male or female dog?

[terrym]

I'm not in the market for another dog at this point but know I eventually will be. Curious as to how people view the M vs. F option? I have only owned 2 hunting dogs so far which were both males. Would be interesting to hear opinions from owners who have experienced both and what conclusions they have come up with? Hopefully our resident pros who have trained many can wade in here. I'm sure individual characteristics weigh heavy but curious if there is some general tendencies as far as trainability and temperament?

[finsfurfeathers]

Female mature faster downside will be managing their heat cycle. Males need more time to mature however will generally give more in the field ie they are bigger/stronger. For the average hunter a female will usually suffice. Would of picked a male as really didn't want to deal with a dog in heat however dad insisted I get a female for their trainability. Honestly couldn't be happier with her so far.

[yellow dog]

I have always preferred female dogs and at least 1/2 of my sled dog kennel were female. My best lead dogs were females even though all dogs were trained to run lead. The more intelligent female lead dogs seemed to be a little more reserved and more focused on my commands. My two female hunting dogs are house pets and not spayed. The down side is when they come into heat and the mess that comes with it. Both my wife and I grew up with female dogs of various breeds and prefer female dogs over males. Some family members have males that are not neutered and get annoyed with them when they are around females in heat and cannot control them. Or when everything is hanging out. Female dogs you don't have to worry about that. Everyone has a preference based on different experiences. My 11 year old yellow lab female can outwork and run most male dogs hands down.

[fishhawk]

I have a female GSP and could not be happier, will get another female again for sure.

[terrym]

Honestly if I end up with a female next time I would spay her as I have no intentions of breeding dogs. Too many excellent breeders out there. I have seen females come into heat during hunting season and wouldn't want to deal with that.

[swampsinger]

I have found the females are more "lets get down to business" when it comes to the actual hunting. I've said Beagles, are like lions, the males are good for f#@%!ing and fighting. The females do all the hunting.

[terrym]

I have found the females are more "lets down to business" when it comes to the actual hunting. I've said Beagles, are like lions, the males are good for f#@%!ing and fighting. The females do all the hunting.

interesting. I used to be into Beagling and must say the males were better suited to busting through snow in February.

[Sharon]

[QUOTE=terrym;947207]I'm not in the market for another dog at this point but know I eventually will be. Curious as to how people view the M vs. F option? I have only owned 2 hunting dogs so far which were both males. Would be interesting to hear opinions from owners who have experienced both and what conclusions they have come up with? Hopefully our resident pros who have trained many can wade in here. I'm sure individual characteristics weigh heavy but curious if there is some general tendencies as far as trainability and temperament?[/QUOTE]

I've seen no difference as far as the bolded area is concerned.

Females: You have to decide what to do about heat cycles.

Males : More prone to marking which can be a problem in the house.

(Have had beagles, GSPs , setters and JRTs.)

[yellow dog]

Honestly if I end up with a female next time I would spay her as I have no intentions of breeding dogs. Too many excellent breeders out there. I have seen females come into heat during hunting season and wouldn't want to deal with that.

I just went through a whole pile of my pedigrees of my sled dogs and their descendants . The leads dogs are all noted in the pedigrees and the majority were females. This may not be the same for your breed of choice.

[swampsinger]

interesting. I used to be into Beagling and must say the males were better suited to busting through snow in February.

Maybe in certain snow conditions, but all things being equal a big strong female is just a good as a big strong male. In other snow conditions, like thin crust, or corn snow, it can be very hard on the "fishing tackle" if you know what I mean.