Pairing female/male vs female/female

[Discussing Labradoodles & Goldendoodles]

I have a question about choosing a puppy and gender. It's always said to pair a male with a female whenever possible. Because I had always heard that it made me automatically tell my breeder I was interested in a male first. But is that really the case with Doodles as well, since they are such friendly and outgoing dogs? And because Hattie is so young herself? There are five for me to choose from, three females and two males.My breeder has never done temperament testing before but wants to try it with this litter, so I really don't expect professional results. However, what if the females turn out to be the ones that are Beta dogs and the males are the Alphas? Should I take a female in that case?

[Charlotte and Bo]

When my mom died I inherited her dogs( 3 females ). I also had a female. One of them was old and stayed out of everyone's way. My dog and one of my mom.s fought constantly, to the point that I had to re-home her. My dog and my mom's Lab fought once in awhile usually over who was boss. I don't know if it was because of the gender or the stress of their new circumstances. My dog was determined to be alpha and I'm not sure if it would have mattered if mom"s dogs were male or female.

[Karen, Jasper and Jackdoodle]

I can't reply where I want to, but I agree with Jane. There is no way to know whether Hattie will be the "alpha" with another dog in the house. At the moment a new dog of either sex walks in, Hattie will "outrank" him or her, but that can change. Age, size, sex, none of that automatically confers status. Dogs make their own arrangements with each other.

[Laurie, Wally & Charlotte]

Hi Sandy,

Our older dog is a six-year-old male ALD.  My daughter got a male labradoodle puppy when the first dog was four.  They lived with us for about a year and everything was harmonious.  My daughter and her puppy moved out (hooray!) when he (the puppy) was two.  Four months ago, we added a female ALD puppy to our home. She gets along swimmingly with our older dog, and all three of them play nicely when they are together.  

My opinion is that the gender doesn't matter, but the temperment of each dog is key.  Good luck!

[Lee Seidman]

we have a four year old  female and a three year old male. The female is kind of the Alpha but they are both fixed and get along so well that although the smaller female and is the no nonsene one they are so compatable with each other as well as all other dogs that it really does not make a difference. I believe it is the luck of the draw and since these are both rescue Doodles we have been blessed!

[Barbara B., Sasha & Oliver]

I have had two female Shih Tzu's with no problem what so ever.  When I got my doodles I had my Sasha first and was concerned what gender to get for my 2nd doodle.  I never had a male dog and did a bit of research first and thought that a male dog would fit better for me.  When I had my first meeting with the breeder and puppies I brought Sasha along to meet the puppies and I involved her in every step of the way.  When we went to pick up Oliver we brought Sasha with us, it was a  3 hour ride so Sasha and Ollie had time to get to know each other before we got home.  They are the best of friends and get along just great.  Sasha was 10 months old when I got Ollie, so she was still very young herself.

[Sharon & Monty]

I have no scientific background if there is such a thing to compare male vs female dogs.  I do think that gawd help us if they are like humans, I think less females are better.  LOL  JK

[Ginny Nightingale]

I have two females--one spayed, one not--they get along great--I then kept the intact female's son and he is a stud dog for my breeder--he and the two females get along very well. I do notice that he is a bit aggressive with other male dogs, but again, he is still intact.He is the alpha, followed by his mom and the spayed female is at the bottom of the pecking order--but that just means that she gets no choice of toys, etc, they do not fight with each other--

I think that the personality of the dog is the most important factor and I believe that the gender has nothing to do with that, especially when spayed. If you think Hattie is an alpha, try to get a more laid back dog--if she is friendly and outgoing and lets other dogs have toys etc, than you can get male, female, alpha or beta and she will love the new dog! I thought my breeding female would always rule the roost, but when her son was born and was still a tiny thing, he took over--I never saw her act so submissive as she does with him--so you never know until they are all together!

[Jarka, Monty & Auggie]

I agree it's nice to have two of the same sex. You don't make a mistake by addressing one "a good girl" when in fact it's a "good boy".

[Ginny Nightingale]

LOL! SO True!!

[Jarka, Monty & Auggie]

We've originally wanted a female puppy to add to Monty and when there were just two females in the litter, I talked with our breeder and had the same question as you. She told me male-male, and male-female combinations are the best. Female-female not so much. But I do know people with two or three female dogs and they are totally fine. So who knows. I'm partial to boys now, LOL. Do you have to decide ahead of time or can you wait and see until you meet the puppies in person?

[Jarka, Monty & Auggie]

That is great. Our breeder is about 2 hours away, but she does not allow visitors. She sends out pictures every week and I think the temperament testing is done in week 8, right before the puppies go home. I just don't know how much to trust the testing. To me, puppies are puppies. How can you tell? But there must be something valid about it. When we came to pick Auggie, all I said was "which one is the mellow one?" And that's how we got Auggie. I did not even look at the other boys in the litter. I did email our breeder a couple of days after Auggie was home, laughing about her definition of mellow, since this boy was anything but mellow. He did things Monty never did as a puppy. But the truth is, the breeder and the testing was correct. I had a chance to see Auggie's brother and let me tell you, Auggie IS the mellow one. Even though he is more alpha than Monty righ now. :-) I'm sure you will find the right puppy for you and Hattie. Even if you have to choose before the testing is done, I'm sure the breeder will help you pick a compatible puppy.

[Suzann, Rosey & Bandit]

My animal behaviorist trainer told me when I was adding a second dog that the pecking order was girl-boy, boy boy, then girl girl. I personally like having one of each!