What are the differences/advantages of Male and Female dogs?
What are the advantages or disadvantage to having a male or female sheepie? |
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| Well, that's pretty easy. Males are just better-- plain and simple.
Please lock the thread. 
In all seriousness, it depends on what you're looking for. Males in general are bigger. In general, I find my male dogs to be more cuddly and velcro while my female is more independent with more attitude-- and I'm talking dogs in general now, not just OES. Also, if you plan not to spay a female, with a male there are no heats to worry about. I think the lack of doggy diapers are always a bonus! |
| I'm really not sure as I've never owned a male oes. My 3 are all girls.
They are all different, Dancer is Miss Priss, the most intelligent, and a suck. She is content to lie beside us though and doesn't "demand" our attention. Sky is a tomboy, more boisterous, and is demanding of attention. Panda is quiet, kind of half way between Dancer and Sky in terms of bounciness. She is a doll, and affectionate, but doesn't demand it most of the time. Growing up I had male dogs as pets, and I think they were fantastic, very loyal, intelligent fun companions. I hope to have an oes male someday... I really don't think one sex is better than the other. |
| We are the opposite - we have had 3 male OES. All have been fun and super affectionate. Actually of our 7 dogs we have now - only one is a female. They all are super lover-dogs and equally fun. Over the years I've had no preference male or female - just chose the individual dog that I like best! |
My female is very active. She talks back a lot, and prefers her daddy. She demands our attn 24-7. Even when I play with my son, she's shoving a ball in my face. 
I'd say she was very affectionate, but not like I hear males are. She has to be in the same room as us, and lay near by, but never on us. She also doesn't care to "cuddle" unless she wants something. Late at night, she always rolls on top of us, but that's usually because she wants to be fed or played with. She's always up for wrestling on the floor with her daddy. I didn't want a male because I don't want to see or touch their male parts. Considering Yuki always lays on her back to sleep, it would alway be there. As silly as that sounds, that's my reason. Now that I've had one, I am open to getting a male next time around. I actually don't care what we get next. |
Joahaeyo wrote: I didn't want a male because I don't want to see or touch their male parts. Considering Yuki always lays on her back to sleep, it would alway be there. As silly as that sounds, that's my reason.
Lol. You're goofy! Is it any better to have to touch the female ones? Actually, I can tell you from experience, it's not! Lucy had vaginitis last year and when I had to put the ointment on, I felt like I was molesting her. I've never had to do any extended penis touching on a dog. |
ButtersStotch, I'm sitting here shaking my head and laughing. I'd quote you, but I don't want to draw more attn. to the line, but had to comment. 
It's been 10 minutes since I read it, and I'm still laughing. You are bad.  |
| Hmmm... I keep typing a comment, and hitting backspace when I realize I can't type THAT here! |
| Lol. Thanks for only the small edit.
While I'm already having an immature moment... When Clyde was a puppy and we took him for one his first checkups, the vet was feeling him all over, looking for lumps and other things they look for. He had us hold Clyde up so he could look at his underside. Up until now, the vet had been pretty low key and hadn't really said anything. When we picked him up, the vet exclaimed, "Well, he's got a nice penis on him." It was meant as a completely innocent, likely medical, comment, but I just busted out laughing. The vet looked at me like I was a total idiot for about 3 seconds and then started laughing himself and said, "Well, I guess that does sound kind of funny, huh?" |
| I wouldn't have been able to hold it in either. My face would be red too. |
I have one of each, My Murph is all about fun, sometimes exhausting. Bella is the more serious, she also is more lovable, but she rules the roost, talks back alot, pushes Murph around (typical female ) But I wouldn't trade her for anything  Still deciding if I will pick a male or female next, I will decide on personality. |
Joahaeyo wrote: I wouldn't have been able to hold it in either. My face would be red too.
Lol. I can't remember the last time I blushed. |
I've had both, my first sheepie was a male and a big soft gentle boy. If you get a dominant male then you can have problems. The males have a bigger coat to deal with and are usually bigger then the females 
Females are a bit more independant, loving too. Slightly easier to groom as not the thickness of coat that the males have, also easier to keep clean, not all the plumbing underneath to keep sparkling and no doing wees on themselves so all in all a lot cleaner then the males. Either is great, just check out the nature on both sexes, you don't want an overly dominant one on either as they grow into a large dog and can be a handfull to deal with if it is a dominant one. I have had 3 girls since my male sheepie, it is what I prefer for me, as they are smaller then the males and as I am only small myself and do all the work like grooming/bathing etc I just find the females easier in my situation, yep even walking them, my male use to pull me over, that was before the gentle leader/halti was invented.  |
| I have one of each,now,and have had both males and females ofother breeds in the past.
My two seem close to typical....Bosley is a big suck, and wuss, very easy going and loves to be with people...anyone. Dixie is more independant, fearless, and bosses Bosley around... very loving with people, but on her terms. |
Joahaeyo wrote: I didn't want a male because I don't want to see or touch their male parts.
As silly as it may be, that's actually why I don't want a male dog either. Especially, a big fuzzy male dog. I don't want to give a belly rub and stumble across it. I also don't want to have to figure out how to groom that area. I had to remove burrs from every part of Maggie's body, and for whatever reason, that didn't really phase me at all. I guess I think of her as like a baby. I just don't want to deal with that with a male dog. I really don't want to see it and definitely don't want to hear comments from the vet about it! Plus, I don't want to worry about whether he's a boy that is going to pee on the backs of his front legs. My two girls are very affectionate. Chummie is a leaner and Maggie is very cuddly. I think the cuddliness factor depends on the dog and not necessarily the gender. Maggie would love to be in your lap. |
As I was growing up we always had male dogs, so that was my only experience with dogs. When I finally decided to adopt an OES I decided to go female for one very important reason: leg lifting. I did not want to have to keep stopping while "he" lifted his leg and marked his territory. I have been very happy with Violet and have since adopted an Australian Shephard, China, a female. Violet is both affectionet and independant. She is really smart, and loves to play. So as strange as it may sound, the leg lifting was the deciding factor. lol  |
| I was raised with outside dogs, all male with one exception. My first 2 OES were male, simply because I was used to it and because I didn't want to deal with heats. When my oldest OES passed away, we decided to get 2 puppies to keep Archie company. I had assumed I'd get 2 males, but then thought that if I got at least one female, it would take a little of the dominance issues away from Archie. He'd been very much No. 2 to Merlin's King status. So, now I'm raising my first female OES and I have to say, the difference is enormous. This could easily be a matter of individual dogs, but while Sophie was the smallest of her litter, she more than makes up for it in attitude.
My boys have always been very mellow (although Merlin was quite opinionated) and affectionate. Sophie is very affectionate and adores being the center of attention. She also thinks she is absolutely Queen of the world, and she and I have had our issues, as my daughter would say. However, they are mostly resolved now, and she accepts that I am indeed in charge. However, she's fairly certain that she's in charge of her brother Sherman, who is absolutely laid back. He knows his place is at the end of the dominance line. Sophie listens to Archie, but she does think she's his equal. I like to think of my dogs as being very intelligent. Sophie is especially quick to pick up new tricks and is less cautious than her brother. She's also more stubborn than any of the others. I think differences to consider are the cost of spay vs neuter, if you will alter your dog. Neuter for a male is less expensive. Also, male dogs tend to lick themselves and each other. A lot. That bugged my sons. A lot. They also lick Sophie, although not as much. All of my dogs have been spayed/neutered without incident. With Sophie, we are currently treating her with antibiotics because she was leaking urine while sleeping or just laying down. There seemed to be some irritation. This was a problem when she was a very young puppy and recurred after spaying (about 6 weeks ago) My reading of this board tells me that urine leaking is more common with female dogs, espeically after they are spayed and especially as they get older. We know that we may end up putting her on medication for life if the leaking recurs (it's cleared up right now.) I'm not particularly upset at the idea of seeing or cleaning my dogs if necessary, regardless of their gender. I can't ever remember cleaning any of my dogs' penises, but I've cleaned a lot of butts. Gender doesn't matter when you have to clean a butt. |
| I've had both male and female sheepies and I pretty much have always had females, though, growing up. They are what I prefer.
If Barney hadn't come around at the right time right place, and right price! I don't think I would have chosen a boy dog...I also didn't want to deal with the boy parts...But they're not so bad! And Barney doesn't lift his leg, he's a squatter, so that's not an issue over here, and he usually misses his front legs while peeing, so that's not too bad either. |
| I also worry about potty training if I had a male. Yuki had her share of accidents until she was 6 months. With all the crates and restricting water ...heck, she had enough accidents to make up for all the dogs I've had that never had any. So, I'm afraid if I had a male, and they lifted their leg, the accidents would be on our sofa and mattress instead of the carpet. |
| I'd think that the potty training accidents happen when they are too short to hit the mattress or the sofa, and most don't lift their leg to pee until much older... I THINK.
I've never had a puppy, this is just my surmising from various topics... But the issue about the genitalia is fascinating to me.... I never would have thought about that! I learn something new everyday, and sometimes it makes me say: "Huh! I didn't know that!" |
| Re: potty training. My first two males were easily trained. Never was an issue with 'marking' inside the house. Not once. Sophie and Sherman were more difficult to train, but I think that is mostly because there were two of them. No gender issues there, although Sophie has a smaller bladder.
Sophie is as keen on sniffing sign posts and fire hydrants as Archie and Sherman, but she doesn't feel the need to add her signature. I honestly can't quite figure out concern over dealing with 'male parts.' I simply don't. And frankly, in long coat, you can't really tell gender anyways. As far as bathing/grooming, it's a complete non-issue. I've had to invest time into cleaning Sophie's areas because of the leaking issue. |
Quote: But the issue about the genitalia is fascinating to me.... I never would have thought about that! I learn something new everyday, and sometimes it makes me say: "Huh! I didn't know that!"
That's why I didn't get a male maltese too! I just didn't want to explain to little kids (worked at a battered women hospital where I brought my dog) what that "thing" was. When I went to a dog show in Anchorage, I would bend down to touch their bellies and sometimes run into SOMETHING. It embarrasses me and makes me feel uncomfortable. Why can't we all be women? 
My husband wants a male next though, and for the first time in my life, I want one too. I'm more worried about markings. I want a batman! |
Joahaeyo wrote: My female is very active. She talks back a lot, and prefers her daddy. She demands our attn 24-7. Even when I play with my son, she's shoving a ball in my face.
I'd say she was very affectionate, but not like I hear males are. She has to be in the same room as us, and lay near by, but never on us. She also doesn't care to "cuddle" unless she wants something. Late at night, she always rolls on top of us, but that's usually because she wants to be fed or played with. She's always up for wrestling on the floor with her daddy. I didn't want a male because I don't want to see or touch their male parts. Considering Yuki always lays on her back to sleep, it would alway be there. As silly as that sounds, that's my reason. Now that I've had one, I am open to getting a male next time around. I actually don't care what we get next. THTA IS FUNNY I THINK IT WOULD BE EASIER TO DEALWITH A MALE THAN FEMALE opps sorry caps as far as private parts go LOL funny |
| I have both. Merlin is more content to just BE than Avalon....some of that can be age. With Merlin he marked the house...stupid things really, he'd pee in the doorway if all the family was in one room together....who was he proctecting us from? He would also mark any plastic bag left on the floor. Kids learned real quickly that if you didn't put you things away Merlin would pee on them.
Never had an issue with the genetalia...tho when Merlin got lost: his scrotum got frostbite and I had to put cream on it a few times a day until it healed and then he got neutered. Funny I was the only one in the family that didn't have an issue putting on the cream...maybe because Merlin is MY dog Avalon demands WAY more attention than Merlin does. But I don't think this is because she is female, I think it is the breeding. Merlin is very much like Stacey's Dancer (the are from the same parents different litter) and Avalon and Stacey's Sky are also sisters and they have very similar temperments. Merlin's parents produced more cautious offspring and Avalon's parents produced more outgoing offspring.
Merlin's coat is way easier to groom his is straight and soft, Avalon's is curly and wiry, again I think that has to do with the parent rather than the sex of the dog. |
| I have had... hmmm... 11 OES over 40 years. None were closely related and I do not breed them. All but the first two were spayed or neutered.
3 were raised from pups, 8 were rescues 4 females, 7 males. I guess I feel qualified to make a few generalizations. Males are certainly larger and when young, generally more rambunctious. They are more likely to be clownish at any age-- one of the most endearing qualities of the breed in my opinion. Some people would say that males have more "personality" but I think that they are just being males. I had one male who was dominant and went out of his way to pick fights with other dogs (never agressive with people though). Having a dominant dog can be trying --you just avoid taking him places with other dogs around. All the rest of my males have been very laid back and neither agressive nor timid, nor did any ever exhibit fear-biting, which I have seen in other breeds. The females tended to be less interested in other dogs, and in the company of males, could be considered a bit "bossy"-- particularly with younger males. Of my 4 female OES, none were dominant in the sense that they were agressive and tended to fight with other dogs. Around people and children the males and females were equally affectionate and careful (in the sense that many herding breeds tend to watch and protect their "flock"). OES can be clumsy at times, of course. Most of my OES have, unfortunately, had hip problems to one degree or another and this tendency has been more prevalent in the males. One of my female rescues was deaf. Both are congenital problems with the breed. (The deaf one was a rescue and became the constant companion of a male I had at the time and would walk bumping against his shoulder to keep from being surprised. She was possibly the sweetest dog I ever had.) I suspect that such congenital problems are unrelated to sex but from what I know of genetics, a predisposition toward an inherited condition may be carried on the x or y chromasome so it is possible. I have never read anything on this subject with dogs, however. For many years now I have only had rescue dogs. I don't care if they are male or female. They all brighten a home. |
| Wow RFloch! That's a lot of dogs you've saved--three cheers for you!! I enjoyed reading your post.
I've now had four OES, 3 males and one female. I've also had 5 other dogs and all were male. With the exception of Merlin whom I purchased from a breeder , all the others were rescues so I didn't really plan on having a higher percentage of males. It just worked out that way. All were neutered and Shaggy was spayed. Shaggy was my only female and what RF said, I also found to be true, she was so tiny in stature for an OES but was definately the Alpha of the household with the males. Given a chance to get another dog I really want a female. It's my personal opinion that males get into more fights at dog parks than the females ever do, but then again it's because they seem to always outnumber the females at the park so perhaps that's why I notice it more. When I did educational pet talks for the Humane Education Society I'd tell people that research had found that dogs abide bye a "code of law". This code prevents males from attacking females (much like people) and all adult dogs refrain from attacking puppies (much like we adults would never beat up a child) but discipline them which is different. Sadly, just like people this isn't always 100% of the case and dogs like some people break the code. If a female gets into a fight it will usually be with another female and same with the male vs male. Females generally express less interest than fighting than males. Based on that , and the fact that I currently have 3 males..my next one will definately be female. Overall it depends on the dogs personality and like R mentioned on their post above no matter what you get...your home will always be a happy place. Good Luck! Marianne and the boys |
| I've had.....too many dogs (I'm thinking around 15-20) over the last 36 years, 6 of them sheepdogs. Five of the six sheepies have been female, two of the girls were sisters.
The male sheepdog and the male dogs in general, are all Mommy-boys. They respect me as pack leader and live(d) to serve me. The females considered me an equal but most respected me, only 1 treated me as did the males. When placing rescues, both sheepdogs and Pyrs, I'd try very hard not to place the same sex together. Females generally don't get along. I found putting a bigger male in that situation really calmed things down between the girls, but the boy tended to get picked on from both sides, LOL. Males would get along (except in Pyrs...never put two male Pyrs together) to a certain extent. Neutered boys seem to work out a "pals" relationship. Unneutered, dog fights. Which do I prefer? Hmmm....I like females for their streak of independence but I also like being considered the master of the universe from males. I don't mix my dogs with others so can't comment on dog park activities. |
| Interesting observations. Although I only have Charlie right now (a two year old), I have almost always had two dogs, a male and a female or two males together. Whatever pair I had always bonded and became the best of buddies, even when an older rescue dog joined the family. It is true that I have not had two un-neutered males at the same time though. The dominant dog I mentioned was un-neutered, but he was the guy who took care of my deaf female and it may be that his protective relatinship with her became part of his personality.
Never had two females at the same time so I can't speak to what happens there. The only time I ever had a problem was a short time when I had three males. They didn't fight, but it was definitely a dog pack and more than I could handle. |
| When we were researching the breed and trying to decide which sex to get we were leaning towards females. Ian and I had both grown up with females of different breeds and truthfully neither of us really wanted to deal with looking at the guy-parts!!! OR the leg-lifting!!
BUT we talked to a few OES breeders and rescue workers and the overall consensus was that while both sexes were awesome males tended to be more sweet and affectionate. With the ones we've fostered it's really hard to tell because they are all so individualistic. So far Bingley is living up to the "guy" standard!  |
| We were in the same situation as Emily. At first, we thought we wanted a girl, but then after talking with people we found the general opinion was that males were more affectionate and also more laid back. A friend who has 1 of each from the same breeder says she much prefers the male personality... so we went with a male.
His male "parts" have never been an issue for me. He's a dog/my baby so there's no embarrasment there. For those who said they were uncomfortable with male parts - what about your male children/babies (or what if you had one?)? You have to see/touch their parts everytime you change their diaper, put on cream for diaper rash, give them a bath, etc. but there's nothing uncomfortable about that - because it's your baby. That's how I see it with Barkley. As for "marking territory", Barkley has never done that once. On walks he sniffs at trees but doesn't feel the need to add to the markings on it. He's never lifted a leg to pee once and he was very easy to housetrain. Maybe the marking/leg lifting comes later in life - maybe it depends on whether or not the dog is neutered? |
| Thanks for all the input, every little bit helps. |
Quote: For those who said they were uncomfortable with male parts - what about your male children/babies (or what if you had one?)? You have to see/touch their parts everytime you change their diaper, put on cream for diaper rash, give them a bath, etc. but there's nothing uncomfortable about that - because it's your baby. That's how I see it with Barkley.
I think many who said they feel uncomfortable would agree that it's different. First off, there ARE times I feel a little weird cleaning lil J esp when I have to get .. well, to politely put it, creases and folds. ...but it could be because I'm afraid I'm going to hurt him. Then, there's the fact he's covered 90% of the day with a diaper, so even if I pick him up with one hand over his private area, there's a huge padding in the way. With a dog, his stuff is just there when I'm rubbing his area. When I was watching that male dog a few weeks ago, I was always cautious that my hand wouldn't get too close while rubbing his belly. It's disgusting to me. I do think ...maybe if he was my own baby... it wouldn't look as disgusting.
I changed my nephews diaper, who is 9 months older, and I told my SIL that it kind of freaked me out. It was... so much different and ...bigger... than lil J's, and I was happy when it was all over with. She just laughed. Personally, I know there's nothing to feel weird about, but I can't help feeling that way. |
| I do agree that you might feel different if it was your own baby dog's private area.
We've all got our own thresholds of squeemish. A friend of mine is a personal support worker at a group home for mentally handicapped adults. Some are so low-functioning that they require diapers. I do not know how she is able to change a 40-something year old man's diaper - but she does! That would be beyond squeemish for me.  |
| I guess I have it all backwards .....
I am not bothered at all about a male dog's parts. It is all neat and tidy in a furry package..
While a females are a bit different, and there are skins folds to be handled when putting cream etc on, to get everything covered. Maybe that is it. Belly rubs are easier with a female, but for cleaning, inspection and applying ointment etc it less intrusive to deal with a male, than a female. Generally neither one is a big deal, though......but exploding puss on any body part will surely do me in! |
| I'll take the male parts and oozing wounds any day over having to rub the cream on Lucy for her vaginitis. I'm telling you, I'm squeamish or embarrassed about very little and that was the only thing that left me feeling creepy! |
| Cleaning the male parts of an OES is much better than cleaning the parts of a horse! Every time!
I have had both sexes. My experience is that potty training time varies with the individual dog. Same as personality. However, the one reason that I have found favorable of the females is they learn much faster and are better at go "potty" on command. However, the males seem to need to smell the territory and take their time to mark it. That kinda stinks if you are traveling or are in the middle of a bad rain storm. Good Luck With Your Pick! |
| Chewie is the fastest pee-er ever. He is going within 30 seconds after being let out. And it's like Niagara Falls too! (he still squats) |
| There is nothing like Speedy Gonzales!! |
| I wish mine peed fast. My female takes FOREVER!!!!!!! If that's more common for males to do, then that sucks since we're leaning towards another male. She only pees once (doesn't mark every two feet like my female maltese), but she is very particular about where she goes. |
| Yes, I agree that I think I would be uncomfortable dealing with the male parts - they are definitely much easier to bump into during belly rubs and play time. And it's also just hanging out there for the whole world to see! Human babies at least wear clothes (most of the time).
Callie is the 6th dog I have had, and only one of those was a boy. The problem with the boy was that we could never get him potty trained - we finally had to give him away to a friend. All of our girls trained so easily that I was convinced it is a gender thing. In reality, it probably has more to do with the specific dog, but so far we have had good luck training our girls. My husband grew up with a boy dog, so he wasn't so sure about getting a girl; but now he thinks girls are the way to go. Also, boys are always humping things! We do hope to have children in the future, and I don't really want to explain that to them any sooner than necessary. As for personality, I always thought Callie was very loving and cuddly - although with all these comments about cuddly boys, I'm wondering if they would be even more so... Also, Callie is quite bossy. She is very smart and has her own ideas of the way things should be, so I guess that fits the female stereotype. We frequently have to remind her who is boss. For what it's worth... We have two girls now - Callie and a pug - and they are constantly wrestling / playing / arguing. All of that to say that I have had girls and I love girls and I think they are easier to take care of ... but I might be open to a boy in the future. |
| Oh yeah, I forgot to mention that Callie is a speed-peer. She can pee on command any time of day or night - and be back in the house in less than a minute. I think at first she thought she was doing a trick - like sit or down or whatever b/c she would get a treat when she did it (outside, of course). Now she's just in that habit.
Lambda, our female pug, on the other hand, is the pokiest pottier I have ever had. She will go outside and wander aimlessly forever before she even starts sniffing around for a place to pee. |
| RE: Humping. Sophie does that too. Did I mention that she has dominance issues? Fortunately, it's a subject I'm quite clear about, at least re: Sophie's relative status to the humans. |
Joahaeyo wrote: I wish mine peed fast. My female takes FOREVER!!!!!!!
I've only had females - but mine is like yours, she takes forever. She has to sniff every blade of grass even when it is 10 degrees out, my hair hurts it is so cold. LOL. I've never had a male, not because I don't like them, we just never had male dogs growing up. I've watched male dogs for my friends and the stopping and marking every five feet was a bore and a few of them had to mark in my house; so if there is one reason i do not have a male dog that would be it. When Patch and I are at the dog park there seems to be a 3-1 male to female population. Also, it is sometimes like a conga line with the males jumping on the females and males - |
Callie's Mom wrote: Yes, I agree that I think I would be uncomfortable dealing with the male parts - they are definitely much easier to bump into during belly rubs and play time. And it's also just hanging out there for the whole world to see! Human babies at least wear clothes (most of the time).
And Freud thought women had penile envy! lol |
| This thread has become quite funny. LOL
I never thought about having to care for their "parts" I don't have to do anything with my three girl dogs' parts. LOL They seem to take care of those things. Is there anything special you have to do with boy oes parts? I've had male golden retrievers, but I don't remember my parents having to do anything in particular. Heck, I think our last golden got a bath maybe twice in his life, and that was with a garden hose. |
| I give it a wipe down every now and then if it looks like it can use it. Otherwise, I think they're pretty much self-cleaning and self-sufficient. |
| Very rarely does the behavior section crack me up.
I always had males dogs on the farm, extremely affection, protecting and thought I'd always have males. Came to the city and we had a male Lab...now he was huge, and clumsy and he was just too much dog for me...the kids were babies too. But then the next dog was a male boxer...completely different, very cautious with the kids, very affectionate too....however he had dog (male dog) aggression, but only on leash. Very hard to control and avoid...I could never tell who was walking down the street. Anyways, when we got Remy, we were suprised at how well she fit every aspect of our life. Excellent with the kids, cuddly and affectionate, smart. She likes to mark as we walk along...stops and pees every little way, and she can be aggressive if she is threatened by another dog...only dogs...otherwise she wants to play and gets along with everyone. I do find her too needy sometimes, so we need to remind her to go to her spot....very velcro. So in my experience, the male and the female are equal...you give them the love they return it tenfold. Once neutured and spayed they are even more equal. However boy's don't quite carry off the look of hair bows and sweaters. My biggest reason for a girl, was to be able to dress them up. |
| Very funny reading all your posts, I must assume that none of you ever worked at a vets office.
I was a vet tech for 16 years and if I tell you all the parts of a male and female dogs I touched you all would pass out. It never bothers me, but I could not do the same in a human health facility. I guess to each his own. I have both, male and female, but I love my boys most of all. They are more clingy, loving and act like clowns, no brainers. My Sara C. thinks she is better than anybody. She is very prissy and never gets dirty and if one of the males comes close, all she does lifts her lip and he gets the hint and leaves her alone. All my boys, and I had 5 so far, never wanted belly rubs, maybe they knew. Neither one of them lifted their legs, they were neutered around 5 month of age, I believe this helps. Ingrid |
ButtersStotch wrote: I give it a wipe down every now and then if it looks like it can use it.
Patch is a therapy dog - we were on a visit last month about to go into a nursing home. I always walk her before we go in and she definitely had to go this time - for the first time since i've had her for 4 years, she had some 'residue' on her hair around her butt. I got in the car and found a charge receipt to use to flick it off - LOL. You just never know what you have to do in a spare of the moment. |
| Funny about girls being cleaner. I've noticed that Sophie and Sherman can both be outside playing, and somehow, no matter what, Sherman always comes in looking dirtier.
All of my sheepies have loved belly rubs, although they seem to lose the desire as they get older. But there is nothing like rolling on your back in deep, cool, green grass under a nice shade tree on a hot summer day. They seem to like that more and more, the older they get. |
Quote: I must assume that none of you ever worked at a vets office.
I was a vet tech for 16 years and if I tell you all the parts of a male and female dogs I touched you all would pass out. Ingrids, as did I surprisingly!! It's different when you're in the mindset to deal with male parts. It's a whole other story when you've got 12 guests over and a huge sheepie in the middle of the living room ...laying on his back ...all exposed and stuff.
The conversations in the chat room here regarding this topic have gotten CRAZY!!! I learned a lot of stuff. Stuff I don't know if I can word on here. ...like I didn't know that after they are neutered, "it" comes out occasionally. Some people said they never see "pink" on their male, but that's just weird if your 12 guests brought their kids over.
Again, these are just reasons why I chose a female over a male. I don't think I have a problem with getting a male now though. Mostly because Mr. J wants bigger, and I want more affectionate. |
| Males by nature tend to be dominant, since they inherit the hierarchy instinct of wolves, so a male can be a problem if you don't make it clear that you are the leader (or alpha member, for terminology's sake). Males tend to be natural explorers and can travel several blocks away from home, marking their territories wherever they can, and this leads to a higher possibility of being hit by a car or being stolen. However, males appear to be very obedient and responsive to female owners, probably because of their instinct to please the opposite gender.
Females are rarely dominant, except when there's more than one. They very seldom stray more than a block away from home and are generally more fond of staying within their boundaries. Likewise, they are very responsive to male owners, probably because of their female instinct to be led by the alpha male. I have two lasses and one lad. My lad is very playful and vigorous. My smaller lass is very active and likes to kiss and cuddle and run and skip. My larger lass is more of the 'gimme yer luv' kind, wanting to recieve rather than give affection. She is also the most responsive and obedient, and by far the one who is almost constantly beside me, in the living room, in the kitchen, in the garden and in bed. While the others are frolicking and skipping about, she's sitting quietly at my side. As far as gender is concerned, there is no best or worst. It depends on your needs. One rule of thumb, however, is that canines are more responsive with owners of the opposite gender. This isn't a professionally proven fact, mind you, just my personal experience. Oh, and about concerns related to touching our pets' genitalia...well, we have to touch our children's genitals in order to clean them when they are babies because they can't do it themselves. It's the same with pets, methinks. I hope I answered at least some questions. |
Lupus wrote: Males by nature tend to be dominant, since they inherit the hierarchy instinct of wolves, so a male can be a problem if you don't make it clear that you are the leader (or alpha member, for terminology's sake). Males tend to be natural explorers and can travel several blocks away from home, marking their territories wherever they can, and this leads to a higher possibility of being hit by a car or being stolen. <snip>
As far as gender is concerned, there is no best or worst. It depends on your needs. One rule of thumb, however, is that canines are more responsive with owners of the opposite gender. This isn't a professionally proven fact, mind you, just my personal experience. I hope I answered at least some questions. Are you talking about OES? (1) dogs are not wolves - OES least of all - and if anything you're less likely to run into a dominant male than a dominant bitch. And none of mine seemed to have read all the hierarchy theories. My dogs, and I have six OES, all defer to me quite naturally and they all co-exist with each other the same way regardless of gender and reproductive status. Dominance is not an issue in a well adjusted OES. (2) The males tend to be mushy, clingy and more naturally obedient. Generalizations. There are always dogs that didn't read the manual and buck the trend.
(3) even intact males, and I've lived with a few, aren't any more prone to traveling in this breed. Too velcro, I guess. Bitches tend to be more adventuresome (and smarter) but even they don't like to stray far from home. I have noticed the opposite gender owner thing. For all that I still prefer bitches. I hate being bored. As you say, it comes down to what the owner prefers. Besides, I'm one of those squeamish people who doesn't like to be surprised when I reach down to hop a dog onto a grooming table and grab something I shouldn't
Kristine |
| I love my boys!!!!!!!
Sure, I love the gals too BUT!!!! Males seem easier.... (most of the time) As I am typing, sleeping around me are 5 males and a bitch,and that she is! I love you Devyn! |
| Having both GSD and OES, I would have to disagree with Lupus' statement. Our males have always been big babies. Lovable clingy and cuddly. Now the male GSD would be very protective of the family but the bitches ruled the roost. Gosh I miss my Rebel. He was a huge huge GSD but cuddly and thought he was a lap dog. We have had two female GSD's both B's with itches very independent and only want cuddled etc on their terms. They kept each other inline. We still have the one Cheyenne and she keeps puppy, and Beauford towing the line to her terms. With one exception the puppy also female tries to push her luck and boss her around she gets away with it for a couple minutes and then cheyenne lets her know who is in charge. Beauford on the other hand lets her pounce attack etc and just goes to a different room when he gets enough of her. He never puts her in her place. He thinks he is a lap dog and is always wanting attention. |
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