Puppy picking and which sex should I go for?

[Pipsquiggle]

Hello I am hoping for some advice. We will be picking a puppy in the next couple of weeks.

We get 2nd pick after the breeder. The litter is 5 boys and 2 girls. At this stage I am assuming the breeder will pick 1 of the girls. As part of the puppy contract, we will neuter whichever puppy we get at the appropriate time.

I live in a house with DH and 2 DS (age 9 & 6), we want a great family pet who will be the boys buddy and great companion for the adults too.

Any advice on whether we should go for a boy or a girl and what characteristics should we look out for. Thanks in advance.

I think I'd pick female.

I was brought up around 2 female Dalmatians. They were perfect. Had male dogs in the family since (my sister's, my mum's, my nan's) and like others have said, wonderful dogs, but they do cock their legs more (females mark too but not nearly as often) and like you say, it would be nice to have another female around!

I've also heard from other people that females are more loyal. Don't know if there's much truth in that but our girls were certainly very loving and loyal.

@Pipsquiggle

So apart from the gender, are there any good or bad traits I should look out for? They will be 4 weeks when we see them?

I always think I’ll go for a specific trait and then fall in love with one. Hasn’t failed me yet!

I do tend to go for bitches, but my recently departed dog was one in a million and so now I don’t really have a preference until I meet the puppies. One will usually stand out.

Disclaimer: people will definitely say this is the WRONG way to choose a puppy but it works for me!

I'd go for a girl. I am outnumbered by men in my household so I picked a girl, also because a friend who has six dogs (and always has had) told me girls were just easier.

It's nice stroking her tummy and not encountering anything unappealing, too.

Honestly, I don't think it matters. I think the differences between individuals are greater than the difference between genders, particularly in a genetically diverse litter such as this one.

A lot will depend on your preference and lifestyle. I do dog sports, so look specifically for lack of timidity (deal-breaker for me), intelligence and good conformation. But the ideal dog for me is probably too full on for the average pet home.

In your situation, I would be looking for a middle of the litter puppy. So definitely not fearful, but not the most forward either. If the breeder is a good breeder they should know the temperaments of their puppies well and be able to advise on a good match, certainly far better than you can do at 4 weeks old.

[quote Pipsquiggle]@GeorgeandHarold66 yes, ideally I wanted to take the children when we picked the dog but unfortunately, I don't think this will be possible due to the pandemic. The breeders did tell us about this, at the start of this process.[/quote]
Oh that's a shame, still good luck with your pup!!

Personally, I think it's best if the adults pick the puppy without the children, that way they can look at the puppies clinically and pick the one with the temperament that suits their family best, without children begging them to pick the one that they want just because it's cutest or because it "picked them". A decent breeder should know the puppies' temperaments and be able to advise you which is best for your family and explain why.

A decent breeder would also want all the family to meet the chosen puppy before you take it home, to ensure that no one is allergic to it. I would ask if that's possible.

Re. Sex, I've been humped by more female than male dogs, known males that don't cock their leg and known a number of females that handstand to pee/mark.

I've always had male dogs bar one.

The bitch we had was lovely but being in season and phantom pregnancy was something I would want to avoid again.

The dogs we've had have both been incredibly loving and bonded to us. Very gentle but obviously bigger in size than the females of their breed.

Tbh I think it's much of a muchness and really comes down to your personal preference and the individual characteristics of the dog in question.

Update! The breeder has decided that they are not going to keep any of this litter - due to demand - unless one of families drops out of the process, so we are now 1st pick

So we now have a choice of 2 females and 5 males.

Your advice has been amazing. Here is where I am at:
My preference would be female, however, temperament usurps gender.
We will look for a 'mid-pack' puppy - not the liveliest, not the quietest.

This thread's been really helpful, thanks for asking the question. I'm going to choose a Labrador puppy this afternoon so have found it really useful to see what people say about temperaments beating sex.
DH says he'd prefer a dog, dd and I would prefer a bitch, so we're going to ignore sex completely and focus only on their personality.
Middle of the pack for us as well. Not too bold/energetic for the time we have available, but not too cautious either.
We'll probably just see which one is the cutest, and let dd choose really, as we're genuinely just excited about having a dog for the first time (dh had dogs when he was growing up). We did try rescues, but having been looking for a rescue dog for 18 months and not seeing a single one within 100 miles that didn't say "adult home only" we've ended up going for a puppy.

I Trained my dog pretty quickly not to hump. You have to be very stern but it pays off. Did not want a female because of the 'in heat' palaver. My dog is still intact at 4 and has never humped beyond those first few weeks before he was trained out of it.

No difference in temperament or personality between boys and girls.

Girls might be a bit smaller (again might!)

It will be really hard on one visit to work out their personalities tbh so do ask the breeder loads of questions. At 4 weeks very very hard to work out too much about them. Can you visit again?

Many bitches hump!

some useful pointer here that may help you

My current dog is a male and so was my last one. The breeder of my current dog reckons females are more independent whereas males are more likely to do things your way- certainly my boy is very week behaved, obedient and trainable. I chose him cause he was the one in the litter that came to me when I sat on the floor and stayed with me when the rest went haring off.

Personally I think that they pick you not the other way around.

I have one of each, Labradors. Male is very cuddly & sweet, definitely loyal but was a bit of a handful when young. The only thing he has ever humped is his bed.
Female was a rescue; she humps him like crazy, is bonded to us but ignores everyone else we meet, is achingly pretty and very sweet. I think she was easier to train, even though she was about a year old when she came to us; my vet says she is just very grateful 😃

Just want to point out some things aren't a given. I had a female dog mount other dogs as a pet move when she joined our family. She also scent marked throughout the walks.

I always get female dogs and male cats.
male cats are friendlier than female cats (usually in my experience) and female dogs dont do that awful thing where their dick hangs out and they hump things. I couldnt cope with that.

I've had both and very much prefer a bitch. I've found them easier to train.

Have had boy dogs growing up and now have a bitch. Our boys weren't jumpers, not did they go after bitches and they weren't particularly boisterous either. When we got our current dog, we were open on sex until we went to choose, even on the day we were leaning towards boys but in the end, having met the parents and a couple of male siblings from the previous litter, we went with a girl so she'd be a bit smaller, although I would happily have chosen any of the puppies based on their temperament at the time and how gorgeous they were. She is the sweetest thing and I can't imagine her not being in our family - I'm so glad we chose her! If it's a miniature ALD you're getting the size won't be such an issue as with our standard labradoodle.
Ignore the nonsense up thread about your choice of dog, some people are sanctimonious idiots!

We've always done female dogs and male cats.

However you might find that one of the males gravitates towards you.

I would go for a bitch any day if the week. With a boy, they are forever cocking their leg on walks, despite emptying their bladder and being neutered.

I'm a dog walker and walk numerous neutered females who cock their legs and scent-wee on walks. I also walk several males who never cock their legs.

Getting a female won't necessarily prevent that behaviour.

Historically I always had bitches, but have now had three dogs. All very different personalities and all different mixed breeds.

None of them humped or constantly scent marked on walks (in fact two never cocked their legs) and I have never seen any unsheathed private parts.

Having always had bitches I was nervous when getting a dog but found, as pp’s have said, it’s down to individual dogs natures/personalities, not their sex.

For our next pup we’re open to the right match regardless of whether it’s male or female. I trust the breeder to guide us, as she really knows her dogs and we will have known her for almost two years by the time we get a pup.

@MsAwesomeDragon how did your puppy picking go? Any tips?

I grew up with males and females and currently have a male and a female.
My boy picked me and my female is a rescue.

I would pick males over females all day long.

He follows me around and I call him my velcro dog, he is 100% obedient.

My female is very stubborn and independent - she will do something if she wants and won't if she doesnt.

Yes he marks, but she wee's if she's excited/nervous/feels like it.

All the dogs we had as children - the males were 100% less of a problem than the females.

My puppy picking was the happiest hour of the year so far. We eventually plumped for a little boy, fox red and he's gorgeous!!!!

I have no tips, mainly because I fell in love with all of them and would happily have taken any one of them home. We ultimately decided on the one who went to sleep on dd's lap. It was either that or do eeny meeny miney mo, there really wasn't any other way to choose from so many adorable puppies.

Here's a photo of my gorgeous little boy.