# Choosing between male/female, already own small male dog



## Doglover125 (Jan 2, 2021)

Hi!

I am looking to bring a German Shepherd puppy into my home. I have doing a lot of research on breeders and the forums have been very helpful.

I am trying to decide between a male or female GSD. My heart has always been set on a male but we do have a 3.5 YR Old Small Pug. He is a great dog, pugs are pretty much couch potatoes. In my research, I have read multiple concerns on bringing another male into the household when you already have a male. Do you feel that this is a concern with having a small male dog? Our Male Pug has always gotten along with both males and females. He has never growled at any dog before but I want to make sure that a dog doesn't get aggressive with him. 

Size and temperament are very important to us as well. My wife was a bit hesitant on German Shepherds but has warmed up and she is looking forward to getting one. Her original concern was the size of the Males being larger. Her concern is in regards to walking the dog by herself, potential more aggressive personality, etc. The male dogs that we have met have been sweethearts but from what we have read, Male GSD's can be a bit more territorial and independent. 

In regards to temperament, we are also looking for an affectionate dog. Are females for the most part more affectionate than males? 

Any help that you can give will be great! I will continue browsing the forums as well.


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## Sunflowers (Feb 17, 2012)

Your post made me smile.
So much of what you ask depends on the individual dog. The first thing to do is research the breed and find out what type of GSD would best suit you.
Walking a GSD is very doable, but you must train the dog not to pull.
No, males are not more aggressive and females are not more affectionate.
Most males I know stay goofy while females grow up to be more serious.
As for affectionate, in my experience it is entirely up to genetics.
Size? I have seen 80 lb females and 65 lb females. I have seen 85 lb males and 65 lb males.
Look for a reputable breeder who can match you up with what you need.


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## Doglover125 (Jan 2, 2021)

Sunflowers said:


> Your post made me smile.
> So much of what you ask depends on the individual dog. The first thing to do is research the breed and find out what type of GSD would best suit you.
> Walking a GSD is very doable, but you must train the dog not to pull.
> No, males are not more aggressive and females are not more affectionate.
> ...


Thank you. This is very helpful.

Do you think that having a male already in the house (a pug) will cause a problem for another male to come in? I am a bit concerned on same sex aggression. Our pug is the most loving affectionate dog ever and has never displayed any aggression towards people or animals but he has also not lived with another dog before, he has been our sole dog for over three years.


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## Sunflowers (Feb 17, 2012)

It can be tricky when you have a mature older dog that is small and you bring in a giant, crazy puppy.
German Shepherds are notorious for being rambunctious and wanting to play, they play rough, and your older dog might certainly not appreciate his enthusiastic, goofy advances. I have an eight-year-old male and it took him well over a year to accept the new puppy, and they are both German Shepherds.
Whatever you get, male or female, might be too much for your pug. Again, you need to find a good breeder who will know what lines he or she has, and can point you in the right direction. Same sex aggression is more common with females than it is with males. But if you search this forum, you see it can happen and definitely has happened, and because of size and power the little dog often lost. Some rare outcomes were tragic.So do think carefully before you bring a large breed, energetic beast into his peaceful home.
You might just have to crate and rotate.Are you ready and willing to put up with that?


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## wolfy dog (Aug 1, 2012)

I introduced a male GSD pup to an old female Whippet. She hated him with everything she had and decided to move to her dog sitter who had several old Whippets. She lived 3 more happy peaceful years.


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## JunoVonNarnia (Apr 8, 2020)

I had an older male rescue (aged 6) and brought in a female GSD. I gave this a lot of thought. My rescue is reactive and more responsive to females, so the decision was easy.

I would not call her affectionate. She likes her humans and checks on them regularly, but she does not want to cuddle for minutes on end. Normally, we cuddle at the end of the day for about 5 minutes This does not mean that she does not come to me for pets, just that in my experience GSDs are not affectionate, though of course, there are exceptions. She wants to be with me, but not next to me. She is serious as @Sunflowers said. 

Also, i did not let my dogs interact freely. So she was not allowed to bully him though she tried. And he was not allowed to dominate her when she was a puppy though he tried. We've been together for about a year now and they are only just starting to play together nicely.


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## Sunflowers (Feb 17, 2012)

Ah... it took my Narnia dog years to be affectionate. She may just surprise you when she is older. Right now she is young and has no time for cuddles and pets.😄😄


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## WNGD (Jan 15, 2005)

I have a 6 year old male GSD and a 13 month male GSD. Zero issues, they are best buds. But the way my young one naturally plays would probably hurt a pug. No definitely would hurt a pug. They are large and play that way


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## Jenny720 (Nov 21, 2014)

Pugs are very easy going dogs. Choose your pup wisely and it will work. I opted to get my pups from breeders who also bred small dogs and spoke to them about any concerns I had. It is your home. You set the rules. The dogs follow what you want and expect - has to be taught. I have an older male neutered chihuahua who I knew that would not be happy with a German shepherd pup. I swear he was looking over my shoulder watching me with utter concern as I searched for breeders on the iPad. I did bring home a gsd male. I knew i could do it and if I went on a forum or listened to nay sayers I would most likely not have what I want. It was work for me and a new learning experience. It worked and I even brought home another German shepherd pup later on. You can’t let little dogs and big dogs hash things out it’s your house. You set the rules. Having a crate for my small dog always helped. The pup can never tease the little dog and they will try. All interactions supervised, drag lead rope on the pup, toys away, many leash walks together, training sessions together, always fed separately and when leaving the home the little dog is crated. This is all sets the tone establishes boundaries and communicates what you expect. I did not want have to crate and rotate. My chihuahua actually played with my gsd pup for a small amount of time- gentle supervised play. Max would lie down in the ground as he grew my chihuahua had no interest in playing. I have a male and a female they are both affectionate but my female in bursts and is more independent and more mature. My chihuahua who was not happy with gsd pups certainly readjusted overtime - patience is key. He also still learned to love life - a video of a life of a chihuhua with the big dogs!

__
http://instagr.am/p/CGXNZb-haks/


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## Doglover125 (Jan 2, 2021)

Jenny720 said:


> Pugs are very easy going dogs. Choose your pup wisely and it will work. I opted to get my pups from breeders who also bred small dogs and spoke to them about any concerns I had. It is your home. You set the rules. The dogs follow what you want and expect - has to be taught. I have an older male neutered chihuahua who I knew that would not be happy with a German shepherd pup. I swear he was looking over my shoulder watching me with utter concern as I searched for breeders on the iPad. I did bring home a gsd male. I knew i could do it and if I went on a forum or listened to nay sayers I would most likely not have what I want. It was work for me and a new learning experience. It worked and I even brought home another German shepherd pup later on. You can’t let little dogs and big dogs hash things out it’s your house. You set the rules. Having a crate for my small dog always helped. The pup can never tease the little dog and they will try. All interactions supervised, drag lead rope on the pup, toys away, many leash walks together, training sessions together, always fed separately and when leaving the home the little dog is crated. This is all sets the tone establishes boundaries and communicates what you expect. I did not want have to crate and rotate. My chihuahua actually played with my gsd pup for a small amount of time- gentle supervised play. Max would lie down in the ground as he grew my chihuahua had no interest in playing. I have a male and a female they are both affectionate but my female in bursts and is more independent and more mature. My chihuahua who was not happy with gsd pups certainly readjusted overtime - patience is key. He also still learned to love life - a video of a life of a chihuhua with the big dogs!
> 
> __
> http://instagr.am/p/CGXNZb-haks/


Thank you to everyone for all your replies!

It has given me a lot to think about.

I have wanted a GSD for 15+ years but I wanted to wait until I settled down, owned a home, etc. My wife loves pugs (so do I) and our little pug is an amazing lovable dog. 

I guess my main concern is when we aren't home. Prior to Covid, when we left for work, we would put him in his room. He has a big room that doubles as my home office. Given Covid and with both of us working from home, we just let him have the whole house, I would say 90%+ of the time, he will just end up sleeping on the couch or his bed. Pugs are active for about 10%-20% of the day, they are big nappers. 

I am not so concerned when I am at home and the dogs are in the house together but my main concern is when we are gone. We have two extra rooms in the house and thus we could potentially have our pug in his room and the other room for the GSD during the day when we are gone or the pug could have the room and the gsd could be left out, I just don't want to be unfair to our pug. After reading a lot of these posts, I am concerned if we aren't home that there could be an accident and the GSD could hurt our pug, it could be completely unintentional but its possible. Another option potentially that we are open to is working with a Rescue that has dogs that come in that have lived with small dogs before, in my conversations with rescues it seems very hard to find a dog that is okay with small dogs and thus that is one of the main reasons that I was leaning towards a puppy so that they could grow up together. 

It's a lot to think about. I have always dreamed of a GSD but I think that I need to really think hard about it and take a few months to think, I am a big planner...haha. 

Thank you all.


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## JunoVonNarnia (Apr 8, 2020)

When I am out of the house, I crate my GSD. My rescue has free reign and naps a lot; he is a good dog inside the house. Not destructive at all. 

I also crate my GSD when I am working/cooking etc or when she needs to rest.... Also, I taught them to respect each other's crate. So she is not allowed in his and he is not allowed in hers, which I think helped tremendously. Just for reference, my GSD is about 65 lbs and the ACD/beagle mix about 55 lbs. She is a lot taller than him, but in the end they are both medium sized dogs.

I cannot remember if you said anything about crating but that may help you with making a decision.


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## Sunflowers (Feb 17, 2012)

Believe me, even when you are home and they are together, there is nothing you can do to stop anything that would happen. It all happens way too fast, faster than you can react.
You are smart to want a puppy so they can grow up together.
When I started researching rescues, all of them told me I need to get a puppy because I had a cat. In their opinion, there was no way I could train an older dog to be OK with an adult cat, had to start off with a puppy.
That being said, Hans was on leash for about a year until he stopped wanting to go after the cat, and Rolf is still going after the cat at a year and a half. It’s a balancing act and I always have to be on my toes.
I am not saying you can’t have what you want, but a German Shepherd is not a dog you can just take into the house and leave to his own devices.
They are a lot of work, but if you put in the work there is no more rewarding dog than a GSD.
Your first step is to find a breeder, a reputable breeder, can select the right lines and the right dog for you.


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## Honey Maid (Dec 25, 2020)

I've had my puppy about 2 weeks now, at home I've a 4 year old female spayed Border Collie, a 4 year old male neutered Chihuahua mix, about 17 pounds, and an 11 year old male neutered Jack Russel possibly mixed with Beagle/Brittany, need to do a DNA on him, oh, and 2 cats. I let my dogs correct the puppy. They have not over done it, I keep an eye out for that. The puppy would scream and holler, like they were killing him, but I am always right there, they never went overboard. You have to let your pug teach the puppy manners. Now my puppy pesters my other dogs, some, but he knows when to stop and behave. The other dogs are tolerating the puppy much better. The puppy is still interested in the cats, and pesters them some. The cats are not bothered much, and if he pesters them too much, they swat at him, and get out of his reach. Good luck in your hunt for the perfect puppy! 

Just to add, I never leave all the dogs out and unattended. If we have to leave, 3 dogs get crated, the 11 year old has the run of the living room and mudroom. Though for now we take the puppy with us wherever we go into town.


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## gsdsteve (Apr 24, 2010)

Crate train and get a female!


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