This article is to explain some, or all, of the issues relating to 'Male vs Female' canine companions. A real issue that we address weekly in the dozens of phone calls and emails. We get approximately 400 enquiries a week about dog related issues and questions like this come up repeatedly.

Which sex makes the better dog and for what reasons?

First of all, the breeds we are looking at as the best family dogs, are the more even tempered breeds of Cross breeds or Pure breeds. A family dog has to be great with children, supervised or unsupervised. There are no grey areas with this issue, temperament first, followed by the health issue of the breed. These are the the two main requirements when deciding on a family dog. Then the looks come into it, size, coat, style of dog. All these factors are to suit your desires.

This point is something that I discuss with hundreds of people each week. Why do all of the females dogs sell first? From my professional perspective a de-sexed male dog, from the lines that we now breed, are as suitable for any family as a de-sexed female dog. I can't really make a distinction between the two. The fact is that 90% of the people I communicate with are women and the biggest concern is the male marking of territory.  This is not an issue with de-sexed males. Males tend to want male dogs because they are generally bigger, stronger and quicker to stand their ground.

It really is explained very simply. We are all able to remember, sometime in the past, seeing a male dog marking it's territory. The thought of owning a dog that could possibly mark the corner of your couch or dining table etc, disgusts most females. But, the issue with today's dogs are that a very large percentage of dogs are now de-sexed. This is more of an acceptable decision for the average family because the dogs are accepted into more areas and the situation of the female coming into season is negated. This in turn will, I think, open thoughts for families looking for the next family dog. They might consider the option of a male instead of always a female.

Letting your female dog have one litter of pups to settle her is an old wives tale and is not really a feasible situation for the average family, getting her de-sexed is the way to go. The male dog, when de-sexed at an early age (over 4 months and before 6 months), is a very simple operation that does several things. The Testosterone is not released into their system, and so the urge to mark everything disappears. A very large percentage of them do not even cock their legs anymore. Some do it about half way, still on something, but that is their toilet action and not territory marking.

The personality factor between male and female dogs, in my professional opinion (and a lot of people are supporting this), is that I consider a male dog to have more of an even temperament. This is my opinion and, discussing this issue with thousands of customers and people in general on a daily basis, I would suggest looking at the breed as a breed and taking out the sex issue. This gives you and your family a wider scope to assess with your choices.

We have seen a large amount of families getting a second dog because most have smaller dogs to fit there lifestyle. Most are opting for the opposite sex (male and female for companionship) as this seems to a better combination and from my professional point of view, I support this issue. The dogs are less likely to get annoyed with each other, being a male and a female. This does not mean that they will not get annoyed, but they are less likely to fight.

As in all our feedback, there hasn't been an article sent to us that was related to a sex of dog issue that I can remember. It is always about the dog itself, the female vs male is not an issue.

Please use this information to help you make the right choice when buying your dog.

Regards, Peter Cornford. Freedom Kennels