Dog or bitch? (Again sorry)

[Orcagirl]

Hi all.

So I’m on the waiting list with a breeder for a puppy but I really don’t know whether to choose a dog or a bitch. This is mainly due to people around me giving their accounts of what both are like! I know it’s mainly down to personality, but there are things that I think could be gender specific, such as-

Dogs-
People saying a dog will hump and possibly ejaculate (yuck) when over excited.
They are more boisterous than bitches, difficult to train and generally more ‘naughty’
But can be more loving and soft.
Tend to be more handsome :)

Bitches-
I think I’m in the not spaying camp, how difficult are seasons to manage?
They wreck your lawn (this one I’m not bothered about but hubby loves his garden haha)
But are generally more biddable and calmer.

Would be great to hear your opinions.
Thankyou :)

Tricky. Would you get a dog neutered?
You could always go with an open mind and see which puppy you feel a connection with

Sorry, what sort of dog are you having?

Males ruin lawns too, its a myth than only bitches burn lawns. Puppies dig holes and dig up plants. And chew through stems.

I have a dog. He has never cocked his leg so pees like a bitch and my lawn is ruined (I am currently repairing all the patches and following him around with a watering can every time he pees).

He was neutered just under 11 months of age but never showed any signs of humping and he is now over 20 months of age.

So that shows you can't always tell how things will pan out when you pick a sex.

Looking at all the other same breed dogs the difference you listed about training is rubbish. I think it is down to how much you put in and the dogs own preferences. I have seen lots of same breed dogs struggling with different training issues irrespective of sex.

I actually think your pros and cons should be along the lines of how you want to manage the actual physical differences. If you don't want to spay then how are you going to manage seasons, any phantom pregnancies and are you happy with assessing risk of pyometra.

Will you need anyone to look after the dog when you go away or a dog walker and if so are there any restrictions to un neutered dogs (male or female). Will they take them if in season if you get a bitch or not castrated if you get a dog. Are you happy to walk a bitch in season very early or late in the day so you don't risk bumping into any uncastrated males.

I’ve got one of each - the bitch is definitely more high maintenance. She humps but our boy has never humped (and he wasn’t neutered until 5 years old!)

Boy dog is so laid back but bitch is much more eager to learn new things.

They have had different starts in life though, and are different breeds. Bitch is a working cocker and boy is a lab/terrier cross. Bitch is a rescue who was often left alone for long periods of time which is possibly why she is more clingy.

I have noticed boy dog is much more easy going when meeting other dogs on walks. Bitch is more bossy and is more grumbly with other bitches.

We are getting a Eurasier.

I wouldn’t rule out neutering a male if the humping/dominance became a problem.

I think I’m swaying more towards a dog. But after my friend telling me how well behaved her bitch is it kind of threw me!

And we often have my friends bitch when she goes away on holiday and she is an absolute angel.

Whatever you choose, dog or bitch, the most important things determining their personality will be genetics and training.
I noticed you mentioned dominance in your last post. Please do your research before you get your pup, thinking in terms of dominance can cause a multitude of behaviour problems.
My personal preference are boys tho, as they tend to like a fuss more.
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My dog puppy is 6 months and cocks his leg which has reduced the lawn burns but he does dig holes, pull up plants and bounces on the flower beds.

He started humping a few weeks back but this seems to have stopped again now.

He has been relatively easy to train and is a proper character.

I would advise you to spay if you get a female.

I intended to spay at 2 or 3 when fully grown.
4 years old one day she had to be roused in the morning (very unusual), went to the toilet and instead of defecating released shit loads of blood and clots.
My patio looked like a murder scene, there was literally blood everywhere, I put her in her crate while I phoned for a lift to the vet and she soaked through her bed with blood and was really lethargic.
Her area smelled absolutely rancid with thick brown pus.

The vet was convinced she had pyometra but ordered tests to confirm the diagnosis.
He was utterly shocked when it turned out to be something else.

I was warned (when they were convinced it was pyo) that she would be unlikely to survive, the bill would be thousands and insurance would not cover it because it is a preventable disease as only entire bitches get pyo.
The risk increases with age, it isVERY likely that an entire bitch will get pyometra at some point.
It is often a fatal disease, not covered by insurance and mega costly to treat.

It is not worth it

I have had many dogs and only ever have bitches. My Ds has a Border Terrier dog who is handsome and funny and adorable until he cocks his leg in my kitchen when he visits.

Friends have had dogs and found some will cock legs in the house, whether spayed or not. Some seem to just be like that.
I have always had my bitches spayed as early as possible, it used to be after one season have them spayed but now vets are saying before any seasons is best. But whatever your vet recommends, I would always get my bitches spayed.
Btw. Dogs and husbands who have perfect gardens don't mix, so I'd sort that out before you get any dog.

I have had male and female dogs over the years. Never noticed any difference when it came to training. I do think the males I have had have been more affectionate than the females but that is not always the case.

None of my male dogs have ever humped. Previous dogs all neutered at fairly young age but my existing dog (6 years old) has not been neutered and also have never humped

I have an entire 2yr old male and an entire 1yr old male. Neither have humped anying (other than when 2yr old was in his teenage phase 9-12 months or so and then it was only his one toy and zero ejaculate).

Personally I prefer males and think that males are calmer and more chilled out. Bitches can be moody imo.

Also dominance /pack theory has been disproved. Dogs are not dominant. The whole theory was based on a man-made Wolfpack where a bunch of unrelated adult wolves were dumped in together and there was fighting because of that. Real wolf packs are mum, dad and pups and the pups don't try to dominate their parents.

Also neither of my makes territory mark inside the house. My brother bitch will wee indoors in other dogs houses though.

Both sexes hump... it’s not really a sex driven behaviour as such and once established, neutering will make no real difference anyway.

Seasons, some bitches you’d barely notice they were in season some make a huge mess and have massive mood swings.

Males tend to be more boisterous teenagers, but are in general more biddable than bitches.

Wrecking your lawn happens more with running about than toileting - my dog has a seperate area for toileting, killed the rest of my garden with his giant paws and chewing.

In my experience bitches tend to be much more independent, whereas my current two (both castrated males) are more affectionate.

Neither hump, or have any issues with marking in the house - both were castrated once they had reached adult size, so around 15-18 months in their cases. My previous bitch (also neutered) was a bit of a humper at times.

One's definitely a people pleaser, the other is a lurcher, so has been a bit slower to train, but that's breed-related, nothing to do with sex.

I'd go for a bitch next, because I've got 2 dogs, so it'd be nice for a change. Otherwise no real preference between the two.

Out of interest, what are your reasons for not spaying? I'm firmly in the spay-before-first-season camp, as the risks of pyo, and various cancers are increased with every season, plus phantom pregnancies can occur and really mess with a bitch's head.

As an owner of a double coated breed, I would recommend that you avoid neutering either male or female if possible. It can make the coat very difficult to maintain in many dogs, and you won't know if that will apply to yours until it's done. Obviously if medical need, that's life, but best avoided as routine and certainly not to replace training.

Am not familiar enough with Eurasier temperament to say dog or bitch, you are best talking to people that know the breed as it can make a huge difference. I keep both, in a breed that is fairly easy going - bitches are cleverer, love them - but oh, I love my boys, so affectionate and easy.

Thanks for your input so far everyone.

Maybe a dog is the way to go, and neuter only if necessary. I’ve read about spaying really affecting the double coat Whitney.

The breeder picks the puppy for us based on temperament, we just have to decide which sex we want. She has advised that within the breed bitches tend to be more biddable but this isn’t a general rule.

I have primary school age children and she says she will take this into account in regards to picking our puppy.

Hi, Iv got 3 bitches and 1 dog. The bitches are much calmer and he is harder work but much more fun. He's wees like a bitch so ruins the garden anyway. No problems with humping. The bitch that hasn't been spayed you wouldn't know about the season apart from a few spots now and again. Mind you they're small dogs so a larger one will probably produce more. Pros and cons really. I must the dog is a right character and always has us laughing

I've owned one of each. I honestly think that an individual pups personality by far outweighs any gender trait and you ought to pick your pup based on this primarily. I know I would. Get the personality fit, this is vital.
A couple of my observations of both are:-

• boys mark on walks a lot esp terrier types which can be annoying and time consuming around every corner and blade of grass. Bitches don't do this nearly as much
• bitch wee does scorch grass only because they pee on the flat whereas boys favour a bush or tree etc.
• advice from vets is to allow bitch to have her first season Pre-spay so this means several weeks of being very careful around 6-9 months of age with other dogs. Dogs mate quickly and once locked the deed is done.

I love both, can't say I favour one over the other at all!

Wow. Eurasier looks like an amazing dog! Are you geared up to deal with that coat? It looks like a Spitz type. I'm no Spitz person but they sometimes come across as in their own little world. I'd be wanting to take the pup which is very people focused and waddles over to meet & greet. Could be easier to train?