix) so far. He loves me no doubt, but when my girlfriend walks through the door, I have to admit, I get a bit jealous. He's happy to see me, but when he sees her, he's jumping with joy on her (we let it slide, he's small and he rarely does it) and licking her face. All I get is a stinking tail-wag lol.


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## MassiChewSits (Mar 10, 2009)

I'm in the same situation. The breeder asked us our preference and we told her that my wife and I would defer to her wisdom knowing that we are GSD novices looking for a famliy companion(...who live in a small house the suburbs with close neighbors, etc.,etc.)
The pro-male consensus so far is interesting. I just read a Monks of New Skete book in which they mildly suggest a female for first-timers as they are,in their opinion, generally more receptive to training. The Monks, I believe, are generalizing and not speaking of GSD's specifically. 
My puppy will be from Kirschental(German herding line) sires and I have no idea if the males are considered "harder" than the females. I wish we had more opinions here, so I could run other people's ideas by my breeder because I am not yet knowlegible enough to form my own. As of now, we will leave it to our breeder to evaluate the pups as they develop and then she will pick for us.


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## triordan (Dec 5, 2008)

i prefer females...


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## pupresq (Dec 2, 2005)

I prefer females and have an incredibly close relationship with Grace but agree with those recommending a male the first time around. GSDs as a breed are smart, loyal, protective, and energetic, so you're likely to get those qualities with either gender. Our GSD males seem to be more straightforward, more easygoing and forgiving, basically big smooshballs who love their family and want to please. The female GSDs have been much wilier, sneaky, and inclined to overthink everything and second guess orders. I like these qualities but feel like they're overkill on your first GSD.


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## SunCzarina (Nov 24, 2000)

I enjoy both. On size factor alone, I think female for the first time around. They're easier to train and tend to mature faster (not always for either!) My boys have been big goofballs, stubborn heads with hearts of gold. The bitch I have now, she's all business, not that she didn't have a certain amount of nuttyness when she was a pup.


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## WiscTiger (Sep 25, 2002)

None of my females are push overs or easy. Cheyenne would challenge any first time owner just as much as any male. She is ALPHA and I have to be More Alpha and stronger than she is, we get along fine, but I have to keep really tight rules on her or she would be running the show.

DeeDee is good with me, but wraps my DH around her paw, so I have to watch that she doesn't get too spoiled and forget her place.

Raya, is on the small side for a female but she isn't an easy dog either. She can be a bit stubborn, once she gets something in her pretty little head it is there.

For the most part, I like males for first time owners as I stated before. If you make a big mistake on training with a female, 75 - 90% of the time it will crop up some time, they just don't seem to forget. 

Val


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## Doc (Jan 13, 2009)

I would agree that most "most times females don't forget" and that goes with humans too! LOL!


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## BlackGSD (Jan 4, 2005)

> Originally Posted By: DocI would agree that most "most times females don't forget" and that goes with humans too! LOL!



















As a female myself, I totally agree!


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## BlackGSD (Jan 4, 2005)

> Originally Posted By: pupresqI prefer females and have an incredibly close relationship with Grace but agree with those recommending a male the first time around. GSDs as a breed are smart, loyal, protective, and energetic, so you're likely to get those qualities with either gender. Our GSD males seem to be more straightforward, more easygoing and forgiving, basically big smooshballs who love their family and want to please. The female GSDs have been much wilier, sneaky, and inclined to overthink everything and second guess orders. I like these qualities but feel like they're overkill on your first GSD.


I agree.


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## TxTech (Mar 29, 2008)

A funny side note: I told my husband about this thread I started and told him that the general consensus is that females tend to be less forgiving, they remember your mistakes more, and can be more moody than males.

His response: boy is that true!

Now why do I get the feeling he's not talking about dogs?


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## doggiedad (Dec 2, 2007)

i've always had males. that's because i don't
want to deal with the cycle and the males
tend to be larger.


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## Kelsey3283 (Feb 28, 2008)

> Originally Posted By: BlackGSD
> 
> 
> > Originally Posted By: pupresqI prefer females and have an incredibly close relationship with Grace but agree with those recommending a male the first time around. GSDs as a breed are smart, loyal, protective, and energetic, so you're likely to get those qualities with either gender. Our GSD males seem to be more straightforward, more easygoing and forgiving, basically big smooshballs who love their family and want to please. The female GSDs have been much wilier, sneaky, and inclined to overthink everything and second guess orders. I like these qualities but feel like they're overkill on your first GSD.
> ...


I also completely agree. Well said and very true.

To add input we love our female for the qualities listed above.


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## elfwofle (Dec 22, 2007)

I got a female as my first GSD 3 yrs ago. She has been laid back, fairly easy to train. Though I do know she is stubborn and the domanant dog when I am not around. My husband cannot control her, she ignores most commands he gives her, but she will listen to me 90% of the time. I always thought that a male would be more of a challenge, so that is what I will have in 8 weeks. (of course, this wouldnt be the first time I was told that I was backwards!!!! LOL)


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## angelaw (Dec 14, 2001)

I've had both over the years, for training/competing, I've finally figured out this year, that I prefer working males. The girls are more sensitive to me I guess, I don't have fun working them. That's why I held back a male this time. He's tons of fun to work, but I've always worked better with the boys, lol.


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## TxTech (Mar 29, 2008)

I'm pretty sure we'll end up going with a male. It sounds like most people here think males are a little more easy-going and more forgiving and eager to please. That combined with the fact that my husband already sort of wanted a male means we'll probably get a male.


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## TxTech (Mar 29, 2008)

Plus, our favorite dog name thus far fits a male. =)


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## SuzyE (Apr 22, 2005)

my female is a pistol, my male was a clown.


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## JillyBean08 (May 4, 2009)

The breeder we are getting our female GSD said that it's about genetic make-up and environment. She would not allow us to get a pup from the more dominent mother who was having a litter soon. She said she is to much the Alpha. Also, she asked who is more dominent in our household. We both agreed that my fiance is. She then recommended us getting a female GSD. She did mention as some others have that females mature faster, probably mature by 2 years of age. While, males, take until about 5 years of age. We needed a dog to suit our family fast because we have a baby on the way in August. 

I am new to GSD's but I'd thought I would share what my breeder told us as far as choosing the right pup for our family.


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## angelaw (Dec 14, 2001)

The only males I've seen take 5 yrs to mature are the slower DDR ones. The working line males I've owned tend to mature between 2.5 and 3.5 yrs of age on average. Girls about 2 to 2.5


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