Which sex do you prefer and why?

[Yaz]

Thought I'd throw this question out to everyone as it soon comes time for us to pick our new puppy out of a litter of six bitches and six males. I have always been biased towards males and I suspect it has to do with the opposite sex bonding, and I'm curious to know if else has a preference.  I know some trainers believe that if you have young children a bitch is a safer bet. For Saint Bernards and Bullmastiffs I've been told by a few breeders that the male has a more easy going temperment, but that could be a very subjective opinion. I'd love to hear what everyone has to say about their personal preference, if any.

[taijinrr]

oooooooooooooo
i have had good and bad in both, but we usually wont sell a male to people with small children. it seams the bitches are more maternal in RR's, and they do grow big so fast, even though they are puppies and some over 100 lbs, jumping on children is not a good thing(one of the first things we train our dogs to do,not jump up on people)

i let people know,,,,,,, train your children before your dog !!!!!!!
ears are not for pullling, or tails,,,,,,, puppies want to eat without being botherd, and thier nap time, is thiers,,,,,,,,,,,,, but  of course let the kids bond and play with the pup, they will grow up to be best friends.

[greek4]

Rocco is more laidback, fun loving, easy going, and loves kids.  He has no preference who feeds, walks, or hangs with him.  Anyone will do.

Maia is more uptight, fun loving only with people she knows, not so easy going, and is not so loving of kids.  She only wants me to be the one she hangs with, eats with, walks with, and who puts her to bed. 

I think my guys personalities have to do with age, breed, and how I raised them.

[orion5221]

I have had many more males in my house because my females tend to be "bitchy" with other females, and the males ( all neutered) tend to get along better.  My normal pack is 2 males and 1 female    My males have been more easy going, GOOFY, not the smartest at problem solving, but very easy to train and they seem to be more adaptable.  I have found my females to be more prone to space issues with other dogs, more likely to be clingy, more pushy assertive with attention requests, and definintly more smarter, and able to problem solve better
I believe males are eaiser to raise....  my all time dog was a female though, the love of my life, and she was one TOUGH pup/ dog!
just my couple of cents

[BabsT]

My male is much more laid back than my female...I know my girl is only a baby and Zero in a way too is (11mths) BUT  he is a TRUE gentleman to my son and just wonderul to all children he is familiar with

Neither one of my dogs jump on anyone...it wasnt allowed from the get go and they never try...both very very easy to housebreak but Zero is just more content...My female wants to be with me more and complains about things more than Zero does

My female is more animal aggressive than Zero is...Zero is dog dominant but not dog aggressive...h e can walk beautifully by any animal regardless of what they are doing...he wouldnt only react if they got too close to him and challenged him.  My female doenst like any other animal in her face except my sisters 2 dogs and Zero.  Zero will gladly play if the animal is submissive which 99% are LOL

One sister has a female shepherd mix...she is a B*tch
My other sister has a male boston terrier (AWESOME) and a female schiperkee (awesome but b*tchy)
Brother has a female weim...awesome but doesnt tolerate other animals very well
My brother has a male lab/golden wonderful dog all around
another brother...fema le brittney spaniel (nerve bag)

My female CO is headstrong, stubborn but very very loving...Noah needs to do lots of work with her more than I had to put in with Zero and him

I expect my son to be able to control and tell the dogs what to do in the house...He is 7 but everyday he does the feedings and some OB with them both on and off leash...With my female CO i leash Misha and give the other end to Noah and she is to lay down with him while he watches tv...he then gives her lovings and treats here and there...and then he will put her in the crate when he goes to bed

[GR8DAME]

I absolutely prefer males to females. With all of the males that I have had there came a time when they challanged for dominence. They lose, end of story; pack is established for all time and they never challange me or mine again. Raven was a constant challange, but only for me. She was the deafest hearing dog I have ever seen, and she will to this day try and stare me down. She is more unpredictible with other dogs, and will react faster than the males in an iffy situation. I do agree with orion5221, she is smarter which makes putting up with her attitude all the more annoying. She has no maternal instincts whatsoever, and has tried to turn every puppy I have brought into the house into sushi, and my males, even the dog-aggressive ones have all been more tolerant. I love her, but she will be the last female in my house.
Stella

[GreatDanz]

I love my boys!  They are mooshy, loveable, big lugs!

Female danes seem to be higher energy and more dominant.  They also don't seem to bond as closely as the males do.  Now I am totally speaking in generalities here, this by no means applies to ALL female danes.

Orion, your pup is adorable!!!!!

ETA, Yaz, YOUR pup is adorable too!!!!!

I'm so having puppy fever right now.....

[Anakalia]

Wow this is a really good thread!  I prefer males to females because the females I've had I swear have PMS, and you never know when they're gonna get it!  The only female I tolerated was my ex's lab mix, she ended up being mine til he got rid of her (long story he had issues) but I took care of her and she was perfect, and we bonded really well. 

Now on the other end of things, I now have a male Maltese that's HORRIBLE.  Always challenging us for dominance, nips, bites, snarls, and I don't trust him with children.  His issue is genetic (byb) but overall I prefer males over females. 

I will say Koby's almost perfect, yeah he's psycho, but he's good with kids, so laid back when it comes to kids crawling all over him and giving him attention, it's almost like he know's he's big and has to behave, he's never once snarled, bit or nipped at anyone.  He's a good boy, most of the time.

Andi

[jabear]

I prefer males because they are such "mama's boys".  I think that boys just do better with their moms and it is much easier to have them lift thier leg than go through "that time of the month". Plus, I really like the bigger size that  you get with a male. They are taller, wider, and heavier than a female and that is so awesome IMO.

[Lyn]

I really don't have a preference. My hubby wanted a male Saint though, mainly because he likes the squared look that they get, the females are more feminine looking. But that's not the sole reason we got Bubba. There is a very dominant, aggressive female toy poodle that lives with us. She doesn't get along with other female dogs period. She's bit Bubba quite a few times, but he just thinks she's playing and starts bouncing around and ticks her off even more. LOL She must not bite hard enough for him to feel it. But it's working out fairly well between them for the most part. Let me tell you that poodle needs some serious doggy boot camp. But it's not my place to enforce it. 

[GrumpyBunny]

How funny, I thought everyone was going to say they preferred the girls, and I would be the only one who liked the boys.  But, I do!  I love the boys.  Big, mooshy, love-able, mama's boys...   

[Newf Lover]

I wouldn't say I'm opposed to getting a female, but so far I have only had males.  Females, dogs and cats, seem to be a bit more high maintenence.  Especially with cats, there is nothing more mellow than a big, fat neutered male.  SOooo CHIIiillll.... ..  Our boy kitties just chill in the back yard, munch on cat nip bushes all day and just live mellow kitty lives.  Female cats are sweet too, but just a bit more on edge and grouchy.  Drake, for a Newf, can be very hyper when it's play time but for the most part, is very laid back and easy going.  Sometimes to the point where he doesn't have the attention span to acknowledge people.  He's never snapped at anybody and licks the faces of babies.  Female dogs, from my experience, tend to be more needy, do the nose under the arm trick, and are, well, bitchy.  A neutered male Newf is just a big, fuzzy cuddle bug.  I don't know about other breeds, but it is pretty hard to get a female Newf puppy.  It seems like most people we have met, got their females after they had finished showing or breeding and they were full grown.  Like everything in life though, there are no absolutes.  It's more important to get a healthy dog from responsible breeders.

[Leah-n-boy-os]

Boys, all the way with me! My Mom had a theory that she taught me when growing up....two bitches cannot work together. I have found that little pearl of wisdom to be a truism for all my life!

Seriously though, I just find the males to be more mellow, and more cooperative and adaptable to new situations than females. It's almost as if they avoid drama the same if not more ardently than their human counterparts!

(the fact that they bond with me better (even better than my hubby) has *nothing* to do with it, I tell ya!

[Saintgirl]

Abbey is my Hubbys first female dog and Hutch is my first male dog. Derek only ever wanted males, but relented when we got Abbey and now he recommends to all of his male friends to get a female. I on the other hand absolutley will not be without a male. Abbey is very much a daddy's girl, and Hutch is a mama's boy.

[Icerotti]

I have had 2 female rottis. One very laid back, one very dominate.
 Also 3 male rottis one very dominate, one a huge big mushy mamas boy and Puck who has a touch of both. Farley male Vizsla is a big suck--still waiting for the laid back part---don't think it's coming..lol
In apperance I like the look of male dogs they are broad, heavy set etc. So I would say Male.  My husband would say female.