Male vs Female - Page 1

So in the near future (hopefully) I'll be looking to get a GSD pup. I am curious as to which you all prefer, male or female, and have a few questions regarding both.

The dog I get, I will be putting a great deal of my time into. When I come home in the mornings (I work overnight), we'd be out walking/training. The dog could also ride with me at my job, which is actually one of the reasons I'd like to get a shepherd.... it gets creepy out there sometimes. I'd also try and get into the local Schutzhund club, as well as train for Agility, etc. etc.

Recently I have been wondering which would be better though - male or female. Males are nice because they don't go into heat cycles, and no, my dog would not be fixed, at least not immeadietly. The cons of them though, would be marking, and them wandering/jumping the fence/etc. if they smelled a female in heat nearby. Females are what I've grown up with though. My old dog was a female, and the one before her was as well. I also grew up with a female golden, who is my moms dog. We currently have a neutered male mutant Shorkie (hes 40 lbs and only slightly chubby.... we had him DNA tested and it came back 50% shih-tzu, 50% yorkie.... we were shocked) and he doesn't mark, but the dog before him was a male poodle and he marked like it was going out of style. He was unneutered most of his life. Females go into their heat cycles though, and its a pain to have to watch them for a few weeks to make sure there are no accidents. What do you think would better fit my lifestyle, based on your own experiences?

Also, if I were to breed my dog (and a big IF - I'd have to have them titled and OFA'd and such before I would even consider it), is it the male or the female that passes on their kennel name? Thats just completely curiosity... I'd like to in the future start a kennel, and yeah...

Companionship + protection while at work + Schutzhund / agility, then get a quality male. A male GSD can easily be taught not to mark inside your home with training. I've never had this issue with my intact males. While you have your male you'll learn about the sport, meet other GSD's from various lines, talk to more handlers / trainers / breeders so will get to know the breed better. Plus you'll have a better idea what you want to do in the future, such as continue in the sport with competition males, or become a breeder also. If you choose the latter you'll have more knowledge on the type / lines you'll prefer to base your foundation female on.
  
 Once your male is mature, titled, & passes health screenings your able to offer him for stud service. You can't use your kennel name on any of the litters he may produce, but you can select a high quality pick female you might not other wise had access to instead of a stud fee. This pick female you can now use as your foundation female. You'll now be a better handler in sport, have more knowledge, & a reputation within the breed to start off, than if you had begun with a female pup in the first place.

In Schutzhund, I've found females to be more serious in working -with!- their handlers. In my experience they can be just as serious at the bitework as any male, but they don't seem as apt to get caught up in the moment, and refuse to "aus."

I've found most males I've had work -for!- their handlers, but at the end of it, they tend to regard the bitework as their job, and the handler's not an equal once the team engages. It becomes the male's fight. The female always seems to be aware of the handler, even when she's engaged. Perhaps females are better at multi-tasking *wink* Males do tend to put on a more impressive display though.

Either makes a fine dog for working and sport.





In the house, I've found that my males tend to follow me everywhere, while my females are content to check up on me once in a while, and make sure I'm not trying to sneak out on them.

If you want a velcro dog, I'd recommend a male.




If you're looking at breeding in the future, I'd recommend starting with a female. You can build her up, title her, get her health checked, and by the time she's ready to breed, you have a decent selection of males available for her. 

Starting with a male, most people think about stud fees. However, unless you have an outstanding dog from lines that are en vogue at the moment, you might not get many breeding offers. There are no shortage of high-quality titled males.

If you have an outstanding male, then you won't need to look for a female. People will bring their dogs to you.

lol yea my males my 4 yr old and my 14 week old both follow me everywhere. but my female is content to just stay at a distance. and watch the rest of the house. its eazyer to find a good male sport dog than a female but if you get a good female it would be worth it. i have my male and my female doing sport everyone who comes into my house says they are more afraid of my female than male. she may be lighter but shes a hellion haha

i look forward to seeing what you choose and why. i like haveing one of each my female to watch the house and my boys to watch me

It all depends on the dog (personality, temperament, etc.) , pedigree, your handling skills, how you raise it, how you train it and the trainers you have.

Don't get caught up in the male vs. female.  Likely to miss out on a great dog.
Evaluate the dog

a male is in heat every time any female is........ LOL

personally i've males my whole life.

but from what i've heard, males will follow you to the ends of the earth well my dogs do.
there more needie then females. for example. they always want to be pet. touched played with at all times.
when i leave to go for a smoke my males is in his kennel. he wines and barks till he can come with me.

yes they are bigger more of a forcebite dog. but for a female they are alot chilled out.
theyll lay by the front door. instead of right beside you the whole time.

but overall depends on what you like. you said u want a dog for work.
both males and females will stick to you like glue. just depends on the bond you develop.

for my next dog i want a female.
too many males, and too many domaint fights.

both my males dont pee in the house. hell my gsd dog still squats when he pees. hahah

good luck with your find

a male is in heat every time any female is........ LOL

Yes, but only if there is a female around.

Quite a few times owners of male GSD's knock on my door to see if I want to breed my beautiful girl with their male, just to have me tell them I have a certain stud in mind, sorry. I am planning on chilled-semen AI, if necessary, with the chosen stud.

the female can be a half mile away and if the wind is blowing in the right direction.......and the male is instantly in heat.......LOL

i have both male and female GSD's

my most loyal dogs have always been females, they seem to be more serious. my females are more protective and are more interested in SchH. they mature much earlier and seem to be easier to train. i would trust my life to the females, they will protect me to their deaths, the males, i'm not so sure.

my males are much more handsome....big dogs with big masculine heads and they do love attention. my males have tons of personality, the remind me of drinking buddies.  who knows, maybe i'm reading them wrong....

both my males and females are CRAZY about playing fetch, which is something my husband enjoys.

i love them all...male or female they are loyal, intellegent and brave.......

as far as choosing - i guess it all depends on what job you want your dog to do....

Thank you to everyone for replying.

I'd like a 'less intense' dog... one with an off switch, for sure, for when we are at hoome. And s/he'd have to be incredibly social seeing as we live in the city and people are morons. Do you all think males would better fit that, or females?

I see a lot of you saying that males are always following you and such... here I would have thought it to be the other way around. Is there a reason for that? Is it because males feel a stronger need to be with their pack, and bitches are just aptly named?