Selecting a male or female dog is largely a matter of personal choice. I recommend looking at the individual dog vs trying to “box in” what a male dog or female dog is like. That being said, I would like to clarify some of the stereotypes out there on boys vs girls as pets!
First thing I hear, is that folks want a cute cuddly little girl puppy. I am hear to say, that boys are just as cuddly as girls (maybe even more so in some individuals!!) If you think about the male dogs nature- it is their desire to go out and socialize so they can find a mate. So, they tend to be more social, more playful, and love affection. They tend to enjoy meeting new dogs more than females.
Marking- many people think males will mark their territory. I’m hear to say, BOTH MALES AND FEMALES MARK THEIR TERRITORY! Yes, an UNNEUTERED male will definitely mark more frequently than any others. But, if neutered by 6-9 months, this behavior dissipates. An unspayed female will also mark more than spayed dogs. Both males and females that are fixed and house trained will have less marking tendencies.
Aggression- Both genders can be/become equally aggressive if they are not spayed or neutered. Spaying and neutering really mellows out both males and females.
Take into consideration other pets in the home- If you already have a female dog, I would highly recommend a male. Generally, a male is happy to let a female be the leader, and they get along wonderful. If you already have a male, I would consider either male or female. 2 neutered males get along wonderful, like brothers. They also get along with a sister! (boys are easy! LOL) My least favorite pairing is 2 females. They tend to both want to be leader of the pack, and a lot more clashing.
A quick note not necessarily about male vs female- I get asked “when should I spay or neuter my dog?” a lot. I know there’s a lot of people (even vets) that are now saying its best for the dog to go through their first heat or wait til 2 years of age etc. Maybe that works for them. But, in my opinion, a typical dog owner is NOT prepared to deal with a female in season. The drive to breed and reproduce is STRONG. Unless you have a kennel area to keep her confined for a full 2 weeks minimun when they are in season, I do not recommend waiting til after your female goes into heat. They will sneak out of the house and find a hubby!! They will find a way LOL. Its also MESSY… so if you don’t have an area in your house for messes…. you’ll be dealing with diapers. I don’t recommend it!! On the flip side, I don’t recommend waiting til a male is marking to neuter. As soon as they start lifting the leg, (usually at 6-9months) I like to get them neutered. It makes life easier and they don’t get any bad habits of marking to set in.
If you limit yourself to just choosing from 1 of the 2 sexes, you immediately reduce your choices by 50%! In eliminating 1/2 your choices you could be removing the best puppy for your family. (this can me applied to color too!) The more open to things like either gender you are, the more likely you are to end up with the best possible match for you/your family!!