Tundraco's Daily Living Guide to Pets When Choosing a Dog, Should You Get a Male or Female?

Does it make a difference if you get a male or a female dog? It all depends on why you want a dog. If you are looking for a companion pet, the sex of the animal you choose will probably not make a difference to you. If, on the other hand, you plan to breed your dog, then you are going to want to get a female.

When making your selection, you will find that the breed of the dog is the most important factor in determining how your it will behave throughout its life, rather than what sex it is. Nonetheless, there are some basic differences between the sexes that you might want to take into consideration when making your selection . . .

Some breeds of dogs tend to be gentle, some aggressive. This is more an aspect of the breed rather than the sex of the animal. The environment that the puppy was born into can also affect its temperament.

Intact (non-neutered) males tend to be territorial. As well, a female with a litter can also be very aggressive.

• In both cases, having the animal spayed or neutered can ameliorate these aggressive tendencies.

Intact males also have the tendency to roam, often in search of a mate. A male can smell a female in heat over a great distance and if able, will travel to her location. While there, he may engage in fights with other males, who also want to mate with the female.

• Neutering a male will help prevent him from having the desire to 'roam'.

If you are considering getting two or more male dogs, make sure that they are all neutered before reaching maturity. Dogs are pack animals and they have a distinct hierarchy within the pack. Therefore, one of the males will want to be 'top dog'. With intact males, this is decided by fighting - sometimes to the death. T

• This is another trait that neutering will neutralize.

On average, when comparing the males and the females of the same breed, the males will be slightly bigger. To figure out what size your potential dog will be when it is full-grown, it will be necessary to research the breed in question.

This is one area where there is a lot of debate. Some people swear that male dogs are smarter than females, and others that female dogs are smarter than the males.

In truth, trainability is an innate quality of a given dog, more so than its sex. For example, Labradors tend to be more trainable than Poodles. As of yet, no research has been conducted which has demonstrated a marked difference between the sexes.

A male dog that has not been neutered may mark its territory by spraying urine on objects. If the dog is neutered after it has already reached maturity, it may still exhibit this trait.

Females that have not been spayed will go into heat on a regular basis, which will result in the leakage of menstrual fluid.

• Some dogs are very good about keeping themselves clean, while others could care less. In either case, unless you keep the female outside, or put her in doggie diapers, you are likely to find a few red spots of blood around the house.
• Spaying will eliminate this problem.

Males are neutered; this involves permanently sterilizing the dog by removal of the testicles. This is not a very invasive procedure.

• Snip, snip, and as soon as the anaesthetic wears off they can come home. They might be a little tender in their nether region for a day or two, but usually they do not have any major problems.

Females are spayed, which permanently prevents them from becoming pregnant. Temporary birth control is also available for female dogs in the form of doggie birth control pills.

• Spaying involves the removal of the ovaries and uterus. Due to this procedure being more involved then neutering, the cost tends to be a bit higher. There can also be additional fees associated with the operation if the female is in heat or is pregnant, but these fees are far lower than the cost of caring for a litter of puppies.

Overall, if your new dog is spayed or neutered, you should not notice any stereotypical differences between a male and female of the same breed, other than size.