Do Female Doodles Mature Faster Than Males?

[Debb, Lucy & Oscar]

I know this holds true for human females, but am curious if its true for dogs as well. We've only had 2 dogs, Lucy, our 3-1/2 yr old Labradoodle, and Oscar, our 7 mo. old Multi Gen Labradoodle. It has seemed that Oscar has been weeks, if not months, behind Lucy's development (when she was Oscar's age) in many ways... emotionally, mentally and physically. The exceptions are he's very food motivated making training very easy (EXCEPT for potty training, which took months! Lucy took weeks.). In some regards training's been even easier with Oscar because he has Lucy to show him the ground rules. AND, he listens the first time when we correct him, which is something Lucy still does not do consistently. In Lucy's case, I think it has to do with her being high strung AND stubborn. She has a much more stubborn streak than Oscar. Physically, Oscar is clumsy still, and he just seems to have a 'puppiness' about him that Lucy had lost by 7 months. (I'm not discounting the fact that maybe my memory is off! It has been almost 3 yrs since Lucy was 7 mos. old.) Could it be just the difference between females and males?

Don't get me wrong, I kind of like that Oscar seems like such a puppy still, and maybe he'll always be that way. Maybe its just his personality and physical make up. Maybe he'll always have that puppy clumsiness, and puppy enthusiasm, and will always pick things up from the ground while on walks (ugh!). He certainly is not as high strung as Lucy, nor as sensitive (emotionally and mentally). He does have a lower pain threshold than Lucy and can be a loud complainer when he's not feeling well. Lucy, on the other hand, keeps a lot of her feelings to herself and you have to be a good detective to figure out what's bothering her. I can see the differences in their personalities, but for some reason it strikes me Oscar is a bit slower at developing than Lucy at the same age.

So, for those of you with males and females (doodles preferably, comparing apples to apples), have you noticed a developmental difference between the sexes?
 

[GBK]

That's just how my two are when they play, Kona is the instigator, always trying to stick a toy in Buddy's face, or start biting and nibbling at his legs :)  Kona has some special moves she uses only on her Daddy, it's so cute, she knows she can twist his arm for anything.  It's not so easy with me.....

[Cyndi, The Boys & Callie]

We have three males.  Tank (the oldest at the grand age of almost 2) was an "old" puppy.  Although he loved to play, he  was very dignified. Even when he had a case of the zoomies, he always seemed in control never just running around crazy.  Never chewed on anything, only peed in the house twice before he was potty trained and slept through the night immediately. Sit/stay/wait were all a matters of days and is stubborn beyond belief (he broke at least one trainer).   Sully is always worried about doing the wrong thing, has NO pain tolerance and is very cautious. Not quite as easy to train as Tank.   He loves to play but just as happy snuggling.  Now Beau (the baby at 8 months) is the carefree one and is always trying to get into mischief. If dogs could skip, he would.  He will go with sit/stay/wait and walks very well on a leash but you can tell he would rather be skipping through life.  I haven't had a female dog in a long time.  However, in our experience, it's been the difference between dogs and doesn't seem to have anything to do with male vs female.   That being said, if had a female around maybe she would leave Tank in the dust.

[Debb, Lucy & Oscar]

Don't you just love their individual personalities? I know that even when Oscar 'matures' he'll retain a good amount of what makes him seem a puppy.

[Cyndi, The Boys & Callie]

They are like kids.  Each is unique and brings their own special joy to our house.  They all like to snuggle although Beau tolerates it the least. Sully would only get out of your lap to eat and potty give the choice.  We laugh at their antics all the time.

[Angie, Hudson and Lily]

Interesting discussion! Well for me, it is different. Hudson (Lucy's brother,but not littermate), has always had an "Old Soul" personality. He is only 4 but has a very old man, serious personality. That isn't to say that he doesn't get goofy, or enjoy a good romp chasing squirrels, etc, but for if he were human I would picture him with wire rimmed glasses, an argyle sweater,     and a backpack full of books. , I would say he matured very quickly. Now Lily, who isn't related at all, has the goofy, care free puppy like personality, even at 2 years old. If she were human I would picture her as the class clown, athlete, excited person always ready for some fun. They are both different, but I absolutely love each of their personalities and they are a great fit together. 

[Debb, Lucy & Oscar]

That's funny, Angie... my DH and I have had this conversation about Oscar. If he were a man, we could see him on the couch in his underwear drinking a beer! He is one laid back, casual kind of guy! Even the way Oscar lies down is casual. He just plops down with no grace at all..lol..

[Nancy, Ned, Clancy, and Charlie]

Ned is a male and definitely an early maturer.

[Debb, Lucy & Oscar]

Its sounding more and more to me that the rate at which doodles mature really depends on individual personalities and temperaments, and has little to do with sex. It will be interesting to see how Oscar matures (and changes)... in the coming months/years.

[Allyson, Peri & Taquito]

Peri (female) is just now maturing at 4 years old.  My inlaws doodle also took 3-4 years to mature (and is female).  Ihaven't had a male doodle, but my male chihuahua was laid back as can be by 18 months old....

[Debb, Lucy & Oscar]

Sometimes I wonder what's the true definition of 'mature'. I would have said Lucy was mature at 3 yrs old, but since having Oscar (when she turned 3) she's so into playing with him that she seems like a puppy herself. Maybe Oscar keeps her young at heart. 

[Sally S Miles]

Since we've only had this one doodle, makes it tough for me - but I can tell you that in the other breeds we have had that generally it's a crapshoot.   Big males tend to take longer to mature, physically and mentally - but individual tendencies are so variable.  Our females have tended to be more old souls and coordinated - but I did have a male who was the epitome of a little old man with glasses!  I referred to him as my little old man for so many years...   Our females have tended to have more independence, while our males had lower pain thresholds. I wonder if that's just the ones we chose, or a true X or Y ?  

Memory games - oh my how I have tugged my memory banks as this puppy grows.  Our Doodle is so very different, hubby has lousy memory and I see traits of all in her. 

Somebody told me once that male dogs will bond to women better than a female, but I have not found that necessarily true either - common, but not a rule.  I have always seen a difference between relationships,  but then even our cats have different relationships with hubby and I.