Male v.s. Female

Salem can hold it 10-12 hours as well, and he was a breeze to potty train. Cheza has been really hard.

SalemsMom

Salem can hold it 10-12 hours as well, and he was a breeze to potty train. Cheza has been really hard.

Wow! I could only wish my little Pom could hold it that long! I'm lucky if she holds it for 5-6 hours! haha

How soon should I get a male neutered if I don't want his leg to lift?? Can I get him done BEFORE 6months???

Pomeranian <3

How soon should I get a male neutered if I don't want his leg to lift??

No way of telling.  Timmy was lifting his leg at 9 weeks old (the little stud).

Salem started lifting at 2 years, but he is a big boy. I think it would be different with a smaller dog. My friend has a neutered puppy that started lifting his leg after a few trips to the dog park. Some dogs will learn to mark even after they are fixed. I had a female cocker that lifted her leg when I was a kid.

I just E-Mailed my favorite breeder in Michigan (my second choice option). I love this lady to death but my BF is so darn skepticle about buying a dog long distance... makes sense, I want to play with the dog too before buying but the women I picked here is the best one in the state.

Hopefully my breeder from MI will have better advice than the one from MA. She always takes the time to E-Mail me back a nice long full response with plenty of advice and guidence...

I second the last post. Maddi is a female, but she's a MARKER. She is as bad (if not worse) than any male dog I've seen when it comes to marking over where another dog has peed. She also routinely lifts her leg like a male (although not AS often as males usually do). I don't think that anytime you neuter your male will really matter as to whether or not he will lift his leg since the behavior isn't even restricted to males.

I'm not in the market for a dog right now and don't plan to be any time soon, BUT, if I were to get another dog, it would be a male and perferably submissive. That's because Maddi is dominant towards other dogs (holds her head high and ears pricked on sight. She's not afraid to hold eye contact with other dogs either). I firmly believe that getting another female would be a mistake on my part and asking for a serious dog fight.

 Now, I prefer females because I like that more or less independant nature that I, personally, see more often in females. I think they are more difficult to train sometimes, but I also believe that it depends more so on breed, each dog's individual personality, and how early training began in the dog's life. A 9 week old puppy tends to be more clingy and hasn't had a few months or years to develope "bad" habits so anything less than desirable hasn't become ingrained in who they are. Generally, labrador retrievers are more trainable than akitas.

I have had two males and very different dogs, they had a couple squabbles when the younger dog became a very large dog and had to reestablish boundaries...Worked out quite well.

Now have a male and a female and that is working out perfectly, littermates, 2year olds.  A bit of teaching effort in the beginning paid off nicely.

 How soon should I get a male neutered if I don't want his leg to lift?? Can I get him done BEFORE 6months???

My pups were fixed at six mos old, a little older at that....And my boy is just now starting to lift his leg. So, don't think the neutering at a young age is a good idea in any case.  They get a lot of growth benefits from being intact a little longer. (hormonal )

My female is a major marker. She lifts her leg on every (outdoor) vertical surface she can find. She lived outside tied to a tree for the first 10 months of her life though, so that might have something to do with it...

I much much prefer female dogs, but that article is just bogus. IME, males are what I would call sweeter but I don't know about more affectionate. All the male dogs I know love to have their heads held and kissed (I can't help but do this to dogs..another reason I don't generally pet dogs I don't know lol..), and the females, while they may put up with it, generally don't love it. But Cherokee is the cuddliest and neediest (when it comes to affection) dog I know.

And easier to train..I don't think that has anything to do with gender.

Also, I know the general rule of dogdom is to have an opposite sex pair, and two males before two females, but the only dogs Cherokee has ever gotten along with really really well have been females. This dominant female is much better with other dominant females than submissive males. And dominant males are just a joke. She would like to eat them. She's never spent much time with a submissive female (I'm told they exist, but I've never seen one! lol), so I don't know about them...

Thank you for posting the article with the pretty picture of a basenji at the top.  The picture of the breed I know so well coupled with "Female dogs tend to be more passive."  really made my day.  Certainly the funniest thing I've read all day.  And, at least in my breed, the boys tend to be more affectionate than the girls.  I also found this humourous.  "Male dogs may be better watch dogs as they are often more dominant and self-confident."    I guess Dr Jon has never met a badsenji bit$#. 

 Now, as to your problem, I do think that in a 2 dog household, opp sexes tend to work better.  That doesn't mean something else won't work.  But if your chosen breed does have same-sex aggression tendancies, I'd follow that suggestion.  The important thing, especially for a pet, isn't the color or gender, you'll end up loving the dog no matter, but finding one that fits in your household. 

Pomeranian <3

I tried to tell him lets say we get a female and they fight and its a nightmare. And he was like yeah idk your right but they are a puppy and we can teach them not to...

When you have two females who develop a hatred, the problem is that the fighting does not start until after both are sexually mature. If you bring home a female puppy, chances are they will get along just fine for a year or two.

If they start fighting it won't be until you are deeply attached to both dogs, and giving one up is a heartbreaker.

chelsea_b

She's never spent much time with a submissive female (I'm told they exist, but I've never seen one! lol), so I don't know about them...

kpwlee

Jewlieee

4. Yes, it's a fact, a female dog can hold her urine longer than a male dog and some can wait as long as ten to twelve hours if necessary. In a household where no one is home during the day, this is important information in deciding whether to get a female or a male.

 

that is so the opposite of my experience!

Jewlieee

4. I disagree with this as well. I know many male dogs with bladders of steel.

 

Bugsy has been like that since we got him.  He was about 12-14 wks old and could go through the night from 10 pm to 6 am with NO issue.  we wold take him out and he would look at us like but I don't need to go

Also the opposite for me. Spike has been a BREEZE to housebreak. EVERY female dog I have had has been harder to housebreak. My mother has a male a female POM and her male is housebroken, her female at age 2, still pee's in the house. 

I think males of any mammal species have more bladder control than females. See the lines for the ladies' rooms compared to the mens' room??

Males are more likely to mark, that is true, but they can definitely hold it longer if they want to. So I have found boy puppies to be easier to housebreak.

I too have found my male fosters to be easier to house train. Casey can hold his bladder for 12 hours at most - if he does not want to go out - HE IS NOT GOING OUT! I can carry him out - and he runs right back in.

Casey is a male. He does not mark in the house. He does not mark on his walks - I tell him "leave it" and we move on. At the park - he can do whatever he wants to do. He wants to pee there? He pees there.

I, personally, would get a male dog with an existing female. I have a male now. He gets along well with everyone I bring into my house, male and female, so my options are numerous if I were to ever add another dog permently.

The rule of thumb our behaviorist had was

1 - male/female

2 - male/male

3 - female/female

But that does not hold true for all dogs. It depends. And yes, female/female fights are nasty and bloody. Not fun! While males tend to have more posturing and such. Again, not always the case.