Female Dogs Vs Male Dogs – What's Your Opinion?

I’ve had both as well throughout my life (3 female/2 male – not at the same time!) and I think as long as they are properly trained and socialized either one is fine.

The only difference I experienced was my past and current Male dogs may have been/are a bit more protective of me and the household overall, and barked a little more – although not excessively.

For me I have always had females. I have trained both though so I have dealt with both in what I have personally done and in working on cattle ranches around several male dogs. Dogs act differently at the vet they they do in a home environment so I wont comment on my vet tech experiences here.

I find females to be more alert and intense. They may not usually act as protective as some males can, but when they need to be protective they tend to be quicker and fiercer. I think its the mothering instinct in them. Mine have all been highly alert and while even seeming to be sound asleep they are actually very aware of what is going on around them. The breeds I like are mastiff types and they tend to be one person/one family dogs. They tend to be very aloof to anyone except me although they will play with my husband when he comes home every other week or so. I also have had boxers, an Olde English Bulldogge and an Australian Shepard/Great Dane. My dogs are/were working dogs and I find that the females tend to learn faster than the males. Not because they are smarter but the females seem to mature mentally a bit younger than the males.

Family members (grandparents, bothers and parents) all had/have males. They were of several different breeds and they tended to be more goofy. They warmed up to new people faster. I fully agree with JinXx about the barking, it is something that they learn to do according to your reaction to it. Although some guard type breeds will “alert” if they hear something that they don’t think is right regardless of training.

As for affection I think both are the same, it really just depends on the individual dog. Just like people, some want to be loved on and others prefer that they have some distance between themselves and others, at least until they get to know you.

So when looking for a new puppy talk to the breeder or whoever has been around the puppy the most and ask about the pups personality. Some are cuddly love bugs from day one and others want to be independent and explore the world. There is a wide range of personality in each litter. If you are rescuing a dog from a rescue then talk to the people who work with the dogs, they will have studied each dogs personality and be able to steer you in the direction of a dog they think would work best for you. Go with the one that you connect with, male or female really doesn’t matter in the long run.

Good luck!

What breed is she?  I find smaller breed dogs can be really timid and fearful and bigger breed dogs tend to be more friendly and playful, but it depends on the dog.  If she is very young she could be fearful for says until she gets used to you and the new environment and come around.  It could take weeks to see her real personality.  Even with my cats my friendliest kitten turned out to be more mellow when he was older and the most shy kitten truned into the friendliest so you don’t always know how they will be if you judge them when they are very young.

She is adorable. How old is she?

It will take a few weeks for her real personality to come out. Right now, think of it like this, If YOU were 4 or 5 years old and someone took you away from your family, tried speaking to you in a foreign language and then put you into an entirely new environment, just how outgoing and playful would you be at first?

They have some new studies out with dogs showing that they need to be with their moms for a minimum of  8 weeks before going to a new home. The large breeds actually do best if they can stay with their moms until they are 10-12 weeks old.

Other things to consider, if she was raised outside or in a garage, then being inside a house is completely new to her. Her trip to you may have also been her very first car ride. Things that we don’t take into consideration can be upsetting her. Things like a TV or radio can sound like someone yelling at her. So keep those turned down low for a week or two until she gets used to them. And most new pups will whine at first until things become normal for them. The crate or box I mentioned in my earlier post works as a den for them, however that can take them a while to get used to. Place her into it with a towel and one of your shirts ( I suggest you wear old cheap t shirts for the next few weeks so if she chews on one, it wont be the end of the world). She is going to cry but the best thing you can do is ignore her until she gets quiet. If you feel sorry for her and break down and take her out to comfort her while she is crying she will learn that crying gets her what she wants.

This also works at night for housebreaking them, place her into her box or crate and ignore the crying, she will eventually fall asleep. Then if she starts to cry later, you will know that she needs to be let out. Take her outside, let her do her thing and then praise her for taking care of her business. Then right back into her bed she goes. Generally within a week or two you will have a pup that sleeps thru the majority of the night.

As for confidence I think you will find once she figures out that she is in a safe place she will become more confident as time goes on. Just give her the gift of time and patience. Puppies whine, they whine about just about everything at first so try not to rush over each time  she whines. Let her start to work some things out on her own. For me when mine whines ( I also just rescued a 11 week old cane Corso Pup) I make a point of checking that she isn’t asking to be let out, then I stand back and watch her work though whatever has her attention. Generally she takes her time approaching whatever it is and pretty soon she either ignores it or turns it into a game. I ignore any whining that isn’t related to asking to go outside and I praise any efforts to explore, as long as the exploring doesn’t involve teeth on the furniture or electrical cords.  Your pup is still young enough she is mostly whining because she expects mom to come running up to save her from the new environment she is in.

The 9 month old Cane Corso pup I adopted 2 months ago spent her first 3 days behind the couch just watching how the household worked and kinda working out what my schedule was. Cane Corsos are very well known for high confidence levels but even they need time to adjust and Kieva is much older than your puppy. Now Kieva is a ball of fire and super confident. All dogs no matter their age need a grace period to adjust. A baby pup like yours will usually take a longer time as EVERYTHING is new to them.

Just be sure to get your new pup to the vet as she will need a series of puppy shots over the next 3 months to ensure she is protected from viruses before you introduce her to a new area or any new dogs.

If you have any questions feel free to PM me.

Good luck!

I have a chiweenie and it look more like a wire hair dachshund now. I got her right when we redid our kitchen. Here i have a 6 week old baby pup and they are making all this noise and I know it should be quite. So I kept her in the bedroom with me and only took her out to go outside. At first she wanted to be on my lap all the time and I did have her there a lot because of the noise, but at night  I would put her down and she started to look around but, it took a while. Have you put her down somewhere else like the bed room? Does she go right back to the puppy pad? I found that if I gave her a sock to chew on and if she was chewing something else I would take it away and give her the sock. Not she has a box filled with toys she drag all over the house. I wish you luck with your new baby.