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Would you discount a dog based on its' gender?

Fledgesflight September 30, 2011 September 30, 2011

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So, I'm seriously looking at buying a purebred GSD puppy. The only nigly little feeling that I get is that it is not of the gender I pictured myself with. Don't get me wrong- both sexes are great I'm sure, but I have had virtually no experience with Bitches in this breed- but plenty with males (though owned neither of this breed). Puppy is well balanced without hunch or dramatic sloping of the back and is the pick of the females if the breeder were keeping a girl for showing or breeding... There aren't many quality (in my opinion) German Shepherds around and I don't want to regret a decision purely based on gender alone. So- have you owned any female 'Working Dogs' how were they to train, what was their personalities like and the biggest what were they like in heat? Thanks!

JNFerrigno Fri, 09/30/2011 - 21:21

The only problems I have every experiences with bitches is when they get together. But of the different dogs I owned, the only one which was hostile like that was my Dalmatian, and she would fight with her daughter all the time, it honestly appeared to be for no other reason then she was within range. Both were spayed by the way. Poor girl. May they all rest in peace.

Granted when I had Dals, I had them when I was 5 and all through high school. But I knew nothing about dogs, aside from bath, feed, and take them to the vet. However after they passed away, I was with out a dog for a few years, and I eventually adopted a English Pointer from the pound.

She came with her flaws, had to learn how to be a dog. She had her destructive puppy behavior. Would open the fridge to eat my yogurts! Highly intelligent, social, but independent. From what I can gather, we are assuming she was field bred (what another breeder told me based on her conformation). And she is scared of loud noises. So as a gun dog, not worth a lick. That's why I think she was dropped off at the pound at night.

I've never owned a pointer other then her. She only quirk she has with other dogs, is she HATES puppies. But loves small dogs. It's kind of funny how she can tell the two apart. I would have to assume it has to do with a puppies inability to control them selves.

I don't really know how I trained her, as I have never taken a training class. And the classes the pound offered wrote your dog off if they were a hound. I wanted to get Fei into agility or jumping events just to show them LOL.

While she is a hound, and they are led by their nose, she is just as much sight oriented. However she's so well trained that we can have the gate open all day and she will not leave the yard. She wont even load into the car without a leash. She does get over whelmed when we take her to the beach. The first few times she came back on my fathers whistle, but last time I took her she ran for ever, and caused me so much stress that I said leash only from now on LOL. Sorry Fei. Mommy doesn't need grey hairs at 26.

She lives with my parents on an acre property. Both of them work from home, and with my father working outside in the shop or garden, she comes in and out of the house as they do.

Shes older now, and has turned into the 'crotchety old lady' of the house. But this seems like a breed trait more so then a female thing. She doesn't like the ferrets that run the house, but I don't blame her as they bite, and the only one who likes them are their mommy lol. She doesn't bite them tho. Just lots of pissed off growling.

Her best friend is a Golden Lab, and they play hard and rough a few times a day. The other is a white schnauzer (sp), she's a pain in my bum with the barking every time they play. She's like the little old man (except she's female) yelling at the kids to get off his lawn. And then there is the puppy. x_x It always starts with a puppy. In this case, it was a puppy my step mother illegally brought into the united states from Columbia. Oh yeah, did I mention she came with worms an cooties? Fun times. But the puppy was taken from her mother to soon, advertised as a tea cup poodle, tea cup my bum. The very first dog she saw since being taken from her mom was Fei. Poor fei. Angei went right to her, licking, jumping, everything a pup would do to their long lost mommy. I think that took 9 years off Feis life, as thats when she started to turn into an old lady LOL. As soon as my father called me to tell me that they got a new puppy, the first words out of my mouth were "you know she hates puppies" LOL

The other dogs I have expereicne with, which are also hounds, are Beagles. Great dogs if you can over look their braying. All females, and they get along well with one another. Also great kid dogs. Fei...indifferent to kids. Will walk up, sniff you, walk away.

All in all. I think female dogs are great. I don't remember what any of them were like in heat. I do remember my step mothers small dogs in heat, and that was just digusting. House dogs in heat, are no fun. No fun at all. Breeders usually make them wear diapers. Again. Not fun. Not fun at all.

Now if you were to ask me, male rats, or female rats, I would tell you Males! Always males. They seem to be a species which have very different behaviors as domestic pets based on gender. Not that one was bad over the other. Just the ladies are freaking batty LOL. Very comical. Always great for a laugh. While they are just as kissy and social as the boys, the boys are more prone to cuddle and be scratched on all day while grooming you lovingly. >_> yeah....I'm a bit of a rat nut.

Speaking of, getting back to Fei. She never cared about the rats. Came up, sniffed, walked away. Ferrets...she may eat their faces off >_>

We had a german shepard, well my fathers fiance at the time did. He was her husbands that passed away. They were a K9 unit and when he passed on, he stayed with the family. This dog scared the pee out of me, literally. I hated the times I had to go over there because it was always a ordeal. I wasn't over there enough so it took him longer to get used to me. Eventually we got along great, and he's a great dog. But because he was an ex police dog, not the greatest as a social animal due to his training.

Honestly, the only thing I can think of with bitches is the heat. Other wise, I think males and females might behave the same. Maybe more hyper then males, so as a working dog they may need more outlets.

If you don't plan on breeding her, some breeders will actually give discounts under the condition they are spayed. It just depends on the breeder. Some make you sign a contract saying you wont show or breed, ect.

Looking this over now...I rambled. And fear this was proally useless. Think I'm going to bed.

But I will leave with this last piece of advice.

When I adopted Fei, she came with the option of having her spayed or not. It was more to have her not spayed and so I had her spayed. While I would have loved to see puppies from her, she probally would have eaten them LOL. However, even if she was an Unspayed bitch that would bleed all over my furniture. I would have never given her back. For all the pillows she chewed, yogurt she stole, and farts she chased me out of the room with. I have never had a more loyal dog. So don't pass her up, just because she is a female.

When I had rats, all I had were females before. But all the breeder had left were males. Apparently people are scared of their huge balls LOL. She asked if I was scared, and I said no. She promtly started grabbing babies and passing them to me. I had 3 on my boobs, one hand covering my V-neck to keep them out of my boobs, the other trying to make sure they don't fall. Know what they did? Pissed all over me. Soaked me down to my belly button LOL. So I took them home, and have been boy rat addicted ever since.

lipigirl Sat, 10/01/2011 - 14:06

In my opinion, female GSDs are awesome - I have had female dogs all my life until we kept one of our Leo pups and that included a GSD. I think in general the females are more straight forward but agree with above, far more dangerous in a pack situation - b*tches fight on and off for years whereas dogs will usually have a one off type fight to settle things. In the leonbergers the dogs are certainly thick compared to the females. On their own they are such good dogs and very faithful too. Post a pic.

rabbitsfizz Sun, 10/02/2011 - 15:41

I have only ever had bitches, by choice. By the workings of the universe I have ended up with two dogs, at different times both named Sam.
I never had any trouble with the dogs fighting.
The bitches, however, once they started you needed a crowbar and a block and tackle!
Nothing to do with socialisation, either, the problem bitch is the most social, gentle, good natured animal in the world.
But she wanted to be top dog and her elder sister was in the way (they are actually cousins, not sisters) so she decided to remove her.
If your pup is to be anything except an only dog, just watch her around age five for any symptoms of this occurring- it will not affect her relationships with her "friends" only with bitches she considers her immediate "pack"

Fledgesflight Wed, 10/05/2011 - 01:46

Puppy arrives tomorrow!!!
Will update then!

Thanks for all your replies :)