Doggie gender..

FunkyMissMonkey

I'm looking for opinions from doggie owners on the pros and cons of dogs vs bitches.

My partner and I are currently exploring getting a dog, and had both agreed that we would get a bitch. But, the one we were really hoping to rehome seems to have been rescued already by another family (which is great news for her, and less so for us! ) so now we're considering some other options!

I've never had dogs myself, so my experience here is limited, but my partner has had dogs all her life. Her only experience of a male though, is that of a Dalmation that her family got as a pup. She says, and I quote "he humped everything, including bedding, pillows, cushions etc, and left "a mess" everywhere he went". He wasn't neutered, but I'm not sure how much that would affect it. Obviously, I'd rather not be washing sticky messes off my bedding or other soft furnishings daily, so is this typical for males, or not!

All opinions welcomed. Whatever we eventually take in will have free-roam of the house and will be neutered/spayed.

star-pants

Well neutering (after a time) can reduce this type of behaviour, it's not always the case though but it does appear to help.
Humping isn't just limited to male dogs, female dogs hump too, and it can be done for dominance. I have two neutered females, and the odd time one will try to hump the other - this is to set the 'top dog' status. I don't like it at all and give a quick 'oi' and it stops. But that said, it's fairly rare. They prefer the jumping on the neck of the other for dominance lol.

Some people just have a preference for a male or a female, my mother wanted only females in the house. She's afraid of most dogs and we've had problem male dogs before so I understood her apprehension. Go with whichever ye are more comfortable with.

I'm sure others will give their experience of owning male dogs etc, we've really only had female so I can't say that neutering 'fixes' things. My aunt has a male rottweiler, and after he got neutered he did calm down a good bit as he was mental

andreac

Hi, there are pros and cons to both really.

I have an entire male rottweiler and i have no problem what so ever with humping. He is very interested in females and marks a lot (not indoors) out walking etc but i havent had a problem with humping thankfully.

Unless you intend to show/breed then both males and females should be spayed/neutered and all of these unwanted behaviours shouldnt be a problem then.

I find males a little more boisterous and stronger to handle sometimes than females, although this can depend on the breed too.

adser53

I've got 2 male dogs and one bithc. One male and the female are cavalier king charles (3 years and 3.5 years old) and have been spayed & neutered. My akita is an intact male 2.5 years old. The only humping we ever see is the female occassionally humping the akita's head

All in all, they are different breeds but I've found the following to be true for my lot and the dogs I grew up with:

The bitch is more scatty and has been more difficult to train but never causes any hassle,(she also can't drive very well and spends AGES getting ready to go out for a walk )

The neutered dog (cav) thinks he rules the place (Loki, my akita just lets him think that) and can be a bit of a bully at times to the other 2 but is the most repsonsive to us. This is common in houses with multiple male dogs.

Loki, my intact akita, never causes any hassle with agression, humping etc but, like Andrea said above, he does mark his territory a lot and has a wandering eye for the ladies which is to be expected. He is clearly the man in charge but doesn't try and overly dominate or bully the other 2. His breed, by definition, is difficult to train but he's repsonded very well to us and is more obedient than the bitch.

So I guess my answer boils down to...whatever suits you. As it will be lone dog, you don't have to worry about intoducing it to another dog/bitch so I'd just take the plunge really as each dog has their own personality.

Also it's worth mentioning that while the dogs should be neutered/spayed, a bitch needs to go through at least one heat before doing this so there can be a bit of a mess from her and she'd have to be kept very secure while in heat. As for your aversion to cleaning up dog mess, wait til you get a puppy that leaves little pressies around the house for you lol

I probably just confused you more...sorry :rolleyes: and best of luck!

Sigma Force

Male or female makes no difference personality wise all depends how they are brought up really, obviously neutering/spaying is the responsible way to go.

FunkyMissMonkey

Don't misunderstand me, I'm not averse to cleaning up mess. I'd just rather not have my pillows humped to within an inch of their life!

We have cats, indoor cats at that, so cleaning up mess is already well within our daily routine. Scooping a cat tray/bagging up poop is in a slightly different league to washing the bedding on a daily basis though!

We're not even considering puppies, because we know that our work hours will mean we're both out of the house for a few hours occasionally, it wouldn't be fair on a very young dog.

I didn't think that the humping (and .. depositing) was a regular thing, so I'm glad to hear it's not typical of neutered males. It puts my mind at ease a little more about choosing a male, and not being totally restricted to females only. Thanks for all the replies so far.

suziwalsh

Males and females...doesn't really matter once they are neutered. Never had a humping/marking problem except in un-neutered males.

I have one of each....and love them both the same

votejohn

adser53 wrote: »

.

Also it's worth mentioning that while the dogs should be neutered/spayed, a bitch needs to go through at least one heat before doing this so there can be a bit of a mess from her and she'd have to be kept very secure while in heat.

Females dont need to go through a heat before being neutered, its actually better if they dont.

"A female dog spayed before her first heat will have a near zero chance of developing mammary cancer. After the first heat, this incidence climbs to 7% and after the second heat the risk is 25% (one in four)."


I've only ever had female dogs, so I tend to go for females, but I'm a full time dog walker so I work with both male and female dogs.

I was only thinking of this while out walking the other day. Theres very little between male and female dogs (Besides the obvious!!) in my opinion. Some of my female dogs are more masculine then the male ones and vice versa. It all completely comes down to the dogs individual personality.

adser53

votejohn wrote: »

Females dont need to go through a heat before being neutered, its actually better if they dont.

"A female dog spayed before her first heat will have a near zero chance of developing mammary cancer. After the first heat, this incidence climbs to 7% and after the second heat the risk is 25% (one in four)."

This still seems to be a topic of contrasting opinions, some vets won't operate on a bitch until she's had her first heat. I'm not saying your wrong, I'm not a vet, but me personally, I'd rather leave it until after that initial 6 months & their first heat.

votejohn

Well i've my Bella booked in to be spayed tues before her first heat. One of our dogs died of mammary cancer back in the day, and she was a rescue dog so she wasnt spayed until she was about two, so personally I wouldnt take the risk!

Top Dog

We've an intact male (2 years old) an intact female (currently going through her first heat @ 9 months old) and a 15 week old female pup.

The male did begin to get amorous with a draught excluder and a teddy about 6 months of age, but after a few corrections where he was made aware of the fact that such behaviour wasn't on, he's not tried to hump anything since (though obviously he's showing interest in the female at the moment).

I don't think its possible to pick a dog purely on sex alone, unless you're planning on an addition to a home that already has a dog. In that case it can sometimes be easier to introduce a dog of the opposite sex alright so there's no friction between them. But if its a first dog, and likely to be an only dog, then I'd say go with your gut/heart and base it on the dogs personality rather than its genetalia

Just my 2c

cianer

I have 4 females (all neutered before 1st heat) and 2 neutered males (both done at 6 months). On balance I prefer females but only marginally. My experience is males will challange you slightly more in training than females, and the wanting to mark everything does drive me a little nuts!!

I know people with entire males or who have had their male neutered at 3 or 4 years of age and they often have more aggression problems even after neutering as the dog is in the habit of reacting that way to another entire male.

Having said that I wouldn't not choose a male dog if he fit what I was looking for.

FunkyMissMonkey

cianer wrote: »

Having said that I wouldn't not choose a male dog if he fit what I was looking for.

This was always in my mind too, but my partner was more cautious, due to her humping Dalmation memories! I think it will be a case of we'd prefer a girl, but wouldn't say no to the perfect little guy either!

lrushe

I've one neutered male (neutered at 5 years old) with no humping problems, and two soon to be spayed females. My 4 year old female Chihuahua is the humper in my home, don't know if this will change when she's spayed in January. I've never really had a preference on gender, I really just go on personality and what dog fits my life.

gypsygirl

I have an intact 7 yr old male doberman, a 12 yr old neutered shepherd bitch and a 7 month old intact (for now) rottwieller bitch. As previous posters have said, its down to personal preference as to wether you go for a bitch or a dog, I have no problems with my intact dobbie, in fact he's the most laid back of my 3 mutts, although I do find the bitches are quicker to train but I think my lad is just a bit dumb tbh, (I've had some amazingly clever dobbies in the past.) The only downside to having a male imo, is the strong scent of the urine when he marks, my lad marks just outside the back door and if the wind is in the wrong direction its not nice. Personally I prefer bitches but thats just me. Whatever you decide, please make sure you socialise your new pup at the earliest stage possible and keep it up, I made that mistake with our 12 yr old and I'm still on edge when out with her, she's so aggressive with strange dogs. Our rottie pup is walked with different dogs at least 4 times a week in different places and she's the friendliest little mutt ever, a real joy to walk. Also be sure to introduce your dog to as many senarios as you can, traffic, doggy parks, kiddies playing and making noise, etc, sounds like hard work but its worth it and so rewarding, you'll end up with a dog that feels comfortable and confident in most suroundings and you can relax and trust and enjoy your dog. Best of luck, let us know what you decide and how you're getting on.

macy9

Ive had 3 golden retrievers. 2 male and the current is female.

Find the girl is much more passive than the boys and allot more affectionate. She's easier to handle when she's with other dogs, unlike the boys who would get aggressive. We had her spayed and have since had no humping issues!

Although FYI she was a rescue dog so her temperment may be due to her past circumstance as opposed to her gender.