[mgflorian]

Hello Golden Retriever Lovers!

I'm Mindy and will adopt a 9 week old puppy this upcoming May! I have been researching everything under the sun to prepare myself for this bundle of joy! My biggest question right now is whether or not I should prefer one gender over another or if I should let the breeder decide. She's wonderful and definitely knows what she is doing when she matches puppies so I'm not worried - just curious if I should have a preference. Obviously, you can't go wrong either way because all goldens are great! Does anyone have opinions either way on this?

 

[Sweet Girl]

If you have no preference, I would go with the breeder's recommendation based on what you are looking for in your puppy personality-wise, energy-wise, etc.

Females are generally smaller than males.

Many females are a bit more independent - a bit more "love me" than "love you." (Males are love you). But that is by no means without exception. My first girl was quite independent; my current girl is very cuddly and snuggly. But you can still love and adore an independent girl, and she you - and you can have a super strong bond. They just aren't always all over you.

My personal experience is that the girls mature a bit faster than the boys. In my training group, the girls tend to seem to become more serious and more focused at a younger age than the boys, who tend to be more goofy and funny. But again, there are always exceptions (though, in my group of 11-12 dogs, all Goldens but one, there are no exceptions to that (and the female Lab is also more serious and focused)). But any and all Goldens, male or female, can be trained to do pretty much anything! They are all super smart and want to learn and please their people. That is almost without exception!

 

[Cpc1972]

I agree with sweet girls description of the difference. Jake was a in your face under your feet dog constantly. He was 90 lbs and well over the breed standards. Our girl Chloe is very independent. Although she likes to be around you she is happy just laying at your feet. She is very independent. She will climb up on your lap now. But she isn't super cuddly. She is a lot smaller then Jake. She is very petite and right in the breed standard at around 63 lbs. just a little thought to is you might want to think about spaying and neutering. If your planning on waiting until around two or so. A male you don't have to worry about a hest while a female you have to worry about that. But you really can't go wrong with either.

 

[nolefan]

If you're getting your puppy from a terrific, involved breeder, I would go with the breeder's choice. Talk about your life, all your hopes and expectations and plans, then trust your breeder. If he or she is interacting with these puppies every day for hours at a time, he or she will know them better than you ever could. I was always convinced I only wanted male dogs. I was raised with them and my entire life, my dogs were male. When I waited almost 2 years for a puppy from my dream litter, there wasn't a male available for me, I brought home a little girl and have never looked back - she is my HEART. We are very bonded because we do so much together, she is wonderful. Very different from my males who I love and have loved. I will never again have sex be a deciding factor in a puppy checklist. Good luck

 

[ceegee]

If you don't have a specific preference, I'd leave it up to the breeder.

My last golden was a female, but this time I decided on a male. Honestly, there isn't a lot of difference in terms of personality. My female was a velcro dog, the male is more independent. Both are (were) very easy to train - quick learners, very intelligent. The male perhaps needs a bit more human input, but I may be forgetting stuff, since it's almost ten years since my (now deceased) female was a pup. The male is from smaller lines, so he will end up around the same size as my female was (55 lbs).

The biggest difference probably comes from the issue of whether or not to spay or neuter. Many breeders these days are recommending that dogs should be left intact for at least 18 months before being spayed or neutered, so that they are fully grown before their hormonal system is altered. If your breeder has this clause in his or her contract, and if you intend to spay or neuter your dog, this means that a female will have at least one and probably two heats before you can do so. It's not a huge deal. A heat lasts about three weeks and most dogs will keep themselves very clean during that time. You just have to be careful when around other dogs. Having owned an intact female for many years, it's not something I would consider a criterion when choosing a male or a female.

Best of luck!