Girl or Boy?
Perhaps this should be in the Poll section ... ??? 
However, I am wondering what you Sheepie owners feel are the differences, pros/cons of either and what are your preferences? My Dh and daughter want a girl -- my son wants a boy. I told them that I didn't get to chose the sex and or hair color of my kids, so I'm probably not good at chosing that for our pup either! 
I'd love to hear all of your thoughts on both sexes!  |
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| I've had more male dogs than females. I've only ever had one female .
I can tell you this . If you like to go walking for exercise the females don't lift their legs and stop every few minutes to mark everything. Other than that I don't know of any benefit. I always thought male dogs were more protective but i've changed my mind on that subject. I think my female dog is the more protective unless it's just her breed. She is an Aussie. My Sheepie is a male I think he would just paw or lick someone to death . I've never met a dog I didn't like. Now people that's a different story. I saw a Boyd's Bear mug . There called Razz Bears. One said The Voices in my head say I don't like you. Not you though. I could think of a few people to send that to. I tend to get off the subject . Good luck choosing. |
| I've had both female & male animals in my life and I like the males far better. They seem more affectionate and playful.
I'm not sure which breed herbgirl is talking about as far as males marking territories but I did NOT experience that at all with my last male or my new pup so far. Is marking everything a training issue? When I would take my last male on a walk it is face forward and go. I don't let him stop to smell everything on the way. Which in some ways is a good idea as dogs sometimes can pick up parasites from sniffing feces. As far as exercising it's great because he always kept up with whatever pace I would set. The new male pup is walking equally well on a leash. Before everyone gets upset that I don't let my dog sniff around, I do but only in our yard. |
| Thanks for asking that question Grace. As I'm looking for a pup too, not sure what to choose. My husband has only had males and they were great.
But I was leaning toward a female. I was hoping they might be a bit more mellow and less stubborn? His males were pretty strong willed. We're not terribly active so we'd want our sheepie to be okay just chillin with us (after puppy stage of course ) |
| Another thing..... females go into heat dont they?? I know unaltered they do, but do they when they are spayed? I have two males, love em!! But, any dog is lovable.... (except right now when huggs is compleatley covered in mud and walking around the house making sure not to miss anyting)
Liz |
pocha wrote: . I was hoping they might be a bit more mellow and less stubborn?
 Oh, I'm not sure you're going to find this with a female! Actually, I'm not sure you'll find this with an OES!
With OES, as long as they are neutered/spayed, it is more the dog's personality than the "sex" (in my opinion). There's a dog personality test you can give puppies to determine what "personality type" they have - I would base your decision on that - rather than on the sex alone! I've had 4 boys and currently have 3 girls! I can't say that I'd prefer one over the other! The other thing about OES - the appearance doesn't differ too much with males and females (other than size) - in alot of other breeds I prefer the look of the males! Just be sure you go through a reputable breeder - and they'll help pick the puppy that's right for you! Best of Luck in your search! Kristen (Brittney, Presley and Sydney) |
| While I was growing up I had only male dogs, my parents prefer males, and they were great, all golden retrievers. As an adult I've had a few females and one male, my first oes was female, and my oes puppy is female. I can't say I have a preferance either way. Each and every dog has it's own personality. The only dog I had that ever showed any signs of aggression was a neutered male golden retriever. He was definitely an alpha dog, and neutering him made no difference. The most protective dog I have ever had was a female great dane, but she was also a sweet gentle giant. The most affectionate dogs I've ever had would be a tie between another male golden retriever and my oes pup that I have now.
The only advantage that I can think of is that females don't lift their legs to pee. Even a neutered dog will lift it's leg and mark his territory. An advantage to getting a male might be the difference in cost to get them spayed or neutered. Here anyway, it is about half the cost to get a male altered. I think the best way to pick out a puppy is to see which one picks you. In every litter of puppies there are different personalities. If there are 5 pups there might be one or two who are more rambunctious, who fight to be 'boss'or alpha dog over the others. These dogs will most likely grow up with dominant personalities and should have an experienced dog owner raise them. There might be one who likes to nap all the time, and as long as the pup is healthy, this one may be the couch potato who would love nothing more than to sit and watch tv with you. There might be one who seems to herd the others, or protect them, so it is likely it will grow up to be very protective.... or not. LOL They may be the sleepy one at 8 weeks and the flyball champ wanna-be diving over your couch to retrieve a ball a few months later. You'll probably get a good feeling for which one is right for you. Good luck!  |
| Most of my dogs have been females and were all great! So I was leaning towards a female. However, I've heard the same thing that VereUp said -- that males are more affectionate.I can't imagine a dog more affectionate than Addy was -- but Hey! I'll take all the afffection I can get!
Females do go into heat if not spayed, -- but have no heat cycle after being spayed. I'm a little nervous of having an un-altered male chasing girls all over the neighborhood when the females are in heat -- but would definately alter it (male or female) either way. What is the biggest drawback of a male marking? Do they try to mark in the house too?? 
I'm kind of counting on the pup picking me!
Do you know where I can find the puppy personality test? |
| Grace-
I found the personality test on this site. www.golden-retriever.com/puppy_aptitude_test.htm I also had it in a good puppy training book called "How to Raise a Puppy you can live With" by Rutherford & Neil I think I got it at Barnes & Noble. It has good tips for first time owners, but always a good refresher too. Yep, I'm hoping the puppy picks us too. It usually works out well that way
Sue |
| Thank you, Sue! What a great test! I'm printing it AND putting it in my favs! |
pocha wrote: Turns out that version is a little bit out of date. I found the current test at the author's website, and it also turns out that she encourages use of her material.
So, I decided to take her up on her offer. Check it out here: How Do I Pick The Right Puppy For My Family Thank you so much for bringing this great info to our attention! |
| We had a female OES and loved her dearly. We are now contemplating getting a male for 2 reasons. The female was spayed, but if the hair around the urethra wasn't kept trimmed (between groomings) it would get matted and she would get urinary infections. Also, because females tend to empty their bladders completely all in one place, it would produce many large burn marks on our lawn since she tended to go in the same places and we were not successful in training her to one place at the far end of the yard. We tried neutralizing it with gypsum and/or lime but it didn't really help. We are hoping we don't have these problems with a male. Any suggestions or experience to share? She was very affectionate and always at my feet and would stay in our unfenced yard, knowing our boundary lines (incredible). She was quite a homebody. |
| I don't know about everyone else's males on the forum but both my males would urinate in one spot all at once. You will also need to keep the penis area trimmed well because you will run into the same uncleanliness & urinary tract infections. |
| Hello,
I have a male and female sheepie. Jack is a little over a year old and Annabelle is 10 months old today. Of course I love them equally and think they are both great. Jack is laidback, he will exercise if you make him. He is gentle with everyone, but at 85 lbs he has no idea how big he is. He will sit on anyone, and in fact sitting on a lap is his favorite spot, but if you are laying in the floor, he is just as happy to come sit on your head or lay on you. He was easier to potty train. He seems to understand what we say a lot of times. Annabelle is more energetic, she will go bounce (and I do mean bounce) over to Jack while he is sleeping with a ball. She wants him to play more, but he is more content to chew or sleep. She is even more gentle with the kids. Jack will sometimes run to fast and not stop in time and just about take out our knees to stop himself. Annabelle seems more aware of her size. She is smaller, but she is more content to lay next to you and not in your lap. She is a licker and Jack isn't really. She followed Jack's example in the potty training issue, and did learn fast, but she had more accidents than Jack. They are both great about baths and grooming. They have ever had any type of aggresion towards any living thing. They are both good about commands. We still have them getting TOO excited about visitors and instead of staying where they should, they run up and hop. They don't jump on the people, but get way too rambunctious. Annabelle will come back and listen before Jack when it comes to visitors. From my experience I would say that both dogs are equally affectionate. My female seems to have more energy, but I account a lot of that to still being a puppy, plus a sheepie seems to never quite grow up. I have always went for a male before a female, but now I don't think it matters. I wish you all the luck to find a perfect furry kid. Stormi and company [/u] |
Stormi I agree with you about it really mattering, I think both males and females have their issues. I can relate to the sitting on people issue, Drake loves to sit one anyone that sits on the floor. My kids think it is funny to let Drake sit on their heads and I have told them it is not going to be so funny when Drake weighs 90 lbs. If you sit on the floor at my house. expect to get a sheepie in your lap.  |
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