Dog vs Bitch

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horseinstructor

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We are looking into getting a puppy. How do you make the choice between a dog or a bitch? I plan on it being a family/farm dog and doing some agility and obedience showing mostly for fun (though I may get "into" it). I had thought female b/c if I do get into it and end up doing well I may want to get into breeding down the line. Also (and please lets not debate this) my religion does not allow for an animal to be "fixed" (there are ways around it like not taking ownership of the dog till after the deed is done but the ideal is to keep the animal intact.)

As I'm doing more reading I'm thinking a male might be a better fit for us (so we dont have to deal with the moodswings of an in heat bitch. And so I dont enter a show and have to pull my entry b/c the pup is in heat, being that I will be showing only once in a while that would be sad)

so I'm looking for thoughts and advice :D
 
Hi and welcome to the Forum! You will find as many different opinions as we have dogs on which gender is better, LOL. It really does depend on the dog. I've had girls that were bold, affectionate and playful...all the things people say males are characteristically, and boys who are shy, reserved and quiet, also contrary to what you'll hear.

It's believed that female Shelties tend to be more reserved and cautious than boys, but I haven't found that to be true. I think a great deal has to do with how a puppy is socialized, along with genetics. Your best bet is to find a breeder you can trust who will pick the puppy of either sex that best fits your lifestyle. The breeder is the best person to assess a puppy's personality in the litter.

I will say that if you plan to keep the dog intact, dealing with heat cycles can be a pain in a female. Some girls cycle every 6 to 8 months and heat cycles last for 3 weeks. I have three intact girls and that means diapers all around and remembering to take them off when they go outside! (Can I tell you how many times I've sent them out with their panties on! :uhoh: )

You may also hear that intact boys will "mark" indoors. Again, early training will help avoid this...it's certainly not true of the males I know.

I hope this helps you a bit. Keep us posted on your puppy search!
 
I picked not by gender but the right dog. Both of mine ended up being male, the second one was a singleton who loves kids so the choice was yes/no but not really since "loooves kids" gave me no choice but "yes!" My first was choice of two males. Growing up we had mostly female shelties (one male) and then now my parents have a male. Each has had its own personality as the prior poster said.
 
I have a preference for boys. Right now, I have a full-throttle girl (who would make an awful farm dog), and three relatively laid back boys. They don't necessarily like each other, which is a problem, but independently they are lovely and do whatever I want them to do.

I do have one with basic farm skills, he can move stock calmly and doesn't just chase them. I think for what you are looking for, you need to find a reasonable, happy dog with a solid stable temperament. Finding one with work ethic shouldn't be hard, finding one with any kind of stock sense is going to be much harder. There are a few people who breed for stock work, but they may require the dog to be altered and/or not bred except under their guidance. Depends on the breeder.

I've never had girls that differed in temperament when in season. No mood-swings or any of that. But I will say, having just spayed my 7 year old bitch, it's going to much more convenient to trial if I don't have to plan around her!
 
I went with a female for many reasons (my male dog had recently passed away, for one). But one huge factor that steered me toward a female was that I wanted a performance dog to do agility with, and marking on the equipment is an automatic disqualification. I want to avoid that complication at all costs!
 
Cara Sandler said:
I went with a female for many reasons (my male dog had recently passed away, for one). But one huge factor that steered me toward a female was that I wanted a performance dog to do agility with, and marking on the equipment is an automatic disqualification. I want to avoid that complication at all costs!
Click to expand...

you know girl dogs can mark too- some even lift their legs:winkgrin:
my rescue girl was a marker- she could walk and pee and cover anybody else's pee all over.................
 
Calliesmom said:
you know girl dogs can mark too- some even lift their legs:winkgrin:
my rescue girl was a marker- she could walk and pee and cover anybody else's pee all over.................
Click to expand...

Wow - I've never heard of a female marking! I guess I just lucked out with my current female :-)
 
Cara Sandler said:
I went with a female for many reasons (my male dog had recently passed away, for one). But one huge factor that steered me toward a female was that I wanted a performance dog to do agility with, and marking on the equipment is an automatic disqualification. I want to avoid that complication at all costs!
Click to expand...

If your dog is stopping to mark, you have serious training issues. I've only ever seen dogs mark the tunnel, and usually it's a good long pee inside it, not a drive by.

I think what I've found the difference between the sexes is that the boys want to make you happy, the girls will make you happy if it pleases them.
 
I have three females and one male. The females are all related and couldn't be more different. Tara would make an excellent agility or obedience dog if it weren't for her owner not being as enthusiastic about that. Her dad was trained to follow hand signals at a 60 foot distance. Her mother and sister, would not be good choices if I chose to do agility or obedience. They want to please you as long as what you want them to do is something that already pleases them.

Our male is a sweetheart who is a bit young to see what he'll turn into. My first male would have played fetch his entire life. But any noisey competition would have been the seventh circle of hell for him.

So, basically, I'm agreeing that it totally depends on that particular animal.
 
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