Unlike babies, dogs can be pre-selected for gender. None of that, “oh, I don’t care as long as it’s healthy,” nonsense.
But what if you don’t actually know if you want a boy or a girl dog? You may have gotten advice from friends and family who have already chosen their favorite.
Here’s the real pros and cons of owning a boy dog or a girl dog.
Why You Should Get A Boy Dog
No heats. An unspayed female dog will go into estrus twice each year. She’ll bleed from her vulva for about 13 days. Then, she’ll be fertile for another week. That means no major events or off-leash excursions for almost a month, twice a year.
Manly fashion. Your boy dog might not wear dresses, but they’ll look dapper in bow ties and sweaters. For example, our friend Henry from The Broke Dog whenever he models his mom’s homemade accessories that she sells at Brooklyn Bowtied.
Personality? I haven’t found any compelling scientific research that convinces me that training, bonding and personality are significantly influenced by sex. Some people think female dogs are easier to train, others think males are more independent. I really don’t think it matters. Socialization, training and genetics are more important.
Why You Should Get A Girl Dog
Tummy kisses. When you have a boy dog, tummy kisses are awkward because of that crusty, pee-stained sheath in the middle of their belly. Gross. With girls, there’s plenty of room for belly rubs and kisses.
Bitch jokes. If you have an 8th grade sense of humor (don’t we all, at least a little bit?) you’ll have an endless supply of “bitch” jokes when you have a female. However, you can still make your fair share of “son of a bitch” jokes when you have a male.
Cute clothes. You can dress up a female dog and not worry about them peeing on their outfit.
You’re a man? Some people think dogs bond better to people of the opposite sex. Again, I don’t have any reason to support this. My female dogs are wary of strange men, but warm up more quickly to women. They’ve bonded with me because I snuggle, train and walk them daily.
What Your 2nd or 3rd Dog Should Be
If you already have a dog, and want another, you might want to consider getting a male.
Female dogs are more likely to get into fights with dogs they live with, and the injuries tend to be more severe. Having two females gives you the lowest chance of having a peaceful household.
If I had a choice, I would not have two female dogs. Cow came into my life after I got Matilda. Matilda and Cow have had some scary conflicts over food, but there has never been any broken skin or blood. I worry for Matilda’s safety, but she has learned to stay away from Cow when Cow wants something.
I combat this by feeding Matilda first and giving both dogs equal attention. Cow has gotten better, but I wouldn’t recommend this arrangement if you have a choice.
If you get dogs of the opposite sex, at least one should be spayed or neutered. Determined dogs can find a way to reach a bitch in heat. Attempts at mating can lead to aggressive outbursts if the female is not receptive, and unwanted puppies if she is.
Do you have an opinion on how girl and boy dogs are different? Help out our undecided friends. Which do you prefer?
She also uses her pet copywriting business to make sure the best pet products and services get found online through catchy copy and fun, informative blog posts. She also provides product description writing services for ecommerce companies.
As a dog mom to Matilda and Cow, she spends most of her days taking long walks and practicing new tricks, and most nights trying to make the best of a very modest portion of her bed.
You'll also find her baking bread and making homemade pizza, laughing, painting and shopping.
We have always tried to pick out male dogs. They seem to work better in our household. Females seem to have attitudes and we don’t need anymore attitudes in our home.
I love both females and male dogs but I definitely think their genders are better suited to some personalities! I’ve found male dogs to be easier though, not sure why.
Our dog was a boy. He passed away recently and we’re not ready for another one yet, but he was a rescue, so we didn’t have a choice of gender.
Both my dogs are males. We have a Cockapoo and a Yorkie. At first the Cockapoo wouldn’t even sit in the same room as the Yorkie but they warmed up to each other after a while. Thanks for the humorous list, funny!
My dog, Max, is a male. He looks all big and bad, but he’s a gentle giant. For some reason, we always have male dogs.
I think I’d go for a male dog as they tend to be more protective. A female dog would also be good especially if you want future puppies.
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I really don’t care for the gender but sometimes I do. I guess I just like females a lot more then males. I think females are just more calmer maybe. Not really sure but good points above.
I had a 8 year old male dog and when I got married, my husbands 8 year old female dog moved in and everything was fine. 2 years later we adopted a 6 month old girl dog (rescue from a bad puppy parent/friend) and everyone got along easily. Now both older dogs have passed on and I only have the (now 8 year old) rescue. I really want one of the LGD breeds since I have a farm. Do you think sex matters since she’s already lived with both? Or should I just go with the male to be safe? Thanks!
Great post BTW.
Lisa
We have 4 dogs; 2 male, 2 female. I like both genders, but make sure to do your research on the breed. Some breeds have different dominant sexes. Our female shepherd is our alpha, not the male shepherd we have!
This is a great post. My family is considering getting a dog in the near future. My daughters want a girl dog, but my husband and I want a boy dog. I’ll share this post with them!
I have never had a boy dog before but I was thinking about it. These are some great points, a lot I would have never thought of.
We have been pet owners for 12 years now since my husband and I got married. One thing that we noticed, female pets does not live long in our home, it’s the male that live long. We had female bunny, guinea pig, and dog that passed away and the males are still alive. So I am dreading to get a female pet anymore.
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We don’t have pets at the moment but I prefer male dogs. When I was a kid we always had male dogs and they were the best!
This is all so interesting, we have two male dogs. But it was not planned that way, they were who we fell in love with from the humane society we got them from. We got them years apart but they are the closest of dogs and really get along great!
My mom always had female dogs when I was growing up. Really not sure the reason. Our dogs were always female, but our cats were always male
Great article. I had a male dog and a female dog in the past.. I fell in love with both
I find that I alternate between male and female as one passes on. I am less likely to compare the new dog to the old dog if I switch sexes. I value both genders. They have both brought joy into my life.
I love both. The only con I can think of with a female dog is goig in heat but if you have them spayed, then it fixes that problem. Females, to me, seem to be calmer and more affectionate. Male dogs are nice too but they are constantly lifting their leg and peeing on everything in sight and if there is a female dog around, they are constantly humping it. So….I say female.