Another pup question - males or females?

Nate Grace

Nate Grace

Well-known member
OK, I have another pup question. What are the pros and cons of having a male or female dog? Also, is it recommended to have a dog spayed or neutered and what is the reasoning for that?

Thanks all!

Nate
 
Nate, I have a male and have never owned a female. He was a very "HOT" dog to say the least. At almost 6 yrs. old now he is much more managable for me. The pro trainers that I worked with told me that "HOT" dogs come in both sexes. He does tend to want to wander when not on the lead or e-collar. I am told that this is more of a male trait. He is neutered. I did this for both health reasons and because I didn't want to deal with pups. I will leave the breading up to the pros. Some also say that neutering will settle the dog down but it did nothing of the sort for my pup. I think that my next dog will be a female. This is because the females that I have trained and hunted with seem to be much calmer than the males overall. Well, that's my experience on the subject..................Kevin
 
Nate,

I have had two males so far. I was going for a female this time but when it came down to it it was the breeding and the timming of the litter. Males tend to want to go find some ... if you know what I'm saying. Females you have them going into heat and such. I remember a while back when I got Thor everyone wanted big strong males, now everyone wants females... my take anyways... My breeder says females are more popular now days.

I asked my vet at what age I should have Beau neutered, his responce was. Let him grow up a little and know he is a male. They want the dog to grow their hormones so they know they are males , females before neutering.

They are like children Nate. You can't take your eyes of them when they are pups. Man they get into everything and anything.

Male or female... you'll never find a better hunting partner than your own dog!
 
Nate,
over the years, I've been around or helped work with Goldens and labs of both sexes. The single most important characteristic is the breeding. It's not mandatory for getting a great dog, but it dramatically increases the odds of having a dog that will be easy to work with. If the genetics aren't there, you can't fix that. The rest is work on your part. If the dog is disposed to learning and pleasing you, likes to retrieve, and you put in the time and effort, you will have a hunting companion and pet that you will be happy with.

As for gender differences, size is the primary one. In the two breeds I've dealt with, females tend to be smaller. Since I hunt from a small boat, that's an issue for me. My 65 pound female is about all the dog I want. A 100 pound male would practically push the bow under when riding up there! I also used to think they were a tad more laid back, but my 5 year old female black lab will have the entire boat shivering when ducks are working in close, and I know that the first ducks of the year, she's going to break. She's pretty wired up.

I HIGHLY recommend the book "The 10 Minute Retriever" for the first 6 months. They do an outstanding job of emphasizing that you should work with the dog every day, not push too hard early, but lay the groundwork for good behavior by being consistent and letting the dog know where its boundaries are in his or her new world.
 
All the advice so far is right on track. I prefered neutered females when I had labs or goldens.
if you plan to neuter it's best to do it early(before the first heat cycle) for health reasons. If you
are leaving your dog intact then a female's heat cycles are an issue in training and in hunting season.
With my current breed I prefer a large male (40-50lbs) because of their size and lack of heat cycles.
I also use my males for stud service and that helps keep me in dogs. As has been said you can get a
great hunter from either sex, it's just a matter of what your wants and needs are.
John
 
I don't beleive it really matters...It is more of perception in what you get out of your own patience of training the pup...

I have had three different male labs over the past 25 years...All were very good duck hunters and house trained family pets...I had a female lab given to me about 4 years ago at 4 months of age...I think that BG has been a better overall hunter then my male labs...The best thing or I should say improvement is that she had a litter of pups this year...It is almost as if a slow down button was pushed in her...She is very concentrated during the hunt...The only negative side to the female lab is the heat cycles...That is the only negative...Another positive is when you breed her you'll notice in the pups the one that is closely related to her characteristics...I chose the pup that slept the closest to her during the 8 to 10 weeks of which they were pups were seperated to some lucky new family...Gracie has been a wonderful addition to me from BG's bloodline...It will be a while before I own another male lab...

Regards,

Kristan
 
I have a male German Shorthair Pointer. He is a strong dog with lots of stamina, and good looking. Only complaint I have is in the grouse woods, he wants to spend more time looking for something to piss on than looking for birds. Seriously, this can be a problem sometimes!
 
Male Vs Female (all in my humble opinion)

Females have limited offspring and if their genetics are to be carried on they must keep their pups alive and get them off to a safe start. To succeed females have become very security and rule oriented. This is why when two women talk about a new boy friend one of the first questions is “what does he do?” which translates into “how capable of a provider will he be”. Most woman don’t get off on adrenalin thrills and don’t seem to focus on “having fun”. In dogs this leaves females with a desire to please us since we are their source of security. They are more rule oriented and easier to train. They generally get along with other dogs better, although there are definitely alpha bitches that need to be in charge of all other dogs.

Males genetics get passed on by being accepted by as many females as possible. This means standing out, and rising in pack standing. After a million years or so this has left us with a less easier dog to train. A male will generally be more challenging of rules and the pack status. Male dogs are generally more imaginative and have a more developed sense of humor then females.
Which is better? It’s all about you, what traits do you require in your dog? If you want easier to train, smaller of stature and generally a more rule oriented dog that doesn’t challenge you, go with a female. If you need absolute obedience pick a female. If your looking for a buddy to joke around with and don’t mind putting down an occasional challenge or dealing with a sense of humor that doesn’t quite match yours perfectly, a male is just the ticket. In training you will have to work harder for the same results, or in other words for the same work you won’t get as good of results as you would with a female. Why go with a male, they're just more fun!

I for one will be interested in which you choose.

The world according to
:^)
Scott
 
To succeed females have become very security and rule oriented. This is why when two women talk about a new boy friend one of the first questions is “what does he do?” which translates into “how capable of a provider will he be”.

Male dogs are generally more imaginative and have a more developed sense of humor then females.
Click to expand...
You're kidding, right??
 
Quote:

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MLBob"

Bob,
While I offered it with an attempt at humor the theory fits my 40+ years of having dogs as part of the family. If I could perform stand up comedy I'd have enough dog humor material for a good show. All of it from the males. Maybe sometime after the season I'll try writing some of it down, I'm just afraid I won't capture the devilish fun they have doing it. The joy Jinks (40# Springer) got when he'd see me sit down and put my feet up in the recliner with an open magazine. He'd launch himself and crash down on the mag, roll over on his back and squirm until he received his quota of attention, stubby tail going full speed the whole time. He'd never do this until I picked up a magazine and started to read. He also never did this to anyone else in that chair. Or Bogs (80+# lab) and the pleasure he got after he learned to dump me over backwards in that same recliner. He would start to climb up the recliner while I was in it. Smiling and tail going a mile minute till he'd stick his muzzle in my face, then shift higher sending the chair over backwards in slow motion. I'd be laughing so hard while it was going on that even if I could have stopped it I was unable to do so. He did this dozens of times to the point that I had to shift the chair back against the wall so it stopped going all the way over backwards. Bogs knew exactly what he was doing and took great pleasure in it. While he's pretty crippled up now, Bog's still take great pleasure in jerking my chain when he can.

None of these acts were nasty or challenging and they were done with lots of laughter. I never got that out of any of the females. Marsh (2 yr 116#lab) is starting to develop his sense of humor but he's a little less social then the others. Not sure why, but he's improving and loves laughter. I suspect he will fit in well.

Scott
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I've owned 3 females. An AWS and 2 Boykins. My vet nuetered the youngest at 7 months. Can't recall when the others were nuetered but I have it done as soon as the vet says to.

You can loose a female during a pregnancy & I do not want to take that chance.

Females will be a little smaller & I'm fine with that. Less likely to rock a canoe.

I'm told that males are more likely to be fighters & I do not care to be aggravated.
 
Nate, I have both, and both are fine hunters and both are as friendly as can be. It's all in how much time you put into them as to what you get out of them. I sent you a pm give me a call.
 

i'll only have female dogs ,here's why. i don't want a dog sittin in my living room with his thing hanging out , or have to worry about him humping visitors.
my hunting partner stays indoors and i didn't want a horse running around the house . she can handle geese fine and goes about 70 #. i also had my dog spayed to avoid changing diapers.
it all boils down to what you want , and your personal circumstances . just use some common sense and you'll make the right choice. good luck
 
Here is a picture of my boy last week; at age 18 months:

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I am by no means an expert on dogs, but I knew I wanted a male this time around. I evaluated the litter at 3 weeks and 5 weeks, and both times picked the same pup. Kane is who came home with me at the age of 8 weeks. I picked him because among his 11 littermates, he was not overly agressive, nor was he timid. He was curious, and confident. He has been an absolute joy, and is still 100% male. His behavior has not given me any reason to think about neutering him, and in fact, I would like to breed him down the road. The only real advice I can give is to check out the litter as early and often as possible and take home the pup you bond with.
 
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Hey Phil,

Shot you a PM. I will try giving you a buzz today or this weekend. Been wicked busy here and trying to catch up with stuff.

Hope you are well.

Nate
 
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