Dog lovers young and old face one major dilemma, do they get a male or female dog? While there are perks to having both genders, if you’re only in the market for one new dog, than you’ll have to make a choice, a pretty difficult choice. There’s more to just randomly selecting a gender, as more important information such as their breed and personality are what takes the cake. But ultimately, the gender you choose is dependent on your preference and what you think is ideal for your lifestyle.
There are also many people who choose a specific gender because they believe one is more superior than the other. This is actually a very dangerous myth that needs to be dispelled, as there is no scientific evidence to back this claim. Naturally, female dogs are smaller and more petite than males, but despite this physical attribute, they can excel at the same level and even higher. Before you make your decision, we would love to help you examine the reasons that each dog is beneficial, but before, here are some commonly held myths in the dog world.
Myths about Gender Roles in your dog
- Temperament and Personality of your male or female dog – People generally associate affection and being sociable to female dogs, while attaching a more aggressive and fearful demeanour to males, but contrary to popular belief, this is not because of gender. This characteristic is due to a list of contributing factors including socialisation and training, environment and even the breed of your dog.
Most dogs tend to behave according to their environment, which makes socialisation a big factor in their lives. If a dog grows up in rough physical conditions, or with aggressive and bloodthirsty hounds all around him, then more often than not they will become just the same. In contrast, if a dog grows up in a loving environment where they are adored and trained, then they will be socialised to behave mannerable, and are normally more sociable creatures. The dog breed also plays a role in how they behave, but despite breeds, their environment plays a much larger role. - Training and Socialisation – Female dogs tend to get a better reputation when it comes on to aspects of training and socialisation. People tend to believe that they are more easily trained because they should be more gentle and caring, but this is simply not the case. Instead, the breed of your dog plays a much better role when it comes to understanding whether or not they are more easily trained. Generally, some dogs are more docile and calm than others who can be quite aggressive and unfriendly. The truth is that genetics has a very little, if any role to play when determining how easy it is/will be to rain and socialise your new dog.
5 Things to Consider before Choosing a Male or Female dog
- Do you want puppies – Perhaps one of the most critical but overlooked decisions when choosing a gender is deciding whether you want puppies or not. For persons who just want their pup, it is best to adopt a male dog and than have them spayed/neutered to prevent any puppies from happening. If you decide that you need a female dog but you still do not want puppies,than other measures may need to be taken. Ultimately, if you want puppies, a female dog would be best while if you do not want pups, it would be best to get a male dog.
- Size may depend on the gender of your pup – For many people, size is a determining factor when it comes to adopting a new pup, so it is important to understand how dogs grow based on gender. Male dogs tend to grow taller and weigh more than their smaller female counterparts, which can be the breaking point of an adopter. Ideally, if you want a bigger dog in a specific breed, adopt a male but if you want a smaller but sturdy option, adopt a female.
- Grooming and Maintenance of your dog – While grooming depends heavily on the breed of your dog, there is a certain factor that needs to be considered in the grooming process, that depends on gender. For female dogs, a certain period normally lasting two to three weeks happens bi-annually. This period is referred to as ‘estrus,’ and highlights a period of sexual receptivity and fertility in female dogs, causing them to secrete a bloody vaginal fluid that helps to pull male dogs. This process will cause grooming to be significantly different for female dogs. Spaying your female dog however will help to get rid of this process, which would bring grooming back to an equal field between genders.
- Health Concerns and Lifespan of your male or female dog – While this is also another characteristic that depends heavily on the breed of the dog, there have been concerns that female dogs tend to live longer than male dogs, usually by an extra 2 years or more. Though lifestyle, nutrition and physical activity affect these statistics, ultimately it comes down to the main characteristics of your dog. Females also tend to be prone to less health risks and concerns than male dogs, which is another reason why they tend to live longer and healthier lives.
- Are you looking for a watchdog – While male dogs are not necessarily more aggressive, they are significantly more protective than female dogs. They tend to watch over their family, and are generally more alert and aloof when things are happening. This makes them excellent watchdogs and guard dogs, perfect for many situations.
The choice is yours despite the many factors affecting each gender of pup. It is important to make an informed decision on whether you need to choose a male or female dog, rather than making a decision influenced by myths and hearsays. Whatever gender you choose, make sure you love and take care of your pup if you want them to live long, happy and healthy lives.
