# male or female



## lovegsd (Jul 11, 2009)

Hello group,

I have a choice between a male or a female. I don't plan to neuter or spay the dog and was wondering if you can tell me what are some of the differences between the sexes regarding temperament, health, nerves, protection instincts, and anything else you can share with me would be greatly appreciated. Thank you so much! 

Please help me make an educated decision.

God Bless!


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## HeidiW (Apr 9, 2009)

Greetings, I think we will want to know, Why will you not alter your dog? This will help with our opinions/recommendations. thanks.


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## lovegsd (Jul 11, 2009)

Hi Heidi,

I don't want to alter the dog for several reasons (although I may consider doing it after maturity) but here are just a couple of them:

1) health concerns, especially for early altering
2) may want to compete with the dog

Thank you.


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## AK GSD (Feb 27, 2008)

Over the past 26 years we have had 5 males and this year got our first female. They all have had their individual personalities but overall our males seem to have the attitude that life is one big party and our female takes things more seriously.


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## elisabeth_00117 (May 17, 2009)

I have always had female dogs (Shepherds) and just 10 weeks ago brought home my first male dog (18 weeks old this Friday) and all I can say is that he is a total goofball compared to the females we have had.

The females we have had tended to be more serious, sneaky, and independent. Stark is very much a velcro dog, although independent when he needs to be is very much so a 'mommy's boy'. He is also very friendly and outgoing unlike our females. They were friendly and happy but much more watchful of people. 

But all in all, I would base your decision on temperament.


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## dOg (Jan 23, 2006)

what AK said...and
the girls often are easier to train, but harder to retrain or tweak once they think they got it, seem to generally fight nastier and more often,
especially with other females, probably so because they carry the burdens of motherhood, eat a lot of crap and are referred to as bitches, but I'm guessing.


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## WiscTiger (Sep 25, 2002)

I like my male dogs better, but you would never guess as I have three females and one male.

I think part of the male/female preference is also associated with bloodlines and the individual dog. Some lines can have decent males or females, other can have better males than females and vice versa. So it helps if you know the bloodlines.

But I think males for a first time GSD person is normally a good choice. They are more forgiving with training mistakes, females not so much.

Val


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## zyppi (Jun 2, 2006)

I love and have both but agree that my males have been easier, more laid back.. but I love the spirit of my females. 

If threatened, my male (size and deep bark) would probably scare the pants off someone, but my female would probably be the one to take the pants off....


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## SunCzarina (Nov 24, 2000)

> Originally Posted By: AK GSDOver the past 26 years we have had 5 males and this year got our first female. They all have had their individual personalities but overall our males seem to have the attitude that life is one big party and our female takes things more seriously.


Hey, me too almost, 6 males and 1 female. The bitch is definitely more serious, at a younger age. She likes to play (when she wants to) but will drop her favorite tug if she thinks there's work to be done.


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## middleofnowhere (Dec 20, 2000)

The only competition that I know of that is barred to you with a spayed or neutered dog is AKC conformation. All other is open.

Basically, I don't worry about the sex. I look for temperment and health first, then personality, maybe color - 

The relationship is a bit different but I would not choose one over another based on their sex - it would be based on the connection I feel to that dog.


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## Jason L (Mar 20, 2009)

Compete in what?


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## lovegsd (Jul 11, 2009)

Thank you everyone for sharing your opinions. It really helps.

Jason, at this time I'm not sure about competing in something or not, and I didn't mean to insunate that sex of the dog will determine that for me.

I've have been talking to people and researching and the various opinions were that girls are easier to train and naturally more protective; boys tend to mark their territories and have issues of urinating in the house more than girls. I am not sure if that's true or not but these will be factors that I have to consider.

My personal issue with a female is the heat season they go thru, having blood throughout the house, and having an outside dog trying to get to her because he smell that she's in heat. For this reason alone it makes me want to get a male. However, I've been warned about males who are hard to train, more stubborn, pee everywhere, more goofy, not as protective, etc. I am not sure which is fact or fiction but my mind gets stuck on which companion is best to live with.

Thank everyone and if you have more experiences or opinions to share I am extremely grateful for them.


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## JKlatsky (Apr 21, 2007)

My experiences with the 2 we have (both are intact and are siblings from different litters) Although I wouldn't say this is in general. You can find dogs with these personalities in both sexes.

Male- NEVER had any peeing issues. In fact he was VERY easy to potty train. He likes to mark on walks and in the yard and can get more bogged down in smells but this has never translated into my house. I'm pretty sure he would rather explode than pee in the house. 

He is easy going with people, very social, and settles well in the house. Tougher in training- meaning he can take a lot more manhandling and mistakes on my part without it affecting him negatively-also can mean it's harder to get through to him with a correction though.

Less reactive, very calm nerves. He barely barks at the door, terrible guard dog, mostly because nothing bothers him. It's hard to put him into defense. Makes him great with kids. However as he's gotten older, some issues with dominance and other dogs (NOT in our house, he's super with Anka and the puppies). 

Female-
Rotten to potty train. She was forever excited and when I would let her out of her crate she would excited pee. At training she's get so excited she'd start to pee and spin in her crate. She's had more accidents than my male in the house...but I really contribute that more to her excitability and nerve structure. 

Heat cycle. Every 5 months. Not that big of a deal but a little annoying. We keep her crated and she pretty much keeps everything clean. We'll wipe her off in her crate so she doesn't leak on the floor on the way to the door. Some people use diapers. Argos tolerates it well and we've never had any dogs try to break into our house or attack us on walks. We don't have a whole lot of free roaming dogs in our neighborhood though and I would never leave her outside anyway. 

Training her in OB is SO EASY. She has lots of energy and is quick to pick things up and is very sensitive to her handler...but it's very important to teach her things the right way the first time. She has a hard time redoing behaviors. She's stubborn in the sense that once she learns something this is how it's done. 

Things bother her more. Not that she's unstable or anything but she has a stronger environmental awareness for things that are out of place. Strange noises at night- She barks. Strange people in places she doesn't expect them- She barks. Just in general she is more alert and reactive. If she was bothered by someone approaching us on the street she'd be quicker to alert to it, quicker to bark, and quicker to move into defense, also possibly more likely to run. I'm pretty sure my male would just hang out until they got right up next to us. Not as much of a deterrent as the alert barking dog, however he would be much more likely to pursue a fight.

She is not as good with kids because she is more reactive. If a kid cranked on her without her expecting it, she'd be much more likely to turn and nip before she even thought about it. Generally great with other dogs and people, also very social.


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## JKlatsky (Apr 21, 2007)

What you want to compete in will determine what sex people want to recommend. In general, for schutzhund people prefer males for novice handlers. I don't think it matters as much in conformation or general obedience.


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## littledmc17 (Apr 9, 2008)

I have only had male GSD's and love them to pieces big goof balls
awesome temperments and big babies!

eventually I will get a female GSD once the lab is at the bridge


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## AK GSD (Feb 27, 2008)

We have never had any problems with housebreaking or later urinating in the house with our 5 males/1 female. It is like they are very proud and prefer to do their business outside, you just have to give them the chance - especially when they are very young. I have noticed more grass kill with the female squatting around the yard than with the males lifting their legs on the fence or trees.

As for trainability, all have been very willing to please. I would describe our 5 males as having more street smarts (creative at figuring things out) and our 1 female as more book smart (learns what is taught easily).

Our males have been goofballs but that has in no way translated to being less protective.


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## lovegsd (Jul 11, 2009)

Thank you for such a descriptive run down.


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## lhczth (Apr 5, 2000)

I have owned primarily females, always liked working females. They can be less forgiving, softer and more likely to surprise you at trials. The biggest problem most people complain about is that females tend to think too much. And, of course, the heat cycles which bother some females, but not others. 

I am raising my first male since 1983. He is the biggest mush, has the attention span of a gnat (hey, what's over there, oh a flower, oooooo mom has hotdog, better watch her, oooooooo something moved, oooooooo is that a rag, cool gotta bite it, hey, hi mom, hi helper, ooooooooo the rag moved.........







), is clumsy and goofy, but the power in the bite compared to his sister is tremendous. He is also more likely to settle next to me on the couch for tummy rubs where as his sisters are busier and a bit more independent. Where the girls are bitchy to him, he just grabs them over the shoulders and crushes them when they become a problem. Males tend to be stronger and more dominant and of course larger.


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## wliu003 (Aug 20, 2009)

> Originally Posted By: elisabeth_00117I have always had female dogs (Shepherds) and just 10 weeks ago brought home my first male dog (18 weeks old this Friday) and all I can say is that he is a total goofball compared to the females we have had.
> 
> *The females we have had tended to be more serious, sneaky, and independent. *Stark is very much a velcro dog, although independent when he needs to be is very much so a 'mommy's boy'. He is also very friendly and outgoing unlike our females. They were friendly and happy but much more watchful of people.
> 
> But all in all, I would base your decision on temperament.


I don't own a GSD but my female dog (Shiba Inu) definitely has these qualities too. I've also lived with a male siberian husky and he was a lot more goofy and playful.


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## kelso (Jan 22, 2007)

Whenever I read these male or female threads...I seem to think the opposite of most?, but probably because we have had 2 females GSDs and only one male GSD, so our sample size is way small!

Our male is serious, aloof, and has been harder to train (potty train and otherwise). Our females, in comparison to him, have been a breeze..literally. More laid back and super easy to potty train. They do seem to be a bit more independent though, but WAY more eager to please than our male. He marches to the beat of his own drum... I do love that about him in a way though.

But I tend to think it is not m vs f, but who they are. Our first female was a BYB amer lines, male is a west german workingline and our other female was from rescue. So maybe more a difference of lines and/or where they came from than strictly male vs female. Our male has been a bear, since 8 wks old! Or maybe it is just him..... or me, or us?







I will say that I have learned more about dogs as a whole because of him and the errr...difficulties, I mean pleasure we have had in owning a dog like him









I am a female, not sure if that makes a difference, just thought I would add.


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## wolfstraum (May 2, 2003)

> Originally Posted By: dOgwhat AK said...and
> the girls often are easier to train, but harder to retrain or tweak once they think they got it, seem to generally fight nastier and more often,
> especially with other females, probably so because they carry the burdens of motherhood, eat a lot of crap and are referred to as bitches, but I'm guessing.


























I think it depends on the individual pup. I have a super serious female pup who I would not put in a novice home or a pet home. I have a male who would do fine in one, or in a competition home. Other litters have had females who were great for novices.

In your case, since you do not want to alter the pup, I would say go for the male as you will not have to manage it quite the same way - no unwanted pregnancies with a male!

Good luck!

Lee


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## lovegsd (Jul 11, 2009)

Thank you everyone for sharing. This has been a great learning experience.

I agree that all dogs like people are individual and which bloodlines they come from, the way they are raised, genetics, etc. all affect who they are personality wise. However, I also do think there are similarities in males and females alike. And all you guys really helped me figure this out. I really am grateful for all the output.

I guess mentally and temperament wise I would rather get a female but not wanting to alter the dog I may just get a male because it's easier to deal with in regards to heat cycles, and all. I'm still on the limb though and can't really make-up my mind one way or the other.

I think what I'll do is wait for the right litter, see the pups, and go from there.

I am kind of scared to deal with an unaltered female versus an unaltered male. I will have many sleepless nights pondering this issue.

Thank you everyone once again.


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