I have one of each right now and I love them both. Boys are more derpy as puppies if you know what I mean and girls learn faster, IMO. My boy is definitely the cuddler of the two. He is very very sweet and loving. My shadow. My girl is getting more loving by the day, but she’s not much of a cuddler. She likes to check in and give kisses and then go chew on a bone or an antler instead of laying on your feet. They are equally playful and they both love to train. I’m not sure that training one sex is easier than the other, just that girls learn faster at a younger age, but boys are more consistent and less moody as adults.

These are just my personal anecdotes. Every dog is different and I know of some girls that are very cuddly and are just as attached as boys are. I think as long as you have chosen the right breed, the sex doesn’t really matter as much at first. You may develop a preference over time - most people do I think.

 

I prefer the boys. I have two. My best connections to dogs lifelong has been with the males.

Within goldens the difference is not huge. A greater importance is the temperament and socialization of the individual dog.

It is easier to live with an intact male than an intact female.

ArkansasGold expresses my opinion well above.

The adage is that all goldens are loving; male goldens as “I love you, I love you,” and female goldens as “Love me, love me.”

Good luck.

 

The adage is that all goldens are loving; male goldens as “I love you, I love you,” and female goldens as “Love me, love me.”

I have totally found this adage to be true. I grew up with female dogs and so with my current puppy wanted something different, so I picked a male golden. He is the sweetest, derpiest puppy-- he loves to snuggle with me while I read or watch tv but is pretty high energy when we go outside to walk or play. I would probably go with another boy if I got a second pup.

 

I have owned both and I prefer males. I also leave my males intact. The above is in my opinion correct, males are all love toward you and females want you to love them. I also like a very active dog that never wants to stop, which for some is not desirable. We live an active lifestyle and they have all been hunt trained. My female was your perfect fire place dog if you will. My males are constantly tossing a ball at me to get me to play. My current 9 year old still will play and run non stop. There is nothing I could ask him to do that he wouldn't do for me. With my female I felt like it was more of what she wanted to do for me.

I will say that for a first time dog owner, or male owner, there may be a few things to learn. They will mark their scent, but you can teach them to be appropriate. If you have two intact males you need to have a firm handle on obedience. I currently have my two males, Duke is 9, Moe is 1, and I am puppy sitting my sons 4 month old female lab for 10 days. They have obviously played together before, but they accept her easily. (Moe wishes she would go home, but he's nice) If I bring my sons 5 year old intact male lab in I have to be on my toes. It can be done, but as I said obedience comes in to play. They are all field bred, high energy, and Duke and Whiskey (my sons 5 year old) have very dominant personalities.

I think it depends on your situation. I have found that people that prefer intact males have a definite opinion, but the things I love may be the things you hate. I want a confident, ready, powerhouse that loves me. I want to know that the minute I walk in is the best time of his day. With my female I felt like the treat I gave her was better then me just being there. (Maybe that was just her though) She was easier to deal with as a puppy.

 

I agree with Maegan and for that reason I prefer a female. That being said, Maggie is my first female. I love that she comes over and gives me kisses and wants to lay right beside me but doesn't smother me. She is extremely smart and sensitive and very gentle.

Jules

 

I had female dogs all my life, but lost my last one - my heart dog - to cardiac hemangiosarcoma at age 8. I found it impossible to move ahead and get another pup until a friend - the breeder of the girl I lost - suggested that I get a male dog instead of a female. So that is what I did. He's three years old now. And I think my future dogs will be males too.


In fact, I've had the opposite experience to some of the previous posters. My female dog was a real cuddle bug. In the evenings she would climb up into my armchair and sit with me for hours. At agility trials, she would also climb up into my chair with me. She didn't really "do" floors. My male is the complete opposite. He likes to be close but will not share a chair. If he's on the couch and I go to sit with him, he will stay for a short while, and then will move. Same thing on the bed: he will come and lie next to me for a few minutes, then goes and curls up on a distant corner.


But: he's by far the easiest dog to train that I've ever had. Very intuitive, understands quickly and complies perfectly. The perfection thing is a bit of a drawback in agility (you need a bulldozer, not a thinker), but he's gaining speed in the ring as he gains confidence and I'm excited about our future. He's also been easier as a family dog. My female was truly "my" dog: she had little to no interest in the other members of the household. Although the male also considers himself to be primarily "my" dog and, if forced to make a choice, will choose me, he'll willingly go for walks with the other family members too, and will even run agility with my daughter - something Ruby would never do. So he's a bit more flexible in that respect.


As someone else said, it's also easier to own an intact male than an intact female. There are no heat cycles to deal with. The downside of an intact male is that, while my dog is a real sweetheart, some other dogs don't like him because he's intact, so I have to be careful in certain situations.


Although he's a complex individual, he's more straightforward in many of the ways that count. I enjoy him immensely. He's been a revelation to me, after a lifetime of female dogs, and a real game-changer. In the OP's shoes I wouldn't hesitate to take a male puppy. They are just as awesome as females.

 

I have had 3 females and one male in my life - but only females on my own as an adult. I will always choose females.

I like that they "serious up" sooner. Boys tends to stay goofier and funnier longer. I think both are absolutely highly trainable if you have a well-bred Golden, but you just tend to get more focus a little sooner with girls (in my experience).

My experience has also aligned with males being "I love you," and females being "love me." Shala is very cuddly and loves to sit on my lap, loves hugs, loves to be touching me, but there is still that subtle difference and she is STILL a "love me" typical female. My last girl was more a "typical" female in that she was not at all cuddly - she was perfectly fine being at the other end of the couch, okay with just being in the same room as me, and not on top of me. She did not like to be hugged. But none of that affected our bond - she was my heart and soul. We had a connection that had nothing to do with cuddliness.

On the purely practical side, I am not a very big person and I like smaller dogs. Females are generally smaller than males.

 

I've had 2 girls and now a boy. I have been beyond happy with either gender. I think individual dog personality can be as much of a factor as gender. Like others have said, it's a Golden, they are all likely to be people loving, affectionate, and trainable. Rukie is a nice mellow guy but he's bigger, rougher, and more stubborn than the girls were. I would lean toward a female next time because I'm not young and a gentler girl might be easier but I wouldn't rule out a male.

 

Oh, there's just something about the boys that makes my heart go all a'flutter. I do love the boys.

They are bigger, of course. So if you're in a small apartment, a girl might be better. Boys can also be more physical, stronger of course, and kind of a clueless bull in a china shop (like men, LOL!). I have a boy who can clear a coffee tail with his tail and have no clue that he's done it.

But there's just something about the boys...

 

I've had both and love them all, maybe I've just been fortunate. My current girls are snuggly, close and dedicated as any of the boys were. I tend to pick a certain personality and not too concerned with gender. When it fits it doesn't really matter to me. LOL when they sit & focus on me when I enter the room and make eye contact that follows me wherever I walk, that's my pup!

 

My first dog was a boy, and the two after have been girls. When I set out for a puppy after Bear died I was dead set on a boy. I missed Bear and wanted another one just like him. The breeder I was invested in and the litter I was hoping for had a surplus of girls and a shortage of boys. Lana's breeder was so sweet and said early on it's most likely she won't have a boy for me and if I'm dead set on a boy she will refer me to another breeder whose got a lot of boys and few girls. At this point my reservations over a girl was basically "I don't want Gypsy my current girl to hate her and have bitches at each other's throats" (which I've heard can be common, and my experience with Bear is he was very intolerant of other males, so I figured it would be the same with girl and Gypsy). And my final concern was "omg but I want to keep her intact and that means heats and what if she gets knocked up? What if I'm not cut out to be the owner of an unaltered girl???" but my breeder was very realistic of what her heat will look like and the precautions we will need to take, etc. And having survived her first heat a month ago (it was way less of an ordeal as I had made it out to be in my head).

Having said all that, I don't know if I'd go back to boys. Lana is way more laid back than Bear was (and way more laid back than even her own brothers). She is excelling as my partner and is still as cuddly as Bear was (more frenetic but that's cause she's a puppy still). She is my shadow. She lays behind me as I do dishes. She lays on her mat (out of the kitchen) when I'm cooking. She follows me to the bathroom. She hugs me when I'm sad. She gives sweet kisses and lays in my lap for cuddles. Everything Bear would do. She is still goofy. Idk about these "girls mature faster and get serious" are talking about. Maybe i got the girl who is really a boy at heart? She matures like her brothers (and daddy) and is a massive energetic goofball (but look at who her owner is... a massive, easily excited, goofball).

 

What should we know about a boy dog vs. a girl. Do you see any reason not to open our minds to this?

It's easier owning boys than the girls simply because they have no seasons to go through and you don't have to neuter them ever - which means you never have to deal with spay coat. '

And my biased opinion - they also are bigger, prettier and better than the girls PERIOD. :grin2:

Speaking as an owner of 2 boys... I am struggling with the inclination to get a third puppy (litter I'm in love with has boys available). I probably will NOT go that route simply because I have a 12 month old whose world is quickly opening up right now. Meaning, I'm scheduling him for his first obedience trials in fall and I really want him to have most of the focus for the next 2 years getting the obedience titles I want with him (he is trained through open and dipping his baby toes into utility stuff). If I had more than one puppy - that would blow his brain and there's a risk of him bonding with the other pup more than me. And the new pup getting short changed and bonding more with Jovi simply because they would be very close in age and thicker than thieves.

I let my dogs hang together and I want them bonded, but I'm their natural packleader and they want to be with me more than even being with each other.

^^^ My point in saying all that is situational as far as how velcro or owner focused a pup is - it all depends on the owner's ability to focus on that pup and build him up without being spread too thin.

Other point in saying all the above is I'm semi thinking about getting a third male pup.

There's NO WAY I'd ever consider bringing a bitch pup home with the boys I have right now. I know too many good breeders who have accidental litters (one has a litter where the mom is 1.5 years old and literally the oops happened when breeder thought girlie was past the danger zone and breeding happened in seconds). That's my worst nightmare and a reason why I've never considered getting a girl. I could not give up having at least 2 boys.

Other thing I've heard, btw.... I've never had problems with multiple boys. They are mellow, happy, playful... worst I've seen is the two I have right now play pretty rough. And I mean them jumping like 3 feet in the air and body slamming each other. >.<

Have heard from other people that they've had issues owning multiple girls. They can be a little snarky with each other. Moody.

 

before getting mine i was searching here to find out what shall i get and the differences, someone wrote the best way to describe it is boys says I Love you, while girls says Love me for some reason it made sense to me and now i have one "I love you" and two "Love me"

you will enjoy whatever you decide, best of luck and keep us posted.

 

Thank you!

Thank you for your responses!! I don't think it convinced me either way, but that's kind of nice. It shows it really is about the breeder and puppy itself. I am actually leaning towards a boy now and my husband is okay with it. Or at least telling the breeder to pick the most affectionate, gentle one for us in whatever gender?

Question though - girls squat but do all boy dogs lift their leg? I don't like that at all. And do they hump? We would eventually neuter or spay or whichever one it is. But that's also something that you never have to worry about with a girl. Thanks again for the info!!!!!

 

Question though - girls squat but do all boy dogs lift their leg? I don't like that at all. And do they hump? We would eventually neuter or spay or whichever one it is. But that's also something that you never have to worry about with a girl. Thanks again for the info!!!!!

Luna is my 4th golden. I've had 3 females and 1 male and my females were definitely the humpers!!! I never had an issue with my male humping!

Also, I've never seen this before but my son's female rescue mixed breed lifts her leg to pee!! They think she was about 2 when they got her so not sure if it has something to do with her time with her previous owners??

 

not all boys lift their legs,i saw saw some adult boys squat and i believe i read it on this form too.. and humping got nothing to do with neutering, it is something you can train him, ... best of luck

 

The worst “Humper” I know is a spayed female. Humping has nothing to do with gender, it’s a training issue.

 

My almost three year old boy squats to pee, but he also only had a girl in the house to learn from.


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I've had two males and one female-none ever humped......

My two boys lifted their leg and/or squatted.

 

Question though - girls squat but do all boy dogs lift their leg? I don't like that at all. And do they hump? We would eventually neuter or spay or whichever one it is. But that's also something that you never have to worry about with a girl. Thanks again for the info!!!!!

So Bear squatted to pee until he was 2.5 years old and our golden girl foster lifted to mark on walks. And that taught Bear to lift to pee. I'm sure he would have squatted his whole life is she hadn't taught him. I'd NEVER see a girl pee like that but dang was she good at it. And all the puppies I've had humped (except Gypsy but she is SUPER submissive so I wonder if it even entered her head as a possible action). Bear and Lana humped. A bunch of my foster puppies humped. Bear used to just air hump over toys or his bed when he was over excited. Lana only humps when she is excited or when she playing with me on the couch she'll half climb up and then do this small air hump which my husband is convinced is her "trying to get up the rest of the way" but I'm right there... it's 100% a hump. I just tell her to knock it off and give me the toy and she does and we go back to playing. Humping can 100% be trained as a no-no. The only dogs I've seen where humping was like crazy insane was with owners that never corrected the behavior. If the dog knows humping gets corrected, they are less likely to do it and if they do they are more easily redirected. Back when I used to take Bear to the dog park, that was my biggest pet peeve. Owners whose dogs humped the other dogs and they refused to deal with it. Great way to start a dog fight is if your dog humps a dog that doesn't like it.

 

I have had only females my dog when i was little female and my dog now is

She is sweet, gives hugs and kisses, cuddles, is my shadow, like my dog when i was little. We are super close.

My husbands 2 dogs growing up were males and although he loved both of them, for him having a female now he says he prefers females he says she is much more loving, gentle and easy going.

I think everyone is different and is going to bond/like different sexes for different reasons.

Good luck!!!

My husbands male lab squatted to pee, I'm not sure why but he says the Vet told him its because he was Neutered before the age of 1? (this was back in the early 80's so the those practices were different) so i don't know.

 

I think how cuddly and affectionate a Golden is reflects the individual dog's temperament more than which sex it is. Same with how intelligent and trainable. With our first Golden, I wanted a female thinking a girl would be easier to manage. Since only males were available from the litter we were looking at we got a male. He was wonderful, able to make everyone feel that they were the one that he truly loved. Although a high energy dog, he didn't lift his leg much and humping was never a problem but he was neutered at maybe 7 months, much earlier than is recommended today. Our 2 female Goldens have been very loving but I would say more independent than the boys. Gracie (our 3rd Golden) is probably the most intelligent of our dogs, Zoe was probably the least but she made up for it with her beauty and sweet temperament. Our 4th Golden is the year old son of Gracie, almost as smart as his mother, a very quick learner, very biddable and loving. He's not neutered and started lifting his leg, apparently on his own initiative a few months ago. I'm training him not to lift his leg on fence, mail, light posts etc. This morning when out running free with a 5 month old male Golden, for the first time I saw him start trying to hump the younger dog. So that needs some attention.

Of course males generally are larger and stronger and a female's seasons have to be dealt with, but my advice would be to put more focus on the temperament than the sex when choosing a pup.

 

I prefer boys. More loving then girls.

 

When we got our golden Thor way back in 2000, I wanted a female. My parents had had female goldens when I was growing up so it was a "habit" formed decision. I thought males might be more aggressive, etc.

Our breeder steered us towards a male. She said they were often more loving etc. We followed her advice. Thor was wonderful -- the canine love of my life.

When we chose our new puppy Loki, I specifically asked for a male dog. He's still a puppy (7.5 months) and is a big goofball. So loving and affectionate. And my daughter's 7 year old male golden is one of the sweetest dogs I've ever known. (Re peeing: he still squats; my recollection is that Thor squatted for a long time before switching.)

One other small consideration that I appreciate more now (besides how loving male goldens can be) is that I didn't want to have to deal with a dog in heat, etc. Small issue, but one to consider.

 

Thank you all for these responses! It's really been helpful to me, as another person waiting for the right puppy! I'm also missing my female, but wanting my next golden to be a great personality to train for therapy. Your experiences above help me a lot! ?

 

We just went through this ssame thing! I don't that I have much wisdom to add to the good feedback you've already gotten, but I'll add my .02 from the past 6 weeks with Wilson.

I've always had female dogs, from childhood through adulthood. Ivy, our female Golden, is 9. When we were looking into getting a second dog, I automatically thought "girl," and began communicating with breeders about a girl. Then one litter had only one girl, another we were to far down the list, etc. In the end we circled back to a breeder who had had room on the list for boys, and said we'd take a boy.

Ivy is mellow and kind, if a little neurotic. She gives endless love and needs the same amount, endlessly. She's still quite active and they wrestle/play a lot, sometimes very roughly - though both seem to be able to communicate when it's time for a time out, etc. Wilson is (for the most part) respectfull of her. He's alert, confident, and relentlessly optimistic, while at the same time having a sort of "settled" energy. We just adore him.

Sort of like the "love me" vs "I love you" adage, I heard that with boys, it's "what can I do for you?" and with girls it's a little more, "what have you done for me lately?"

Again, we are only 6 weeks into this adventure. Wilson will be 14 weeks tomorrow. But so far, I am really happy we got a boy. Whether that just because of who THIS boy is, or because of some of his male energy, I can't say.

Good luck!

 

Sort of like the "love me" vs "I love you" adage, I heard that with boys, it's "what can I do for you?" and with girls it's a little more, "what have you done for me lately?"

Yes! I know Barb (Hotel4Dogs) once described Shala's father Tito that way - she said he wakes up every morning saying, "what can I do for you today?!" When she said that, I was like, wow - my girls, including Tito's daughter, have NEVER been that way. I thought it was a really clear description of the differences. It doesn't mean the girls aren't totally loveable and sweet as pie - it's simply a subtle difference in attitude I guess. I feel like Shala wakes up saying, "how much are you going to love me today?" :smile2: And she always gets the same answer - a LOT!

 

Our first three Goldens were girls. Then we got Seamus, Lincoln and Bear and will never go back. We love our boys and they ADORE us. All of our girls were great, loving, smart and affectionate. Although they loved us, our boys are IN love with us. They are so goofy and have such big personalities, they always make us chuckle.

All three of my males squatted and they never humped. This habit is not limited to males. Females do as well.

That being said I think it’s wise to be opened to any sex and let the breeder pick for you. Goldens are wonderful, wonderful pets as you know, and you just can’t go wrong no matter what the sex is. Good luck and please post pictures.

Lincoln on the left, 11 years old and Bear, on the right, 1 year old.