# Does being the only male in the litter matter?



## milkmoney11 (Feb 11, 2010)

Hi all. Newcomer to the site. I am buying a German Shepherd puppy and requested a male. The litter was born and out of 8 puppies, there was only 1 male. 

My question is...

Is there any drawbacks to there being only one male in the litter? Obviously, one is you can't "choose" between the males, but are there any other negatives that can come from this? 

Thanks in advance for any help.


----------



## Cassidy's Mom (Mar 30, 2003)

Being the only PUPPY in a litter can cause problems because he'd miss out on interaction with littermates that can be beneficial to his development, but being the only male should have no affect whatsoever. 

Hopefully you won't take him just because he's the only male if it looks like he may not be a good fit for you, and the breeder will either refund your deposit or give you the option of waiting for another litter. If his temperament is exactly what you're looking for, terrific!


----------



## BlackPuppy (Mar 29, 2007)

Yes, he will prefer Barbie dolls over G.I.Joes. LOL! 

I can't think of anything else.


----------



## Jason L (Mar 20, 2009)

What about temperament? What kind of pup (other than gender) are you looking for?


----------



## Fodder (Oct 21, 2007)

yes - just as the others suggested - the only downside i see is that he may not have the right temperament or be a good fit for your family situation.


----------



## SunCzarina (Nov 24, 2000)

LOL poor boy will be henpecked with all those sisters. Otto comes from a litter of 7 boys, no girls. I don't think it's made him any different (wait a minute... I may need to think about that some more :rofl

Seriously though, I hope your breeder knows what you're looking for in a pup other than a penis. The biggest mistake anyone can make with a german shepherd pup is picking them by looks.


----------



## milkmoney11 (Feb 11, 2010)

Thanks for the responses thus far. I picked this particular breeder because of their references and for good tempered dogs that fit in well with a family. They have told me they will steer me towards a female if undesirable traits begin to show before 8 weeks, but didn't anticipate that happening. 

I have the time and energy to work with the dog and experience with raising dogs in the past...but never a German shepherd. 

I had just never experienced a case of their being so many puppies...and so few of one gender! I wasn't sure if there were any negative theories out there on how it can hinder the male. Apparently it doesn't sound like it.


----------



## elisabeth_00117 (May 17, 2009)

I had my heart set on a female and when the breeder told me her pick for me was one of the males of the litter I really considered holding my deposit back for a future litter.

So glad I didn't though and I went with my breeder's recommendation.

Don't get set on gender, looks for personality, drive, etc... gender should be one of the last things.


----------



## milkmoney11 (Feb 11, 2010)

I have heard this from EVERYONE and I really want to agree...it's just that my whole life I always HAD to get a female dog. Growing up, Mom would only get females. I lived with my girlfriend (at her house) and she only wanted a female lab. 

It's kind of just always been a boyhood "dream" to have my own dog and have it be a male. Kind of like my own male buddy. After living in apartments before and after living with my girlfriend I bought my first home last year and have envisioned it with my buddy male dog with me (my current girlfriend wants a female...but...alas...she doesn't live here so ha!, I'm callin' the shots).

Make any sense?


----------

