I grew up with an intact bitch, and currently own two.
Things to think about are:
How to handle seasons. We have a hard floor in our kitchen and bitches in season are confined there (we do keep them company, they aren't abandoned!). When ours are in season they walked in quiet places at quiet times of day, trailing a longline, and are kept on lead if either a) in standing heat - peak season, very receptive or b) there are other dogs about (or might be, in woods, behind hedges etc). We live fairly rurally, and know the local walks well, and ours have good recall, so this is possible;
If and when to spay. Personally I prefer to let a bitch reach physical, mental and social maturity before spaying. Our two are from a late naturing breed and it's amazing how much the older one shifted gear after turning three. She's due to be spayed this summer, less because of dealing with seasons, more because of the health risks. Which brings me to:
Health issues. A bitch is at risk of pyometra (a potentially fatal uterine infection) after she has had a season (I've known a bitch have it after her first). Keeping a bitch intact also increases the risk of mammary cancer, at least in certain breeds. However, spaying - especially spaying early - can cause incontinence, as well as predisposing to other cancers and to joint issues. Data varies by breed, and unfortunately it's not available for all breeds, but there is a lot of info in this paper here
Most of what I've said in the second two points also applies to male dogs - neutering isn't a total win for them, either. For both sexes, Early neutering can bugger up a dog's conformation too, as some bones will stop growing before they should have done (this is probably what leads to the joint issue, IMO).
I've had much more to do with bitches than dogs, which is probably why I prefer them, but I think both are equally trainable (you see both performing at a high level in field trials, for example) and I've known both bitches and dogs who are complete softies.