The eternal question. *Male vs Female?*

[LuvMyAbby&Kaela]

Ok we all know the laymens thoughts/old wives tale/popular belief. Call it what you wish:

*Females are smarter, are quicker to house train, are nicer urinators. (lol), tend to want their space, not as cuddly as males*.

*Males are not as bright, take longer to housebreak, cock their leg and pee on things, are a more loyal and loving companion to the owner than the female*

I have both genders. I know my male (now senior citizen) was harder to housebreak then the female we had (R.I.P) My female was smart as a whip and very sporty/athletic. (loved to swim, fetch etc), more agressive. (She would hold her own and if the kids hurt her she would snap back.(she wouldnt put up with nonsense from them)

The male is/was the ultimate cuddle/lovebug.(hated to swim, didnt want to retrieve), non agressive (if Ghandi were a dog- lol) The kids could hurt him (accidentally) and he wouldnt do anything to them back.(not condoned -accidental hurting but I swear he was so gentle they could have carried him by the tail)

But that could be breed not gender. The female was a miniature schanuzer/shitzu. The male her son - mixed with Bichon.

Yes I dont like the cocking comapred to the squatting. Yes I think females are smarter but thats because I feel that is the case in all of nature - especially humans. LOL!!

I would like your thoughts/experiences on Male vs Female.

Right now I have a 4 month old female puppy who is super intelligent (knows all sorts of tricks and has since 9 weeks old) I give her a B on potty training, (my first female who is now in heaven would have got an A+) My old man Bailey definitely a C-

Athleticism females A+, the old man would have gotten a C+

Affection/cuddliness Old Bailey A+, Abby B-, Female in heaven would have gotten a C+

Obsessively being in love with their masters all an A+

[Kim]

I don't have a male - and never have so I have nothing to compare my Allie to. Allie was an A+ when it came to housebreaking (in my book). She had MAYBE 5 total accidents in the house. She was very easy to train tricks. She does snap at my son when harassed (lol). She is very independent. I couldn't wait to get a cuddly dog - I waited FOREVER for a cuddler... apparently I'll have to wait much longer, because she is SOOOOO not a cuddler. But she loves me obsessively too!

[Adina P]

*Females are smarter--true in my house. But I have a sample size of 3 dogs so it's not a very scientific survey at the Pearson house =) One of my females is a border collie too...so totally unfair as she's a human in fur.

*Females are quicker to house train -- Thule was...I think Cass was too. Rosco my one and only male took forever.

*are nicer urinators. -- I think that's preference. ALL of mine squat in our own yard. ALL of mine mark (though only Rosco lifts) out in public.

tend to want their space, not as cuddly as males*. Rosco is the cuddliest. The girls also like to be near, but I'm biased as Rosco is "my" dog.

I have no doubt there are some differences in general between males and females...it would be silly to think they are exactly the same regardless of gender. I'm just not sure which things are true general differences...must mean I need MORE doodles so I can scientifically be a better survey taker! Here that Clark? We need more dogs!

[Karen, Jasper and Jackdoodle]

"*Females are smarter--true in my house."
Adina- does this apply to both the two and four legged members of the household?

All kidding aside, I am convinced the males are more affectionate & the bigger goofballs. The females seem to learn faster and are more independent. A lot depends on the breed, though.
The Bark Magazine just happens to have an article in the lastest edition which discusses the differences in learning patterns between male & female dogs, but i haven't had a chance to read it yet.

[Adina P]

Hmmm...I have a subscription to Bark but have only seen TWO issues!

[Karen, Jasper and Jackdoodle]

Just got it last week. Also has a big article on a huge puppy mill bust in WA state. Call them if you don't get it...their customer service is the worst.

[LuvMyAbby&Kaela]

Ya lets do this scientifically...you hear her Clark she wants more! And you have to listen to her because she is smarter!!

[Brenda Hetzel]

My female is a brittany. She is hard to pin down as far as petting. Yes she'll run up to you and act like she wants to be petted, but she doesn't let you. Instead she howls and scratches at you with never ending movement. The only time you can pet her is when she jumps up on the couch next to you or when she is lying on the couch. So only on her terms, but she loves it then,a real snuggle bug. She also doesn't take crap from the kids. She will growl at them or bark nasty if they are invading her space on the couch or if they are rough with her. Then there is my male, Lucky, a labradoodle. I have never once heard him growl at the kids. He has been tackled by them, layed on by them,etc. and he thinks it's a jolly good time! And if you like to pet your dog, Lucky is the one, but I warn you, you must also like to be licked because that is all he wants to do. We don't call him Licky Lucky for nothing! I must say though, we have had one marking incident from Lucky and it was when we were not home. Probably happened when the mailman came. He hates the mailman. Which leads me to another point. Lucky is more vocal than my brittany. He barks at everything that walks by. My brittany on the other hand, barks mostly at deer and squirrels. She is definetly more laid back in that area. Both give us tremondous joy and we couldn't be happier with their different personalities. A+'s to the both of them, but I might be a little biased! :)

[MBKANE]

Grew up with a female purebreed lab, parents now have a purebreed male Lab. And I now own a female F1 Goldendoodle.....

That said, HUGE diff b/w the female and male Labs! She was easier to train, less of a trouble maker, more of a chewer though, my sister and I could practically torture the poor dog growing up and she would just lay there and take it. Loved the water

Male Lab-- extremely hard headed, doesn't like to cuddle as much but more demanding of your attention, won't take as much crap from anyone, more protective of our family. Doesn't like the water much.

My Kensi (goldendoodle) was quick to train, a huge cuddler, very protective of my house and me, loves the water, craves attention from humans and other dogs.

[Linda,Yankee & Finn]

MY GD is male. He was VERY quick as far as being housebroken. He was easy to teach tricks to and he is somewhat of a cuddler. Likes to put his head in your lap. He NEVER chewed anything but his toys. He didn't touch my grandkids toys ever. He was out of the crate at 3 months old and had the run of the house. He does swim, is not aggressive nor does he bark much.
He is very attached to me and follows me everywhere. He is also protective when he needs to be but NOT only of me. He will protect kids and other dogs as well.
My last dog was female and she was moody and downright bitchy at times. A very good friend of mine has always had female dogs and now has her first male dog and says she will never go back. She says all her female dogs were moody.
That's my two cents.

[LuvMyAbby&Kaela]

Interesting. Were the females fixed? I heard before that unspayed bitches get hormonal related bitchiness and mood swings.

[Susan, Zeke. Lily & Jasper]

I have 1 of each who are both a year old with a month and a half difference in their birthdate. While each has their own definate personality there is very little difference in all the catagories you've mentioned. Their backgrounds are very different, one from a breeder, one a rescue. At first I thought that this would make a difference in a lot of areas but it's turned out not to be the case. Both are highly intelligent and fast learners, my rescue just needed some catching up since we got her at 7 months, but now she is pretty even with our male in training and responding to commands. Both are affectionate and cuddly but not overly so. They are great pals and almost as affectionate with each other as they are with us. Both squat to potty so that is no difference. The only difference with mine worth mentioning is that my male continually tries to assert himself as the leader when we walk on leash. He does this mostly when walking the two of them together, not as much when by himself. I really couldn't pick one as the alpha dog as they trade out depending on the situation. If I were helping someone chose between male or female I would have to say in these wonderful dogs it really doesn't matter.

[LuvMyAbby&Kaela]

LOL your posts always crack me up! Restraining Order!! hehe!!