When we were getting Stanley a few people said to us "oh I can't believe you're getting a boy, they're much harder work". To be honest I never planned on getting a boy, I just fell in love with Stanley. But sometimes when he's being an absolute nightmare I wonder if he is more excitable than a girl would've been. A few friends have female dogs and I don't ever remember them being as mad as Stanley, but then none of them are labradors. I was just wondering if anyone (especially those with one of each) had noticed any major differences between the sexes? Thanks
My OH was firm on wanting a girl - he claims boys are harder behaviour wise (no solid proof as he had two males that were not labs, and then had two female labs). I wanted a girl in hopes she would be smaller! I have no Comparison as Quinn is my first dog.
I'm curious of this also, I would love to get another lab in the next couple of years and I keep pondering between a boy or girl. We saw one of Axel's sisters quite often. She was also in the same puppy class as us. She was nuts!! Very cute and sweet but that girl never stopped bouncing. Axel would lie down in class if it wasn't his turn and his sister would be pulling and jumping and whining etc. Hehe That being said, I took the calmest puppy in the litter so maybe that's why? Axel has never really been over boisterous. Sure he has had his moments as all puppies do but generally he's a very calm and laid back dog. Odie on the other hand... (my Pomeranian) was a very boisterous puppy. He would go all day long with no sleep until he just completely crashed, Axel has never been like that. But that could just be the difference in breeds.
Interesting question. We've always had boys until Molly. She IS different, more sensitive and very affectionate. Although all our boys were lovely in their own ways, they were also quite independent and could play/run/investigate on their own. Molly needs our constant company and involvement in all her play. I still can't decide if the main difference is because with the others there were always 2 dogs. Unintentionally Molly is an only dog, I don't know if that's why she seems so different or because she's a bitch.
I think Charlie and Betsy are quite similar in terms of personality and character - obviously Betsy's not bonkers quite like Charlie. Betsy is much better behaved than Charlie was at the same age, but that's because I've done better with her early training, and she is much more motivated by food than Charlie. So her natural excitement can be brought under control by rewarding still and calm behaviours by food. The lack of food motivation in Charlie is just how he is, nothing to do with him being a boy. The biggest difference is Charlie's strength. He is 29kgs of muscle, and if he wants to get something, or goes to lunge, or jumps up he is such a big, powerful dog he is capable of sending humans and objects in his way flying quite easily. Betsy is much smaller and lighter and I've found this makes a lot of things easier or less of a worry anyway. She is also less desperate to access the environment and smells than Charlie, and I've found this makes training lead walking easier. That's about it in terms of differences so far though.
I have had five girls and three boys (not all Labs) and have found the boys much easier, much to my suprise.
Interesting question, I chose my chocolate girl because, a little earlier my son had lost his black boy and we didn't want him to think we had bought a like for like replacement. She is so different from him, she has an incredibly strong will, is very vocal,an be over friendly and sniff for England. He was an incredibly gentle well mannered boy who desperately wanted to please, definitely a lot easier to train with a much longer concentration span. He would always walk really nicely on a loose lead and never barked at the door. (As I write this I remember him being a special boy ). He also didn't poccess the diva face Mabel has when she has other ideas and I insist she does something different . Like Mabel he was also from working lines.
I have had one Lab girl and one boy. I often say, the girl was born already trained. It seemed I needed to do very little, that her goal in life was to please me. The boy, Oban, was more a, "What's in it for me?" sort of dog. While a smile was enough reward to tell Jet she had done well, Oban needed more detailed breakdown of training steps, more reinforcement, more exercise, more reward. Oban actually has a few Rally titles on him and it's because he needed more work on his brain to keep his energy in check. If I went by just these two then it's true but I don't believe it is true generally.
Well, I have a girl and a boy from the same litter, brought up identically. They are very different. Girl: A lot more sensitive - afraid of loud noises Needs more motivation to work Gets stressed easily in training Likes her own space Thinks things through to work out something new Is generally uninterested in any other dog Is more food motivated than play motivated (although still enjoys play) Isn't interested in chasing cats/wildlife etc Used to be highly distracted by environment, no longer is. Boy: Bulletproof with noises Seems to work for "the love" Tries and tries in training. Doesn't get stressed, ever. Is very cuddly - sometimes too much Throws every behaviour at you rather than thinking things through Is very interested in other dogs - can be fearful of boys, wants to say hi to girls (although, once introductions are done, he doesn't normally continue play) Is more play motivated than food motivated (although still enjoys food) Is hugely interested in chasing Never used to be distracted by environment, now wants to sniff and pee on everything. So, very, very different. I find Willow generally easier now, but when they were growing up, I found Shadow a lot easier. I've had to learn how to bring out the best in Willow and deal with her stress levels. However, I don't really believe most of these things are anything to do with their gender. I think it's just the way they're built. One of their sisters, Annie, is owned by good friends of ours, and she's different again. She's very cuddly, doesn't seem to suffer from stress, is very sociable with other dogs... I think that Shadow's interest in sniffing everything is somewhat down to his being a boy, but it's something you can train around, in time! I chose a girl for my next puppy as I know Shadow will find this a lot easier, especially when the pup hits adolescence, and I don't think the gender of the puppy will make any difference to Willow. I'm hoping she's as chilled out about other dogs as Willow is. I don't think either is "better", though. I love them in very different ways, but equally as much.
So interesting! I've never had a lab, so to take with a grain of salt. BUT of all the dogs (my own and fosters) I've had, I generally have a bias towards males as being easier to work with and just more my thing. I say "bias" because there is no science to my feeling here at all. My girls have generally been more hard-headed, independent, less bothered by disturbances/loud noises and more protective. The boys have been MUCH goofier, less dominant (yes, I know - a sort of outdated concept) and - Brogan being the MAJOR exception - more cuddly. I think a lot of it has to do with your own sex. My father, for example, swears by females and if asked would completely inverse the descriptions I just gave above. He has always chosen females, I've always chosen males (and end up with the females through fostering or happenstance). When I was starting out with my own dog, my breeder recommended a male Rottie as she said they were worlds easier than the females (less protective, less stubborn, easier to train). Most of the breeders I've talked to over the past few months recommend females exclusively to newbies and are shocked that I was told to start with a male. Big difference! But I think it also makes a difference that my first Rottie breeder was a female, where so far in Germany I've only met male breeders. After reading A LOT on this topic, it seems to be a bit like color in Labs... everyone has an opinion, but if you look at them all together, the only conclusion you can draw is simply that it depends on the individual dog. Personally I will always have a soft spot for the boys, but I would wholeheartedly welcome a female and enjoy learning the differences!
I prefer girls, Hattie has been easy to train, is so loving to everyone she meets, loves to learn new things, is well behaved, nothing worries or phases Hattie, simply she is a very easy dog which is great as she is our first dog. Charlie is a rescue so it's different, but he has been difficult to train , he's a hooligan but not so much now, he is a free spirit, he can be anxious, he is very funny, so very loving, a complete cuddle boy lap dog. I love them both so much but my next dog/puppy will definiately be a girl, no question x I have been asked this question about my children too, "how on earth do you cope with 3 boys?" "easy, boys you get what's on the tin, girls you don't" I have one girl and have found the 3 boys far easier xxx
I always had boys until Tatze. To me, all dogs were boys - I never had an inkling to have a girl. But hubby wanted a girl so we got Tatze. The puppies we have walked have been four girls and a boy. Zaba, who stays with us a lot, is a boy. Now I love both girls and boys. If I were getting another pet I wouldn't be able to choose at all. They are different for sure. Buys are far more WYSIWYG ( What you see is what you get). But girls are such FUN!
Have just read that of the 58 dogs running in the retriever championship, that 54 are Labs, 40 being dogs, 14 being bitches, 4 are Golden Retrievers and all dogs. Doesn't that say something about having boy
It might say that people who want to compete often choose boys because they can work all the time, whereas entire girls need time off for seasons. I'm not saying that is the reason, but I'm sure there's a lot more to it than just "boys are better" Correlation vs causation...
Have had boys and girls and from our experience the boys take a little longer to train as they are so interested in sniffing/marking but long term the boys have definitely been soppier and the girls more independent. That's just my experience though and personalities have played a big part. Of my two boy labs, my old yellow chap was a very big handsome boy and fairly lazy! Definitely a chilled dog. Not too interested in retrieving or learning new things. My new little black boy lab is full (I mean full!) of energy, always on the go until the evening when he crashes but much more eager to learn new things and very easy to train. Loves to retrieve. My rescue girl (lab mix) was impossible to train, no interest in food or anything other than chasing anything small and furry and very protective if her family. They have all been quite quite different, and that's half the fun. Have to admit to a bit of a soft spot for the boys though!
I've only ever had females (of different breeds) and in my experience females are just well... bitchier, lol. When I started searching for another dog, I knew I wanted a male hands-down. As far as labs go I've met females who run the gamut from testy to crazy wild to sugar-sweet and calm but all the males I've met have been more or less the same goofy, friendly idiots as my boy. I've noticed females tend to be easier to train and seem to have more of an attention span than males but of course there are always exceptions at either end. Teller is a very quick-learner and highly food-motivated but I have to keep the sessions super short or he starts getting silly. He has been extremely slow to mature as well. I just started his gun dog training at age 2 but it would have not been possible a year ago because he was just too spastic.
I think it is more than that - I think it's about testosterone = confidence, and greater physical strength and speed. No biggie, the girls will still hold their own in normal life, and an exceptional one will beat the odds and we'll cheer her on because she's brilliant.
