# Convincing advice?



## Charmander52 (Oct 21, 2011)

I'm hoping to get a GSD puppy in a few months, but here's my main problem currently: I want to get a male, but my dad says the males are more aggressive and will mark in the house. From reading the forums here I see that many of you have males and think they're the greatest.  
Any advice on what I can tell my dad to convince him? Thanks!
:help:


----------



## jennyp (Jun 18, 2011)

I have a male and he has never shown aggression or marked in the house. He has PEED in the house when he was young, before he was house broken but that's entirely different. Make sure your dad knows this or he might mistake it for marking and say "See I told you so". In general, I don't think one sex is more "aggressive" than the other, it depends on the individual dog. If you get a dog from a good breeding background and raise it well aggression should not be an issue. Do you know anyone that has a male dog? If you do, have your dad meet him so he can see that males are amazingly fun, goofy and lovable. I couldn't be happier with mine :wub:


----------



## doggiedad (Dec 2, 2007)

i've always had male GSD's and none of them have
marked in the house. with training and socializing
i don't think you have to worry about aggression.
don't get me wrong some GSD's male or female
are naturally more aggressive than others but with training
and socializing it can be controlled.


----------



## catz (Dec 10, 2010)

Females are more messy during their heat cycle, remind your dad of that lol.. 
I've had mostly male dogs in my life, granted they were of different breeds but I never had an aggressive male or one who marks objects. My late dog Biggy was the first dog I seen mark something and that was at the vets office but 3 dogs had peed there before him 
Honestly there is very little difference between males and females if they are raised right. I have noticed that males mature a little slower then the girls but thats it..


----------



## Wolfiesmom (Apr 10, 2010)

I have always had males. They are more goofy and fun than females who tend to be more serious. None of my males have ever marked in the house, and I have never neutered them.


----------



## BowWowMeow (May 7, 2007)

I have had both males and females and have not noticed a difference between the two, other than the plumbing. :laugh:

My males have never peed in the house and neither sex was more aggressive than the other. 

Tell you dad the most important thing is to find a healthy dog with a solid temperament.


----------



## koda00 (Apr 27, 2009)

Ive had males for over 20 yrs. NEVER have any of them mark in the house. 2 were neutered, 2 intact. All of them NEVER any aggression. Do your homework and find a GOOD breeder.


----------



## Holmeshx2 (Apr 25, 2010)

Neither sex is more aggressive the general rule of thumb is males are more protective of the home "territory" while females are more protective of the pack where ever you are. You also might want to inform your father that some dominant females also mark sometimes worse then males they will actually lift there leg and mark over another dogs urine so its not specifically males.


----------



## n2gsds (Apr 16, 2011)

Like others have said, know all you can about the breed and make sure this is the right choice for you. I'm not sure how old you are since you mention having to get your dad's approval but be prepared to take full responsibility for the care of your GSD and that includes regular training. With a good temperament and good solid training, a male or female will make a great lifelong companion. I have had both males and females and never had any trouble with my males "marking their territory". Good luck and be prepared to spend a lot of time with your German Shepherd Dog! It is so worth it.


----------



## Good_Karma (Jun 28, 2009)

My male has never ever marked in the house. He is also not aggressive.


----------



## Charmander52 (Oct 21, 2011)

Thanks everyone!  Hopefully your posts will be able to help me talk him into it.


----------



## martemchik (Nov 23, 2010)

All dogs realize that the indoors is already theirs, and I've never seen one mark inside. The outdoors is kind of free to everyone so the males will go around marking up territories. Marking starts when they hit like 5-7 months of age depending on the dog (mine didn't really start until about 9), so if you don't have your dog housebroken by then they might start marking inside the house. But if your dog isn't housetrained by then, you have other problems lol.


----------



## LaRen616 (Mar 4, 2010)

My male has never marked in the house and he is definitly not aggressive.

I have a male and a female, I love them both but I have to say that I like males better.


----------



## kiya (May 3, 2010)

Tell dad, females also "mark". Right now I have 2 females and a male. 
My next dog, I hope will be a male. 
My male is going to be 9yrs old in december, I trust him 100% in the house. The girls, not so much.


----------



## DanielleOttoMom (May 11, 2010)

I have both a male and female. They both have never ever marked in my home. My male is not agressive at all! I think males are easier IMO. Also my male only had one accdient while potty training inside.


----------



## NewbieShepherdGirl (Jan 7, 2011)

Holmeshx2 said:


> Neither sex is more aggressive the general rule of thumb is males are more protective of the home "territory" while females are more protective of the pack where ever you are. You also might want to inform your father that some dominant females also mark sometimes worse then males they will actually lift there leg and mark over another dogs urine so its not specifically males.



This is a very good point, and I would like to add that I don't think it's just dominate females that do this. I wouldn't consider Sasha dominant but she does this all the time; it drives me nuts. She has never tried to mark in my house (just outside) but she did go over to my grandma's once who has two dogs that frequently pee in the house and she tried to mark once, but was corrected an has never tried it again. I think training is key.


----------



## Six (Oct 16, 2011)

I prefer males over females, like others have said they are more silly and personable in my opinion. Females are great but I feel like I can bond better with the males.

The only time I saw a male mark inside was when an acquaintance had three intact males that always vied for dominance.


----------



## Liesje (Mar 4, 2007)

I have two intact males. They do not mark in the house. I won't say they aren't "aggressive" since after all, they are German Shepherds and they *should* possess some strong aggression (when appropriate). They certainly mind me and get along fine with each other.


----------

