might sound like a dumb question bud would you rather have a male or female retriever? im in the market for a golden pup in the next year or two and cant decide what id rather have. ive been around some really hard headed male dogs, ive also been around females that are scared of their own shadow and too submissive to even work with. does this reflect more on the owner than the dog/its gender?
male or female
jackh
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might sound like a dumb question bud would you rather have a male or female retriever? im in the market for a golden pup in the next year or two and cant decide what id rather have. ive been around some really hard headed male dogs, ive also been around females that are scared of their own shadow and too submissive to even work with. does this reflect more on the owner than the dog/its gender?
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Umm... Yeah... I like women
Seriously, I prefer females. They are easier to control and train IMHO. I have never had a "scared" or "cowed" female so I can't speak to that. Having said that I can believe that they are not as "possessed" as some of their male "fire-breathing" counterparts. But I am not in the FT/HT game right now so it's not what I prefer. Females do require more maintenance. They are more sensitive. However, they listen better, multi-task better and don't hump as much
Best of Luck
Mark
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I have been told, with a female you are more likely to have a good dog, with a male there is a better chance for a great dog. Don't know how true it is, but I have a male that fits everymale stereotype, and is pretty darned good IMO. My female fits the female stereotype, she is a good dog, but I as an inexpereinced trainer did not see that she was so sensitive so I have had issues wih her.
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I've had 2 hard-driving hard-headed bitches. Now I have a hard driving, but soft, male. The gals worked on a full power 5 plug (old L100 collar) the new boy is on a low 2. The male seems to work to please me, the gals worked on their own agenda. That could well be the result of their boneheaded trainer (me.) All of them very very birdy and great hunting dogs. The gals were more territorial than any males we've had (lab or golden.) All of our goldens have been love sponges.
There is a theory I've heard that bitches are better hunters and more independent as their role in the pack was to protect the litter and find food for them. ??
I don't think you can generalize. Bitches, unless spayed, are more maintenance. Intact males can develop a wanderlust if not securely penned. If you don't intend to breed I'd probably get a male and have him nuetered, but I would not pass up a nice bitch from a good breeding.
There is a theory I've heard that bitches are better hunters and more independent as their role in the pack was to protect the litter and find food for them. ??
I don't think you can generalize. Bitches, unless spayed, are more maintenance. Intact males can develop a wanderlust if not securely penned. If you don't intend to breed I'd probably get a male and have him nuetered, but I would not pass up a nice bitch from a good breeding.
I've worked with and seen quite a few dogs being trained and to me gender doesn't seem to have a whole lot to do with willingness tp please or the ability t o take pressure. I have got a female we had to pull off birds at four months and establish control of her. I've seen a male who was so good at finding birds that you couldn't hunt him with a young dog, he was like a vaccum and found, flushed and retrieved everything. To me it comes down to if you want to whether or not you are going to keep your dog intact. If so, do you want to deal with heat cycles or the marking issues. I've heard it said with females they are in heat twice a year but with males its all the time. Typically males are larger. I think if you buy from a litter where there is a strong bitch line with the characteristics you are looking for, you can't go wrong.
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I used to be one of those give me a male dog every time...but I have definitely changed...if I only had one dog to choose and was looking to start a bloodline or a string of dogs I would choose a female...
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That's it in a nutshell! Males are more concerned with your opinion of them than females are...
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I've had four Goldens over the years, the last will be 16 years old this Saturday. (The older one in my avatar) Two of them were hunting dogs, one male and one female. The female was great when it came to finding pheasants, and ok at retrieving them. The male was ok at finding the birds and would retrieve all day long and was great at marking doubles and triples. I think that came from his sire.
I think you need to look at what you want from the dog in the long run, because they will be around for a long time. (HT/FT, Breeding, Stud Dog, Hunting companion, Etc.)
That being said, the lab I got a year ago is a female, because to me they were easier to work with than the male, and they were not as territorial. Of course that is coming from an inexperienced trainer, because my male could have been great.
Either way you choose, good luck with your decision.
Mark
I think you need to look at what you want from the dog in the long run, because they will be around for a long time. (HT/FT, Breeding, Stud Dog, Hunting companion, Etc.)
That being said, the lab I got a year ago is a female, because to me they were easier to work with than the male, and they were not as territorial. Of course that is coming from an inexperienced trainer, because my male could have been great.
Either way you choose, good luck with your decision.
Mark
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Do you like leg lifting dead spots along the fence or nice round dead spots all over your yard?
All the rest is individual preferences based on a fwe experiences - mine included.
as for me - my wife will only let me have males now
see round spots above regards
All the rest is individual preferences based on a fwe experiences - mine included.
as for me - my wife will only let me have males now
see round spots above regards
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You will pick one or the other. Within 30 days, a dozen folks will tell you that you should have chosen the other.
Nancy Miner (of Golden fame) says that females are more tempermental. With males, you put the dog on the truck and when you get there, the same dog gets off. With females, the dog you take off the truck may be very different in mood from the one you put on the truck. Nancy would say that she wished the females could talk so they could say, "Don't bother. Today's not the day."
Really, pick the litter you want, listen to the breeder describe the personalities, then spend time with each puppy, and finally...pick the puppy you are most drawn to and it to you. Puppies don't usually get any say in who the new owner is but perhaps they should. Afterall, you and s/he will be a team.
Eric
Nancy Miner (of Golden fame) says that females are more tempermental. With males, you put the dog on the truck and when you get there, the same dog gets off. With females, the dog you take off the truck may be very different in mood from the one you put on the truck. Nancy would say that she wished the females could talk so they could say, "Don't bother. Today's not the day."
Really, pick the litter you want, listen to the breeder describe the personalities, then spend time with each puppy, and finally...pick the puppy you are most drawn to and it to you. Puppies don't usually get any say in who the new owner is but perhaps they should. Afterall, you and s/he will be a team.
Eric
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luv 'em all. started out as a "gotta be a male" guy. owned a couple as a young man they were great hunters. slobering, gnawing, humping, ranging hardcore alpha types. thought that was the stuff.
then a pro loaned our duck club the use of his personal "front seat" bitch. you get out of bed at the club, drink a cup of coffee, go outside the little 48 pound dog is in the truck. you get to the field, hop on the atv, get to the blind, there she is in the dog blind. you shoot ducks, she tiptoes into the water picks up what she marked and handles equally well to blinds for anyone with a whistle. 60 ducks later (ten man blind circa 1997) you get to the truck she waiting on you. you drive back to the house and five minutes later she has cleaned herself, is dry and tiptoes back to the bunkroom not to be seen or heard from until the next day. it was like having a throw rug that would pick up a couple of thousand birds a year. needless to say i wanted a female.
i have kept females for the last twelve years (none quite like the one above). but they have been fun to train, not as hardheaded generally. one i have now has the highest prey drive of any dog i have owned. in addition to birds she is a squirrel chasing, nutra rat killing, blood trailing maniac.
i have had a male again for the last year. it has been great to have the challenge of a big bruising male.
if i only had one i would say female.
you could have made this a 30 page thread if you had asked "would you rather have a british male or an american.........." lol
john mc
then a pro loaned our duck club the use of his personal "front seat" bitch. you get out of bed at the club, drink a cup of coffee, go outside the little 48 pound dog is in the truck. you get to the field, hop on the atv, get to the blind, there she is in the dog blind. you shoot ducks, she tiptoes into the water picks up what she marked and handles equally well to blinds for anyone with a whistle. 60 ducks later (ten man blind circa 1997) you get to the truck she waiting on you. you drive back to the house and five minutes later she has cleaned herself, is dry and tiptoes back to the bunkroom not to be seen or heard from until the next day. it was like having a throw rug that would pick up a couple of thousand birds a year. needless to say i wanted a female.
i have kept females for the last twelve years (none quite like the one above). but they have been fun to train, not as hardheaded generally. one i have now has the highest prey drive of any dog i have owned. in addition to birds she is a squirrel chasing, nutra rat killing, blood trailing maniac.
i have had a male again for the last year. it has been great to have the challenge of a big bruising male.
if i only had one i would say female.
you could have made this a 30 page thread if you had asked "would you rather have a british male or an american.........." lol
john mc
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honestly I do not think there is much difference between the males and females in goldens as far as training/working ability once fixed. Intact males are be more distracted and unspayed females can be a little "bitchy" and moody but if your golden is going to just be a fixed pet and hunting buddy then there is no temperament difference. I have both males and females and think they are about the same to train. The real differences is size and coat. A male will be about 15 lbs heavier, slightly taller and will cary more coat than a female.
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i would rather not fix my dog, no matter if its a girl or boy. as for right now, i dont plan on breeding the dog. but years from now i might have some titles or something and think it might be a good idea.
i guess i need to talk to the breeder about what he thinks. i really dont want a hard headed dog thats hard to train. i also dont want a dog thats so cowed that it just lays down and rolls over when reprimanded or something. i have seen plenty of females do just that. i guess its really dependent on the pups pedigree and the owner?
i guess i need to talk to the breeder about what he thinks. i really dont want a hard headed dog thats hard to train. i also dont want a dog thats so cowed that it just lays down and rolls over when reprimanded or something. i have seen plenty of females do just that. i guess its really dependent on the pups pedigree and the owner?
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Goldens are not hard headed or fearful... if you are seeing that in the line I would suggest finding another breeder as those are not normal or desired traits for the breed. Just on a side note most reputable breeders will not sell you a dog that will remain intact free and clear.
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why is that? i specifially asked the breeder if he required his pups to be fixed at a certain age and he said no, he thought that should be a decision totally up to the owner and not himself. why would a breeder want you to have a pup you take from them fixed when they became of age?
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to make sure that they are not indiscriminately bred and that IF they are bred it is only after obtaining all of the health clearances needed for the breed... in the case of goldens that a minimum of hips, elbows, heart & eyes and that any dog said dog is bred to also has those clearances. Making sure that the buyer does not breed their dogs to the neighbors poodle creating doodles or to a dysplastic dog, etc.
Where I live I do not know any breeders that will just sell a dog and allow it to be kept intact without due reason. most will require a co-ownership at least until the dog gets all his/her clearances.
Where I live I do not know any breeders that will just sell a dog and allow it to be kept intact without due reason. most will require a co-ownership at least until the dog gets all his/her clearances.
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That's the purpose of the AKC Limited Registration. With few exceptions, all mine are sold on a Limited basis. When the dog is 2 and all the clearances have been lifted, I'll agree to conversion of the registration to full. There is just too much scientific evidence that spaying/neutering is potentially harmful.
Eric
Eric
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i think this is what the breeder i have been talking to does. i know we talked about at age two, he requires the dog be cleared for all the above mentioned stuff and will not sign off unless it clears all the tests.
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That is what my breeder does as well.
My dog looks great, very structurally sound, is well bred and has plenty of drive for hunting and as my HT goals. His parents have more than enough health clearances as well. My breeder places all pups on limited registration unless you do all health clearances at 24mo, get at least one title, and she thinks he is a good rep of the breed. While on limited, any pups he sires may can't be registered. If she doesn't think he should be bred though she can say no and then the titles and health don't matter.
I am waiting until Riot is at least ~15-20 months before neutering, just so that he looks like a male dog and not a neutered dog but I do not plan on breeding him, even if it ends up taking longer to get the job done. I would kill to have a pup out of him, but that isn't a good enough reason to breed him IMO and he will never be near as nice as other stud dogs out there that could be bred to instead. $1000-2000 stud fee for the perfect compliment to the female is more than worth it, no matter how much you love your dog by your side once you look at all costs involved with having a litter.
Regarding health clearances, hips can't be done before 24 months and be considered official. Also, the breeder is the only person who can switch a dog to full registration.
Maybe later in life I will have the time and money to get a really nice male and get him where he needs to be for me to want to breed him, or a very nice female, but I can't see that happening before my 30's. Not sure what your plans are, but you are only a soph in college. You have more than enough time in your life to really put the time and effort into producing an awesome litter of pups rather than sentimental or just average pups (which you can just open the classifieds to find).
My dog looks great, very structurally sound, is well bred and has plenty of drive for hunting and as my HT goals. His parents have more than enough health clearances as well. My breeder places all pups on limited registration unless you do all health clearances at 24mo, get at least one title, and she thinks he is a good rep of the breed. While on limited, any pups he sires may can't be registered. If she doesn't think he should be bred though she can say no and then the titles and health don't matter.
I am waiting until Riot is at least ~15-20 months before neutering, just so that he looks like a male dog and not a neutered dog but I do not plan on breeding him, even if it ends up taking longer to get the job done. I would kill to have a pup out of him, but that isn't a good enough reason to breed him IMO and he will never be near as nice as other stud dogs out there that could be bred to instead. $1000-2000 stud fee for the perfect compliment to the female is more than worth it, no matter how much you love your dog by your side once you look at all costs involved with having a litter.
Regarding health clearances, hips can't be done before 24 months and be considered official. Also, the breeder is the only person who can switch a dog to full registration.
Maybe later in life I will have the time and money to get a really nice male and get him where he needs to be for me to want to breed him, or a very nice female, but I can't see that happening before my 30's. Not sure what your plans are, but you are only a soph in college. You have more than enough time in your life to really put the time and effort into producing an awesome litter of pups rather than sentimental or just average pups (which you can just open the classifieds to find).
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Then with all due respect, you have been hanging around "plenty" of owners or trainers that are WAY too heavy handed with dogs. Being "cowed ....roll[ing] over when reprimanded" is not a gender specific trait. That is a trait created by humans.
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