Male or female, what is your preference?

[Kimberly Keenan]

Ok, so we have debating this within the family as well with our friends. I have always had female dogs and I prefer female dogs to males dogs. Our Bindi is a female ALD and my daughter is getting a new puppy. She is getting it from the same breeder that I got Bindi, The big decision is, does she get a male or female. She is going on Oct 14 to pick out her pup and she is going to make the decision then or have the puppy pick her. She lives with me, so her & the puppy's primary residence is my house. I think a female would be better match with Bindi. Bindi gets along well with my sisters dog who is a female  my neighbors grandpup who is a male.

My brother had both a male & female dog and he said he prefers a female dog because they are much more loving & like to cuddle.

I also worry about about a male dog spraying/marking and humping. I don't think Bindi would put up with any humping.

Would be great to hear from some doodle familes that have both male & female doodle households or all female doodles. Also anyone who have had both. It would be great for any input.

Thanks!

[Nancy, Ned, Clancy, and Charlie]

Behavior really is dog specific NOT gender specific - temperament-wise.  You can mix males and females, especially if they are neutered and especially if they were neutered early.  I happen to have all males currently (have had both and at the same time)  but they are often with females as our family gets together and even camps together with dogs of both sexes.

[Kimberly Keenan]

Thanks for all the information, you gave me alot to think about. It's not my final decision but I think you have persuaded me not to steer her toward a female. I think we will let the puppy pick her!

Thanks again!

[Angie, Hudson and Lily]

My preference is just Doodle! I love them both and I would say their personality is just them, not necessarily related to male/female. Hudson and Lily have very unique personalities. Hudson is the brain child of the two. We can picture him in an argyle sweater vest with his backpack, books and pencils. :)  Lily is the goofy, life of the party, athletic one. I would say she is smart too, but Hudson is super quick to learn new things. They are both very loving and love to be with us at all times. When we went to pick Lily out, we were actually intending to get another male, but after interacting with the puppies, we liked Lily's personality best. I say when picking out a new puppy that personality should trump everything else. 

[Laurie, Wally & Charlotte]

I believe that there was a similar discussion not too long ago on the Doodle Breeders' Discussion Forum.  You might want to search there to find their perspectives.

[Lynne of Fountain Falls]

As a breeder I have most people say they want a female dog because they are more maternal ect.  Ive dont lots of research on this and here are my findings:

Spayed and neutered dogs.  Male and male ore female and male get along better than two females.  Females are more moody, and aloof than male dogs.  Male dogs are more consistant in their behavior and training than female dogs.  

I personally have two therapy dogs, both of which are standard poodles.  Both are very well behaved with excellent manners and are very dependable.  Here is the difference.  When I pull out the vest for a therapy visit the male is always eager to go and always performs as expected on the visit.  I have learned that if Honey, the female, isnt excited about the visit on a given day, it is much better to take Tucker.  Honey will do what she is supposed to do but some days she just has no enthusiasm for it.  Tucker is always the same.  Honey is the queen be, the most dominant of the five dogs, has her spots, her chair ect.  The three boy dogs are much less picky.  Marking is not a problem.

The other thing I have noticed about females and the research seems to agree is that a female will attach to one person in a family more than the rest and that a male will be loyal to the whole family.  Of my two female dogs, and three males this is very apparent. 

For any buyer that has children, special needs, or wants a dog for therapy work or service dog training I recommend a male.

Love my Honey.  She is dependable and loving but if I only had one dog, it would be a male.  Dogs are not people.  Girls dogs are not sweeter and more maternal than boy dogs.  If you get your dog from a trustworthy breeder I would follow their recommendations for which one you should choose.

[Kimberly Keenan]

Thanks again for all the input. Here my daughter was worrying also about the same thing I was & you all helped ease her mind. I'll keep you up to date

 

[Nina, Phil, Harlow & Lacey]

Humping is not just a male dog thing.  Harlow our girl doodle and dominant dog humps every single foster we have ever had in the house.  I have had both males and females and really don't have a preference.  Each has their own personality... I have had affectionate males though our current male Baxter is not a "kissy" dog and aloof females.  But case in point, Harlow is by far the most affectionate female (or dog for that matter) that we have ever had. 

[Sue, Murphy and Bella ()*o*()]

It all boils down to personality and breeders selection for me. I love either a male or female equally. Have one of each. All I want to know about is the personality traits I am looking for, so when you know what those are, the sex won't really matter.