# Are male and Female Poodles really that different?



## Mindina (Jul 17, 2015)

Hello,

I have put a deposit down on a white female spoo (not going to be born for a while) and I plan to ask the breeder for the calmest puppy in the litter. My goal is to get a calm (calm for a poodle anyway, haha), confident, CUDDLY puppy (or at least one that will grow into a cuddly adult, I expect most puppies are too busy to want that). I am flexible on pretty much every aspect (color, etc) except I really do want a female as opposed to a male. I have had a few dogs of both genders, but my males have had dominance issues (perhaps due to improper training, all but one were family dogs.) My own dog was an adult male rescue with many issues. He was very cuddly and devoted but nervous, protective and constantly battling for dominance (using aggression to get what he wants/solve problems, whatever you want to call it). In my experience and what I keep reading is that females are more independent and distant, while males are more loving, cuddly and dependent on their owners. However I do know SOME female dogs that are cuddly and devoted. I never have had a poodle and I do not really know any very well. With this breed is this stereotype true?

So now I am not sure what to do, I really would prefer a female. I have put so much thought into getting this puppy for the last 2 years or so, I figure I should aim to get what I really want as this puppy will be a part of my family for the next 10 - 15 years and I doubt I will get a second dog in that time. I want to be able to groom my dog to look feminine and to wear bows, etc and I don't want to deal with incontinence in a male when my dog becomes a senior. Belly bands, etc are a pain and never stay in place. And I do not want to risk dealing with any dominance issues again. But it is important to me that my dog not be overly independent. I like a cuddly, devoted dog that will come with me everywhere I go happily. How much of this is really gender based? Or is it more how they are raised? Does anyone have a female poodle this way?

Thanks!


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## nifty (Aug 2, 2013)

Hi Mindina! I have heard this from time to time, too, and I am guessing it is more anecdotal than scientific! LOL 

I think that the poodle temperament itself is more important than any perceived gender differences. Obviously, some of the issue you mentioned can be observed more or less in males vs females due to varying hormonal influences. However, these issues are often mitigated by neutering and even without neutering by training and socialization.

I think poodles, both male and female, tend to be more people oriented than some other breeds and are particularly attached to their owners. The famous poodle lean is so endearing and I know that just about all of us - both male and female poodle owners - have experienced it!

It seems to me that your plan to ask your breeder for a calm and cuddly, human receptive puppy is going to be the best way to find your cuddly poodle companion. For that, it won't really matter if the puppy is male or female. Temperament is not really gender based.

For the record, my poodle is a female and she is a nice mix of confidently outgoing and calmly cuddly.


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## Poodlebeguiled (May 27, 2013)

Why Won't Dominance Die? | Association of Pet Behaviour Counsellors


https://apdt.com/pet-owners/choosing-a-trainer/dominance/



The Dominance Controversy | Philosophy | Dr. Sophia Yin, DVM, MS

I have had many male dogs and love them. They're in your face affectionate, good 'ole boy slobs, willing, trainable...just lovely. I've had some females too. Affectionate, but on their own terms in some cases, more independent, moody sometimes but again, I think breed has something to do with it sometimes. I personally lean toward males a little bit more but really, there's very little difference when it boils down to it. I have no idea what dominance is when it comes to domestic dogs.


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## Mindina (Jul 17, 2015)

Thanks for the replies,

nifty - that is reassuring, I hope you are right!

Poodlebeguiled - were any of your independent moody females poodles? As for dominance I may have used the wrong word. I do not mean that in the sense that when I raise my dogs I believe in "being the alpha" or blaming behavior on their "instincts" of dominance. What I have observed with my males though is aggression and attacking of only other male dogs/people, growling and attacking when on a couch/bed, biting/lunging when being approached if they are eating, etc. Most of this is learned behavior from bad experiences/handling deriving from anxiety and fear. But I have also never seen this behavior from any of my female dogs.


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## glorybeecosta (Nov 11, 2014)

I had one male my first and he was wonderful, did not pee on his front legs was a cuddle bug never was fixed but never marked, infact he squatted to pee (loved that). However I prefer females just because of the clothes you can get for them, although I did dress my mail in pink, some blue, nail polish and bows (husband then had a fit). Friends always said he was a sissy, but that was ok.


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## Caddy (Nov 23, 2014)

I prefer females, Abbey is playful and active but she also loves to cuddle and wants to be wherever I am.


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## lisasgirl (May 27, 2010)

I've heard this thing about female dogs being more independent than males, but I've never observed it in person. And I've lived with quite a few dogs. With poodles, I've only lived with one long-term and he's a male who's not all that cuddly - he's more interested in playing constantly and only settles down when he wants to chew on something. He doesn't really sit and just cuddle. I had a female foster poodle who was a cuddle machine, though. All she wanted to do was be near me. I only had her for a week or two before she got adopted out, but she was very sweet and clingy and just wanted to hang out on your lap all day. 

I really think it's much more of an individual personality thing than which sex they are, though I suppose hormones could push them one way or the other if you leave them intact long enough (I don't tend to keep intact dogs so I wouldn't know on that one).

Incontinence when they're older can be an issue for either sex, by the way - in fact, it's a common side effect of a botched spay in females. And you can dress a boy dog up however you want - trust me, they don't care. :act-up: That said, I tend to prefer female dogs as well so it's really up to you.


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## Viking Queen (Nov 12, 2014)

My whole life I have had female dogs. All have been well adjusted and bonded closely to me and all family members. They have been of various breeds. My two spoos and a spoo mix have bonded closely and are real cuddle bugs. As puppies they were zoomey, crazy and full of energy, but when tired would cuddle and even crawl into my lap. Iris is 13, a smallish spoo, and has been crawling into my lap since she was a wee one....she still does. One spoo girl was fairly alpha, but not overly dominant. Just "always in charge". 

I prefer females as this is what I am used to and understand and I never wanted to deal with inside marking, pee legs and other boy behaviors that friends have had to deal with.

Here is a picture of Iris at my cousins house, after a 10 hour drive to get there. She was tired and helped herself to the nearest avaiable friendly lap. You can see how "standoffish" and aloof she is....Ha Ha!


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## Mindina (Jul 17, 2015)

glorybeecosta - peeing on the legs/belly I forgot about that! haha I had a male chihuahua cross I used to put dresses and pink clothes on. He was ridiculed by people as well, though he had no clue hahaha

Caddy - your girl sounds just like what I want in my future pup!


lisasgirl - I do plan to fix my dog, however I am still undecided at what age to do so, I keep hearing conflicting opinions on that.

as for Incontinence, I did not mean to imply that only males have this issue but more so that it is easier to deal with in females imo. Males anatomy makes it hard to keep diapers/wraps from working effectively, they shift and pee ends up all over the place despite it being worn. Diapers on a female tend to work better in my experience.

I personally don't mind having a male dog look feminine and wear pink, I am not one for gender roles. But I do get annoyed with people constantly telling me that I'm cruel to put pink on a male (as if the dog knows that pink is considered a girl color )


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## Mindina (Jul 17, 2015)

Viking Queen said:


> My whole life I have had female dogs. All have been well adjusted and bonded closely to me and all family members. They have been of various breeds. My two spoos and a spoo mix have bonded closely and are real cuddle bugs. As puppies they were zoomey, crazy and full of energy, but when tired would cuddle and even crawl into my lap. Iris is 13, a smallish spoo, and has been crawling into my lap since she was a wee one....she still does. One spoo girl was fairly alpha, but not overly dominant. Just "always in charge".
> 
> I prefer females as this is what I am used to and understand and I never wanted to deal with inside marking, pee legs and other boy behaviors that friends have had to deal with.
> 
> Here is a picture of Iris at my cousins house, after a 10 hour drive to get there. She was tired and helped herself to the nearest avaiable friendly lap. You can see how "standoffish" and aloof she is....Ha Ha!


haha awe so cute! that photo made me smile.


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## TrixieTreasure (May 24, 2015)

I've had both males and females and I have never found much difference between the two. Temperament was the same and that was important to me. Maybe my females were a little more loving---well, I don;t know if I should really say that because my boys were really loving too and always eager to please. 

I think it's mostly a personal preference. After getting Trina and Kaydee, that's when I decided that I really liked having females. Can't even explain why; there's no logic to that way of thinking, but I just do. So if I ever get another Poodle, it will definitely be a girl.


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## lisasgirl (May 27, 2010)

Oh, in light of the "Puppy Reality" thread/sticky I wanted to point out that you're unlikely to have a very calm puppy - I mean, relative to other puppies she might be calm, but nowhere near as calm as she might be at 3 years or older. Just as a heads up.

Anyway, I'm sure you'll do fine with a female if that's what you prefer.


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## Mindina (Jul 17, 2015)

TrixieTreasure - While I have noticed a difference in males and females I tend to prefer females as well, I cannot fully explain why either

lisasgirl - That's ok, I wouldn't expect a puppy to be "calm", I remember what it's like having to deal with puppy energy. But I hope that by choosing the least crazy puppy in the litter that I can have a calmer adult in the future


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## glorybeecosta (Nov 11, 2014)

Mindina as you can see I love to dress them, these are 2 of my past dogs I lost in the last 4 years and Bella


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## Mindina (Jul 17, 2015)

glorybeecosta said:


> Mindina as you can see I love to dress them, these are 2 of my past dogs I lost in the last 4 years and Bella


omg I love those dresses! Sorry to hear about the passing of your other two, they look adorable


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## Poodlebeguiled (May 27, 2013)

Mindina said:


> Thanks for the replies,
> 
> nifty - that is reassuring, I hope you are right!
> 
> Poodlebeguiled - were any of your independent moody females poodles? As for dominance I may have used the wrong word. I do not mean that in the sense that when I raise my dogs I believe in "being the alpha" or blaming behavior on their "instincts" of dominance. What I have observed with my males though is aggression and attacking of only other male dogs/people, growling and attacking when on a couch/bed, biting/lunging when being approached if they are eating, etc. Most of this is learned behavior from bad experiences/handling deriving from anxiety and fear. But I have also never seen this behavior from any of my female dogs.


No, I really didn't see _very_ much independence....just an ever so slight bit with my Lab and the female mutt I had as a kid...remembering back. I don't really know. My little girl Chihuahua was pretty velcro, very bonded and attached, but still, I detected a slight little mind of her own here and there. But then, so do I with the Poodle boys. No, these are my first Poodles...my two year old boys. I seriously doubt it makes much difference. 

I do think a lot has to do with breed, not to mention individuals. I think that's the most influential. My Doberman breeder, when I asked about the differences said, "Dogs drool, bitches rule." LOL. That's with Dobermans. My Dobe was incredibly velcro and attached to me...not one bit "dominant" if that means pushy in a bad way. I think a lot of the behaviors people call dominant are just a matter of training. Reinforce what you like, prevent reinforcement for what you don't like and it will extinguish. 

Until just a couple weeks ago, both my Poodle boys were intact. One, I caught marking in the house when I thought all was well. It turned out, it was only the one. But I got them both neutered at over 2 years old. Anyhow, other than that, there was no aggression or other unwanted kinds of behavior due to being intact. They're wonderful together and with people and other dogs we meet. I'm very happy with how they've turned out.

It's really just personal preference. If you lean toward females, go with it. A couple of the dogs I've gotten, I chose male because I liked how males looked compared to females. For instance, GSD. I wanted a bigger, more masculine looking dog and there's quite a difference there between the sexes between male and female. Same with the Doberman. That was part of why I chose a male Doberman...plus what I had heard about the differences that other Dobe people had told me about. 

With the Poodles, that's all my breeder had at the time...boys. So, I went with the two boys, plus, I sort of lean toward boys anyhow. Don't like dealing with the heat cycles in females or the spay incontinence later in life that often occurs. 

I also prefer the dog to lift his leg on bushes in my landscaping because most of what I have are acid loving plants anyhow. lol. Going on the grass in one spot, as a female tends to do burns it. I'm an avid gardener and pretty picky about that. The male, if he lifts his leg will squirt it around so it's more dispersed and there's less burning. LOL. How's that for a new episode of *Gardening With Dogs*? :alberteinstein:

Oh, and one more thing: My Matisse was not what you'd call a calm puppy. He was hell on wheels...very busy, no time to cuddle for more than about one minute. Maurice, on the other hand was always calmer, less busy, always a cuddler for as long as anyone wanted to hold him. But now, at a little over 2 years old, Matisse is a major snuggler. He'll claw at me when I hold him to try and get closer yet to my body...just presses into me and puts his head on my shoulder. He loves to snuggle. He's still busy, but not nearly so much as he was. He's totally calmed down big time...very focused, very loving and adorable, just funny, silly, playful and interested in training because of that exuberant personality I think. He's just ready for life. So if a puppy is not calm when he's a puppy, don't think that's necessarily the way he'll be when out of puppy hood. 

Little Maurice, my black Poodle is more out of his shell that he was as a puppy...more playful, more exuberant and active, but still not anywhere close to hyper...more sloth-like. lol.

Anyhow, best wishes for a puppy with a great temperament.


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## Mindina (Jul 17, 2015)

Poodlebeguiled said:


> No, I really didn't see _very_ much independence....just an ever so slight bit with my Lab and the female mutt I had as a kid...remembering back. I don't really know. My little girl Chihuahua was pretty velcro, very bonded and attached, but still, I detected a slight little mind of her own here and there. But then, so do I with the Poodle boys. No, these are my first Poodles...my two year old boys. I seriously doubt it makes much difference.
> 
> I do think a lot has to do with breed, not to mention individuals. I think that's the most influential. My Doberman breeder, when I asked about the differences said, "Dogs drool, bitches rule." LOL. That's with Dobermans. My Dobe was incredibly velcro and attached to me...not one bit "dominant" if that means pushy in a bad way. I think a lot of the behaviors people call dominant are just a matter of training. Reinforce what you like, prevent reinforcement for what you don't like and it will extinguish.
> 
> ...



I agree with you on how males look, I prefer larger more muscular dogs. But I'm going to have to sacrifice that this time around haha.

I don't garden so I wont need to worry about burning the plants, so Im safe in that sense.

It's nice to hear that their cuddly-ness can change as they age.


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## zooeysmom (Jan 3, 2014)

I have always had a preference for female dogs, and Maizie is no exception to my feelings that girls are the most loving, sweet, and loyal. She is the most independent thinking female I've had, but she is no less cuddly and affectionate. There is NOTHING better than staring into her beautiful face, hugging her, and getting kisses. Boys are cool, but girls rule


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## Tiny Poodles (Jun 20, 2013)

I prefer females just because of how they pee. A really good and caring breeder should be able to make you the match that you need in either sex.


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## N2Mischief (Dec 3, 2012)

I have had boys and girls of different breeds. Both of my poodles have been girls. You couldn't get more cuddly and affectionate than Misha. She is on top of me all the time and doesn't let me out of her sight when Im home, which is most of the time. 

My boy dogs have been affectionate as well.

I have heard over and over that females love you and males are IN love with you. I haven't found it to be true. I also don't find my female any more independent than the males.

I think from now on I want females, just because I can't stand the lifting of legs. Though Emilio is totally housebroken, if he goes out in the garage he will mark stuff and I don't completely trust him at other people's houses. With my Misha, she is totally trusted no matter where we are. I know some females mark too, but Misha doesn't.


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## ericwd9 (Jun 13, 2014)

Vive La Differance!:amen:


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## MollyMuiMa (Oct 13, 2012)

I don't think sex makes such a big difference when it comes to whether or not a dog is cuddly....I think it is more breed/temperment related with a lot of environmental stuff thrown in too! Molly is loving without being 'in your face' and has gotten more physically affectionate as she has gotten older. Not clingy and in my lap all the time, but happy to settle next to me on the couch and nudge me when she wants a head scritch or a tummy rub. She has always been an 'old soul' even as a pup her energy level was never that of most puppies I ever raised......so I have to say, it is possible to find a 'calm' puppy, it is just not common!
My reason always having female dogs is purely esthetic ........ no lipsticks, no humping on my leg, no pee legs, no marking....


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## Poodlelvr (Mar 13, 2010)

Let me say a word for the boys. I have had 6 poodles in my adult life. Anytime I have searched for a new poodle and was asked if I wanted a male or a female, I said it didn't matter. I often ended up with males, because breeders tend to keep more females. The two dogs I would list as heart dogs were both males. Spooky was a black male. I can't imagine a dog more bonded to me than he was. He was so smart. He knew by watching me dress, if I was going to work or staying home.

Currently I have a male, Beau, and a female, Belle. Beau is very much more velcro than Belle. He is always where I am. Every morning he greets me as soon as I show signs of life. Belle prefers to sleep in, and may join us a few hours later. He is 10 years old and I adore this boy. Yes, Belle likes cuddling on my lap sometimes.

None of my boys have ever piddled on their legs or marked in the house. I would suggest going into this with an open heart and finding the sweetest puppy you can.


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## aasteapots (Oct 6, 2013)

My female Spoo was so snuggly and attached to the boys and me as well. She couldn't get enough of us. She was super duper snuggly and was always with me especially during my treatments. she wouldn't leave my side. Here she is on the bed with me during treatment with my son just watching TV and with my other son when he had the flu. :love2:


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## Dechi (Aug 22, 2015)

I've had lots of dogs, both sexes. My heart dogs have all been males. I don't know why, but I seem to bond more deeply with males, and them with me.

My current Tpoo is a male, very bonded to me and such a cuddler ! He would be on my lap every minute of the day if I let him ! And none of my males have ever lifted their legs inside. Males are just as reliable as females when trained properly.

I say follow your heart. You like females better, go with a female !


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## zooeysmom (Jan 3, 2014)

aasteapots said:


> My female Spoo was so snuggly and attached to the boys and me as well. She couldn't get enough of us. She was super duper snuggly and was always with me especially during my treatments. she wouldn't leave my side. Here she is on the bed with me during treatment with my son just watching TV and with my other son when he had the flu. :love2:


That is so precious :love2: She reminds me of my mom's female Shih Tzu who never left her side during her cancer treatments or when she was dying. The girls are so loyal.


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## West U (Jul 30, 2014)

All my girl dogs have been "thinkers", the boys a bit more headstrong and quicker to get into a tussle. The boys very sweet and affectionate. Our Corgi the exception to what we have experienced, really smart and pereceptive. Because of his breed he wants things inorder and controlled. Our 18 month old female SPOO strong personality, affectionate,, immature, very smart, and manipulaive.


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## Naira (Jan 9, 2015)

For reasons that are probably silly to most; I prefer females. 

I had a white mini that peed on his front legs from the age of 3 months old to almost 15 years old. I loved him, but it can get pretty frustrating. 

I don't know if I noticed huge personality differences between them. All my poodles had a mind of their own. Male or female...sometimes when I call they will look at me and think about it for a second, and then come...

I will say that Naira is the friendliest dog I've had by far, but probably the most neutral towards me. Not that she doesn't love me to death, but she appears to love everyone to death equally lol. My boy, when I got home it would be a good ten minutes of jumping at me and hugging my leg crazily...

When I come home to Naira, we have a very calm hello..no jumping just tail wagging and petting. I like it but some dog owners prefer more exuberant greetings

My girl Naira is fine to fall asleep intertwined with you, touching you...laying on you etc. My boy, would cuddle with you but he did not like to lay with you, or touch you for an extended period of time...he could not settle down with someone holding him or touching him..

Anyway...I believe either gender can have it all. Like tiny Poodles said, I prefer females mainly because of how they pee. After cleaning pee off a white dog's legs for over a decade...I didn't want to chance that again. You love the dog once they are there, but those little things can be bothersome.


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## Tiny Poodles (Jun 20, 2013)

Naira said:


> For reasons that are probably silly to most; I prefer females.
> 
> 
> 
> ...



Oh yes, if I got a boy who was a lifter, or a leg wetter, I would love him anyway and deal with it, but as long as I have choice, why not choose the easier one.
Although Ms. Teaka, as she has gotten older, she is angling more as she pees, and it is taking two 36" pads underneath a tray with a 36" pad, to contain MOST of her pee (sigh). And because of her sloppiness, I have to keep a separate tray in another room for Timi because Timi is perfect on an 18" pad, and I don't want her to learn any bad habits from Teaka....


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## BeBe67 (May 13, 2015)

I have had both male and female poodles. I would have to say I prefer females. All of them have been very cuddly and sweet. Brandie is like Velcro to me for the past 9 yrs. Luna is like velcro to my daughter and even cries when she walks out the door and she doesn't get to go with her, they are sooooo attatched to each other. My past boy poodles were sweet nice little dogs. BUT boy #2 was "in love" with one of my sofa cushions. He tried to hump on it constantly. And when I would take it away from him he would sit and look at it and cry. I don't know what the deal was with him and that pillow. He acted like that even though he had been neutered and never bred. So after that I decided that I would just get female dogs from now on


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## Carolinek (Apr 2, 2014)

I've personally owned seven dogs- four males and three females. Different breeds- no purebred poodles, but now I own two poodle mixes. Also fostered over 30 dogs.

None of my male dogs have lifted their legs in the house, and one of them came to us at age five, intact. Some fosters did- but that's a different story, and not relevant for you as you will have a puppy.

My experience has been that males are more bonded, but not necessarily more cuddly or affectionate. Of my two poodle mixes, Lily is the most cuddly dog I've ever had. She is always on my lap and is so sweet. Also very in tune with me in agility. But I think if something happened to me, and someone else came in and did all the things I do, she would adjust just fine. I don't think Max would. 

Max is not as cuddly as Lily, and is not a lap dog, but he is incredibly bonded to me. A couple examples:

- When we went to Germany a few years ago, my daughter stayed with the dogs , and he slept in front of the garage door waiting for us to come back. He ate and went out to do his business, but spent the rest of the time sitting in front of the door. 

- When I'm working from home, but busy, my husband will walk the dogs. Max refuses to go, and instead sits next to me. When I'm not home- he goes willingly. They're not potty walks, as we have a doggy door and fenced yard, so he's not holding it unnecessarily- but he chooses to miss his walk- which he loves.

I love them all, but there is something different about the boy bond from my experience.


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## JudyD (Feb 3, 2013)

We have a male and a female--they're pretty much in line with the received wisdom that males are more affectionate than females. Both dogs stay with me most of the time, but Blue stays closer. Jazz likes to be petted, but she doesn't actively seek it out as much as Blue. He's much more likely to do the "poodle lean," as another poster called it, leaning into me for as long as I'm willing to pet him. He's also likely to try to get between Jazz and me, if he sees her being petting. There isn't anything aggressive or worrisome about it, and he never shows any sort of resource guarding, so I ignore it and continue to pet both of them at the same time. Jazzie, on the other hand, usually can't be bothered to walk across the room for a lovefest just because Blue is cuddling. Of course, there's no way to know how much is a male/female trait and how much is just the way these two dogs are. In any event, I love them both and don't have a preference for one sex or the other (although I will say females are much cleaner pee-ers).


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## TeamPoodle (Aug 10, 2015)

I grew up with a female tpoo, and my husband grew up with intact male golden retrievers. The whole marking, lifting their leg when peeing, and the need to mark the entire block on a walk made me nervous about owning a male dog, but Riley doesn't do any of that. He actually squats when he pees. As a side note, none of the dogs my husband grew up with did any of that either, and they were not only intact but sired a few litters as well.

Our female tpoo was a bit more aloof. She liked to be pet, but she would walk away from you when she had enough "people" time and would go curl up to sleep in peace. In fact, she goes to bed in my parents' bed, but often will have enough of their tossing and turning and go sleep in a different room mid-way through the night. Our neighbor's male tpoo growing up loved to play but didn't enjoy cuddles. He would squirm out of your arms, refuse to sit next to you on the couch... very reserved. With Riley? As soon as you sit down he's there, and if you try to move, he becomes a "brick". No amount of affection is enough for this boy, he would be happy to be cuddled all day. Is this a male thing versus female thing? I don't have enough experience to say but I think it is more of an individual personality thing. 

My advice would be: if you want a female, there's really nothing wrong with that, get a female and you'll probably be very happy with your decision. However, if you go in it with an open mind, thinking that "I want a female, but if I really click with a male spoo, I'll go with him" you might be more likely to find your cuddler. I wanted a female, but since we rescued Riley we didn't have a choice in his gender. And I wouldn't trade him for the world. He bonded with me immediately and is the sweetest pup.


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## Naira (Jan 9, 2015)

Carolinek said:


> Lily is the most cuddly dog I've ever had. She is always on my lap and is so sweet. Also very in tune with me in agility. But I think if something happened to me, and someone else came in and did all the things I do, she would adjust just fine. I don't think Max would.
> 
> Max is not as cuddly as Lily, and is not a lap dog, but he is incredibly bonded to me. A couple examples:
> 
> ...


Your dog Lily is how I would describe Naira. Your dog Max reminds me of my ex boyfriends Jack Russell boy. So devoted to him and only him. If we were all playing in a dog park and my ex went to the car, he would stop what he was doing...run to the gate and bark for him until he came back. It was very sweet. 

I'm probably better off with a dog like Naira or Lily. If I'm honest with myself, I'm not home as much as other dog owners are. Next year I'm going to be utilizing doggy day care a lot and drop in visits so Naira doesn't have to go long periods for multiple days at home alone. 

My ex's dog would absolutely be sick with anxiety without seeing him. He wasn't the type of dog that could adjust well with having a caretaker for the weekend or going to daycare for the day because he was so strongly bonded to my ex. This was a Jack Russell with almost PERFECT recall since he was a puppy because he was so devoted to his owner. Even in a busy park with so many distractions, he didn't stray too far away from him and was always in tune to whatever he said.

Admirable devotion but a dog like that is not a match for me. Maybe when I'm retired


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## Mindina (Jul 17, 2015)

aasteapots said:


> My female Spoo was so snuggly and attached to the boys and me as well. She couldn't get enough of us. She was super duper snuggly and was always with me especially during my treatments. she wouldn't leave my side. Here she is on the bed with me during treatment with my son just watching TV and with my other son when he had the flu. :love2:


awe I love this, really cute photos


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## Mindina (Jul 17, 2015)

Thanks for your input everyone!

Sounds like I do not need to worry too much about finding a female spoo that is affectionate. But I will be going into this with an open mind, if a male in the litter seems to be more suitable for me than any of the females, I will go for the male.


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## lily cd re (Jul 23, 2012)

My velcro poodle is Lily. I cannot sleep without finding that she has pasted herself to my side or draped herself over me. Javelin is very sweet and lovey dovey. He clearly identifies himself as mine more than anyone else's dog. During the day he sticks close by, but at night he usually likes to sleep on the tiles floor near the front door. So my feeling is it can go either way.

The basic temperament matters more than the sex of the dog I think.


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## Sayde (Sep 28, 2015)

This thread has been very helpful to me. I have a strong preference for a female but as a result of reading these posts, if my breeder of choice told me that she had a male puppy that was very calm, sweet, and the one she thought was best matched to me, I would probably take him.


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