# Male or female standard poodle puppy???



## DrSDOH (Feb 19, 2017)

Hello all: I am down to the wire. I've committed to adopting my new fur baby from a breeder and I am unsure as to whether I should get a male or female? I have only had small dogs (pugX ~20lbs and miniature poodle ~15lbs) so size is somewhat a concern. I have only only owned male dogs (I never even thought about the sex, I just let the dog pick me and it worked great). My mini was my shadow until he passed last year at 14 yrs. Wanted nothing more than to be as close to me as possible...AT ALL TIMES. My pugX is sweet, laid back, and mostly does his own thing. Not a cuddle bunny (he is 19 - yep, I know what this means for bringing in a new puppy). With this being said, any thoughts on potential differences in temperament between sexes? Please advise.


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## zooeysmom (Jan 3, 2014)

When it comes to all breeds, I generally prefer female dogs, because I find them to be super loving and really connect with me, although males tend to be more laidback and happy-go-lucky--not as moody. 

However, with spoos...both sexes are wonderful and I think you should choose based on the individual temperament. My female is more headstrong, but the most outgoing and loving dog ever. My male is the typical happy-go-lucky goofy, sweet boy who has been easier to train. He's only 7 mos. so I hope he stays this sweet! I really love having one of each sex. 

This was probably the least helpful response possible, sorry :lol: And congrats on your puppy!! Can't wait to hear which one becomes yours.


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## DrSDOH (Feb 19, 2017)

Believe it or not, this is helpful. You've confirmed something that I've heard quite a bit which is that males can be a bit more silly/goofy and females more independent. The breeder will select the exact puppy, I only request male/female and color. This is a new world for me as I have always just let the dog choose me....has worked well. I do plan to do agility and a good deal of training. My little ones ruled the house but this was never a problem for "pocket puppies". Given my lack of experience with larger dogs I feel that obedience and agility will be good for both of us (exercise, mindful activity, bonding) so one that is responsive to training would be important. I sure hope the breeder is on her toes..... I am excited and yet so nervous!


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## DrSDOH (Feb 19, 2017)

Oh! One more thing, it looks like the male will be quite tall at around 26 inches with (very long legs at ~4 wks). Not sure this matters in the grand scheme of things. Just putting it out there. Not sure how tall the female will be.


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## zooeysmom (Jan 3, 2014)

Oh good, glad I could be of some help  Oh, and because males tend to be bigger and taller, they require more groceries, can be in the bigger weight category for heartworm and flea meds, and they can reach more things when they learn to counter surf!


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## Verve (Oct 31, 2016)

I don't know if this is relevant but many (not all) Obedience people prefer dogs to bitches. The conventional wisdom is that many times the girls pick things up faster, but the boys are more straightforward. My first poodle's breeder talked about girls being more likely to sulk when things weren't going their way, and another talked about the girls having hidden agendas. A trainer friend who *does* like girls said she enjoys the challenge. You get the picture! Again, this is all in the context of one performance sport.


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## DrSDOH (Feb 19, 2017)

Verve said:


> I don't know if this is relevant but many (not all) Obedience people prefer dogs to bitches. The conventional wisdom is that many times the girls pick things up faster, but the boys are more straightforward. My first poodle's breeder talked about girls being more likely to sulk when things weren't going their way, and another talked about the girls having hidden agendas. A trainer friend who *does* like girls said she enjoys the challenge. You get the picture! Again, this is all in the context of one performance sport.


YES!!! This is VERY important information. I have a hubby who sulks when things do not go his way so I am not sure I can manage two of these types in the house... ;-) "Trainability" for a lack of better words, will be very important. I am certainly very patient, but I also know my limitations. My mini was head honcho. He simply ran the household as he pleased and I let it happen. All he had to do was look at me, whine, climb wherever, crawl up my chest to lay his head under my neck....you name it. I know, it's pathetic. He even sat in my lap at the dinner table (I know...it's bad). He would also whine to go upstairs to bed (when he was done for the night) or to make you come sit next to him on the sofa. I simply could not resist. He had me wrapped around his tiny paw. 

I know the standard will be different. My point in saying all of this is that I have a pattern of being easily manipulated by my fur babies and I am trying to turn over a new leaf.


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## zooeysmom (Jan 3, 2014)

MCG said:


> *I know the standard will be different.* My point in saying all of this is that I have a pattern of being easily manipulated by my fur babies and I am trying to turn over a new leaf.


Hahahahaha, a standard will only be different if you train it to be! They can be extremely manipulative because they are so sweet and cute, it's hard to say no. But be firm for your sanity  I just had to banish Maizie from the bed again because she hogs the whole thing and I can't get a good night's sleep. I bought her a nice new memory foam bed for her crate so I can feel a little less guilty, but those eyes...it's hard to say no to her when she just wants to snuggle against me.


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## Asta's Mom (Aug 20, 2014)

I have a male standard. He is affectionate, cuddly and was very easy to train. Good luck with your new puppy, whatever the sex.


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## DrSDOH (Feb 19, 2017)

zooeysmom said:


> Hahahahaha, a standard will only be different if you train it to be! They can be extremely manipulative because they are so sweet and cute, it's hard to say no.
> 
> Uh oh..... Sounds like a potentially common trait and that I am the one that will need the training. Zola slept in the bed every night since the day he came home. On the first night, he was supposed to sleep in his pen. That little dog whined for about 10 minutes and when he realized it wasn't working, I watched him quietly climb over the top and BACK DOWN the other side (it was like spiderman). He ran over to the sofa when I was lying, propped his tiny paws up on the side, I picked him up....and it was game over. Let's not talk about sleeping in a room he did not want to be in.... Unbelievable. I loved that little boy more than anything in this world.
> 
> ...


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## lily cd re (Jul 23, 2012)

I have two standards, an 8 year old spayed bitch and a soon to be 2 year old intact dog. I love them both to pieces and they are both wonderful house dogs. That said, I do performance sports with all of my dogs and I will say that Lily is a great worker but can rarely be prone to deciding that if she thinks there isn't anything in it for her that she will do something else. Javelin, being a baby boy still, has a lot of work to do before he is really ring ready, but he has a fabulous desire to learn and is happy to do things that make me happy just because they make me happy.


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## zooeysmom (Jan 3, 2014)

It sounds like you have a great sense of humor and that is imperative when raising a spoo  Another tidbit of advice I would give you is to set your puppy up for success by managing him or her properly. For example, don't allow her to have accidents when pup could have made it outside, don't leave anything out on counters, floor, anywhere. I took the rugs out at first and slowly transitioned them back into the home when Frosty was nearly housebroken. Otherwise, he thought they were pee pads, which his breeder had raised him on. Give puppy lots of different, safe toys. My Maizie swallows anything plush, so most of my dogs' toys are hard rubber, such as Kongs, and I did find ONE stuffed animal that is Maizie-proof. It is a brown rabbit and it's rated for the strongest chewers! Also, cow ears and bully sticks are great for teething pups and older dogs alike. 



MCG said:


> zooeysmom said:
> 
> 
> > Hahahahaha, a standard will only be different if you train it to be! They can be extremely manipulative because they are so sweet and cute, it's hard to say no.
> ...


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## Viking Queen (Nov 12, 2014)

As far as boy vs. girl goes I have only ever had girl dogs, spoos and non spoos. I just am unwilling to deal with some boy issues that friends have had to deal with. I don't ever want a dog who decides to mark in the house as some boys do and I don't want to have to deal with a dog who pees on his front legs and then needs to be washed up all the time. Some folks don't mind but It's just rather off putting for me. Not all boy dogs have those issues but I just don't want to deal with that.

My girls have been affectionate, cuddly, not terribly hard to train, except Poppy is a bit more stubborn about training than other previous girl dogs.

What ever you decide, you will undoubtedly fall instantly in love with your new baby.

Congratulations.


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## lily cd re (Jul 23, 2012)

VQ I have two intact boys and neither of them would ever dream of marking in the house! I just don't see how people end up with that as a problem unless they totally mess up housebreaking since boys that are young don't lift their legs.


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## Tiny Poodles (Jun 20, 2013)

lily cd re said:


> VQ I have two intact boys and neither of them would ever dream of marking in the house! I just don't see how people end up with that as a problem unless they totally mess up housebreaking since boys that are young don't lift their legs.



I understand what you are saying, but still it is such a prevalent issue that I am just not sure that is just a housebreaking issue.
For example I have a friend who has a boy who is well house broken, never marks at home, but bring him to any other home or any place indoors, and he will try marking every two minutes. They can have him on a leash, be standing right next to him, looking him the eye and up that leg will come. 
Also that boy is pad trained and while he won't lift his leg on the pad and wind up peeing on the wall, he does soak his front legs and then go running across the floor with two urine soaked mops!
These are both issues that I would never want to deal with....


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## aasteapots (Oct 6, 2013)

We have now owned 3 Spoos in 3 1/2 years all girls and they are all different!! Silvie was sweet and affectionate and eager to please. Coal is sassy and brilliant and stubborn as the day is long but the most obedient of the girls. Leia is a combo of the other two. She is sweet and brilliant but has been most difficult to house train but learns everything that is taught her super quickly.( except not to pee in the house!) I had male dogs all my life and now that i have has female I will never go back to having males.


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## Mfmst (Jun 18, 2014)

Since your elderly pug is a male, and females usually are smaller, I think a female would be better. My Spoo, boy, nearly 3, still has a lot of goofy. He wouldn't dream of marking in the house.


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## zooeysmom (Jan 3, 2014)

I pet-sat a mini boy who marked, and I've known plenty of toy breed males that marked, but I don't think this is an issue with spoos.


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## Viking Queen (Nov 12, 2014)

lily cd re said:


> VQ I have two intact boys and neither of them would ever dream of marking in the house! I just don't see how people end up with that as a problem unless they totally mess up housebreaking since boys that are young don't lift their legs.


Well, sometimes it is a training issue, but I think not always. A friend of mine has had male dogs only for nearly 60 years. His dogs are extremely well trained. Not one of his dogs ever has marked in the house, until now. He has 3 right now and one of the three will mark in the house, occasionally, and if you put him in belly bands he WILL find a way to take it off and then pee on the removed belly band and mark elsewhere in the house. This dog was raised and trained no differently than any other dog he has had. He is now 10 years old and still occasionally marks.

Another friend also had a boy dog who would never mark in her house but if taken elsewhere he would mark, even in her parent's home, much to their shock and my friend was mortified. He was 3 when he began doing this. None of her other dogs has ever done this....she has, however switched to female dogs a few years ago. He never came to my house unless we were spending the visit outside on the patio and yard. We did not want him marking in the house and would do so even if teathered to his Mom. 

Structurally some boy dogs seem to be predisposed to peeing on their own front legs....have a couple of spoo friends dealing with this and they get tired of daily leg washings. With the white spoo, even if the smell is washed off his legs are always stained yellow.

It is a personal choice. These are just 2 issues which I, personally, don't want to potentially have to deal with.


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## MollyMuiMa (Oct 13, 2012)

I'm totally in the female camp.........not a fan of marking, 'lipstick' appearances, and stained and smelly hair! Although I will admit females have a "what's in it for me?" training attitude when you ask them to do something and they just don't feel like doing it! hahaha!!!

I also love being able to make my girl be a 'girly girl' with bows and bling!LOL!

In the end though, it should be more a matter of temperment and finding the pup that fits!! Good Luck!


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## zooeysmom (Jan 3, 2014)

How do you feel about geldings and stallions, MollyMuiMa? :lol: One of our horses used to get "excited" at horse shows.


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## MollyMuiMa (Oct 13, 2012)

The first time I ever saw a Horse 'excited' my jaw dropped .......OMG! All I could think of is "Poor mare..." Hahaha!!


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## Muggles (Mar 14, 2015)

My spoo boy is sweet, loving, funny and easy to train. He has never marked inside (never peed inside at all, even as a puppy) and never peed on himself. I will probably get a second boy when I get another dog.


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## Mfmst (Jun 18, 2014)

Buck squats and lifts. He is the most fastidious dog, I have ever owned. He even points out where he has pooped if I can't find it in the leaves! I doubt if the elderly pug is going to be very happy with any gender of bouncing Spoo puppy. He may be less annoyed with a female. I have always owned males and they have always been besotted or at least more tolerant of the ladies.


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## DrSDOH (Feb 19, 2017)

Mfmst said:


> Since your elderly pug is a male, and females usually are smaller, I think a female would be better. My Spoo, boy, nearly 3, still has a lot of goofy. He wouldn't dream of marking in the house.


Very good point. We will have to be mindful of our pug being "cow tipped" by any puppy. They will spend time together, but it will be closely observed. 
I am curious, when you say "goofy" what does that mean? I keep hearing this but am not quite sure what this looks like.


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## DrSDOH (Feb 19, 2017)

zooeysmom said:


> How do you feel about geldings and stallions, MollyMuiMa? :lol: One of our horses used to get "excited" at horse shows.


Oh my! I had completely forgotten about that. Didn't happen much when my guys were young, but it did happen a bit more with the pug. The bigger male could put on quite a show, I would expect.


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## DrSDOH (Feb 19, 2017)

Mfmst said:


> I doubt if the elderly pug is going to be very happy with any gender of bouncing Spoo puppy. He may be less annoyed with a female. I have always owned males and they have always been besotted or at least more tolerant of the ladies.


Yes, we are thinking about his welfare in all of this. We spoke to our vet to determine if she thought it would be okay. He is very laid back, but we certainly do not want to upset his golden years. I am a college professor and work from home during the summer break. During the regular school year I will work from home on the days that I do not teach (MWF). The pup will go to doggie daycare a few days a week and will be home a few days. My thinking is that this will give the pug some respite from the new puppy and a chance for socialization for the little one. Not sure if this is the best approach, but it is the latest I've come up with.


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## Mfmst (Jun 18, 2014)

I use goofy to mean immature. Buck went through a long adolescence and at two went on to become a college frat boy at a party house. At 2 1/2 the lightbulb in his head started to flicker.


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## zooeysmom (Jan 3, 2014)

Mfmst said:


> I use goofy to mean immature. Buck went through a long adolescence and at two went on to become a college frat boy at a party house. At 2 1/2 the lightbulb in his head started to flicker.


Frosty reminds me of Asher on How to Get Away with Murder, if anyone's familiar :lol:


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## TrixieTreasure (May 24, 2015)

MCG said:


> Hello all: I am down to the wire. I've committed to adopting my new fur baby from a breeder and I am unsure as to whether I should get a male or female? I have only had small dogs (pugX ~20lbs and miniature poodle ~15lbs) so size is somewhat a concern. I have only only owned male dogs (I never even thought about the sex, I just let the dog pick me and it worked great). My mini was my shadow until he passed last year at 14 yrs. Wanted nothing more than to be as close to me as possible...AT ALL TIMES. My pugX is sweet, laid back, and mostly does his own thing. Not a cuddle bunny (he is 19 - yep, I know what this means for bringing in a new puppy). With this being said, any thoughts on potential differences in temperament between sexes? Please advise.


In my experience with both male and females, I've not ever noticed that much difference in tempermants. Both sexes have wonderful personalities and temperaments. I have to admit after getting Trixie in 1983, I became very attached to her, and said that my next Poodle baby would be a female. Turned out though, I brought home a precious little boy. ❤ And the next 15 years was beautiful. In 1999 and 2000, I got females, Trina and Kaydee, and they loved each other so much. So I say both sexes are wonderful! 

Sorry, it doesn't sound like I'm much help.


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## TrixieTreasure (May 24, 2015)

Viking Queen said:


> As far as boy vs. girl goes I have only ever had girl dogs, spoos and non spoos. I just am unwilling to deal with some boy issues that friends have had to deal with. I don't ever want a dog who decides to mark in the house as some boys do and I don't want to have to deal with a dog who pees on his front legs and then needs to be washed up all the time. Some folks don't mind but It's just rather off putting for me. Not all boy dogs have those issues but I just don't want to deal with that.
> 
> My girls have been affectionate, cuddly, not terribly hard to train, except Poppy is a bit more stubborn about training than other previous girl dogs.
> 
> ...



I can understand people's concern about the marking, but I honestly think that if a person trains the dog correctly, it's going to be less likely to have problems. Out of the 8 Poodles I've had, 5 were male, and none of mine ever marked in the house. Also, even though it didn't happen too often, some of my boys would come with my husband and I to other homes to visit relatives, and there were never any problems. We just made sure that they went out when we left the house, and also stopped again along the way to let them out, and everything was just fine. But I do believe it's all in how an owner trains their dog. If any owner is going to be pretty lax in the training department, there could very well be problems with marking.


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## DrSDOH (Feb 19, 2017)

TrixieTreasure said:


> In my experience with both male and females, I've not ever noticed that much difference in tempermants. Both sexes have wonderful personalities and temperaments......So I say both sexes are wonderful! Sorry, it doesn't sound like I'm much help.


When you are working with nothing (which is where I started), all information is welcome! Perhaps I should chill out a bit on the personality/temperament part and to focus a bit more on the size? Again, I have only had one larger dog as a child, and two small male dogs as an adult so this will be a new experience and with my 19 y/o pug, temperament and size should be first priority. 

We will have two at some point, but not until my pug moves on. I am not waiting for this...I am dreading it as he has been with me for almost half of my life - just facing the inevitable after losing my mini last year....that pit in my stomach just came back..... I suppose I should count myself lucky as all of my dogs have lived long lives (despite the poodle having multiple health issues that required a tremendous amount of care for 14 yrs). It kills me when they go as they seem to take a piece of me with them every time. Sorry.....off topic.

Nevertheless, at some point we will have two and I suppose it could be one of each or two of the same sex. In the end, it may not matter much.


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## Bellesdad0417 (May 18, 2014)

Before Spoo's found me all of my three previous dogs where female. I've seen the moodiness that people talk about.

Because of that when we got our first Spoo it was female and she was pretty independent. When we got the next one it was a male and yes goofy, happy and all the similar things mentioned about. But here is the conclusion I came to and heard it described this way.

Females will love you but males will be in-love with you and I believe that to be very true.

So after those two Spoo's passed we naturally started with a male and he has been pretty true to the above statement, however the boy can be as moody as a female. If he doesn't get what he wants or you are the slightest bit harsh with him we get as we call it (poodle ass) turns his back to you and sulks.

Currently we are expecting our second in June which I've asked for an independent female. So stay tuned I'll keep you posted if my past experience has the same results.


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## Viking Queen (Nov 12, 2014)

TrixieTreasure said:


> I can understand people's concern about the marking, but I honestly think that if a person trains the dog correctly, it's going to be less likely to have problems. Out of the 8 Poodles I've had, 5 were male, and none of mine ever marked in the house. Also, even though it didn't happen too often, some of my boys would come with my husband and I to other homes to visit relatives, and there were never any problems. We just made sure that they went out when we left the house, and also stopped again along the way to let them out, and everything was just fine. But I do believe it's all in how an owner trains their dog. If any owner is going to be pretty lax in the training department, there could very well be problems with marking.


So I guess my two friends with 60 and 40 years, respectively, of impeccable dog training skills both suddenly became "lax in the training department". I am sure they will be happy to know what their problem was. :laugh:


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## JudyD (Feb 3, 2013)

We've had three other male dogs, as well as having our son's male for a couple of years. Two were neutered, two were intact. None of them ever peed on their legs, and three never marked in the house. (Knowing what I know now but didn't 45 years ago, I might have been able to prevent that problem in the first place.) Blue hasn't marked in the house once since he was housebroken, but boy-o does he pee on his legs. He smells like a billy goat part of the time. In addition, his white legs show every drop of urine and every dab of dirt after he's been out. I adore him, but I'd think twice about having another male, or a white dog of either sex.


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## snow0160 (Sep 20, 2016)

zooeysmom said:


> When it comes to all breeds, I generally prefer female dogs, because I find them to be super loving and really connect with me, although males tend to be more laidback and happy-go-lucky--not as moody.
> 
> 
> 
> ...




This is an accurate assessment and is also my experience as well. Male dogs just seem to be happy by themselves or playing with others. They are less in tune with my emotions but silly entertaining. Females are also more protective in my experience. I prefer the company of female friends and pets. 
Zooeysmom your horse is gorgeous!


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## Verve (Oct 31, 2016)

My experience has been the same as that of JudyD--no marking in the house, but they do pee on their front legs, and it is stinky. 

There IS apparently a very minor surgical procedure that helps with this. It hasn't come to that yet with my current boy, but it might, especially if he stays intact. (Intact dog pee is stinkier than neutered dog pee, apparently.)



JudyD said:


> We've had three other male dogs, as well as having our son's male for a couple of years. Two were neutered, two were intact. None of them ever peed on their legs, and three never marked in the house. (Knowing what I know now but didn't 45 years ago, I might have been able to prevent that problem in the first place.) Blue hasn't marked in the house once since he was housebroken, but boy-o does he pee on his legs. He smells like a billy goat part of the time. In addition, his white legs show every drop of urine and every dab of dirt after he's been out. I adore him, but I'd think twice about having another male, or a white dog of either sex.


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## Zorkon (Oct 12, 2016)

When I got my first Spoo, I was bound and determined that it had to be a male. I thought it would be harder to bond with a female. I currently have a male and a female Spoo and I swear to you, you will be pleased as Punch with whichever sex you choose.

My female is a bit more clingy. If I have company over and they want to let the dogs out, my male will go with them, but my female won't leave my side. My old tenant was over a couple of days ago. My male went right up to him and went nuts with joy. It took my female 10 minutes to go to him even though she thinks he is one of the coolest guys on the planet.

My first male Spoo did pee on his front legs for about 2 months. It was a pain in the rear to keep him clean. It started when he was 4 months old; I guess it took that long for his stream to get strong enough to hit his front legs. At 6 months, he cocked his leg and there was never any problem after that. My current male Spoo never peed on his front legs. I was extremely happy about that. Don't let stinky legs deter you from considering a male. The stinky leg phase doesn't last very long and male dogs are awesome.

Neither of my males has ever marked in the house. My first male did however, mark my sister. When I brought home my current male, my sister and my friends decided it would be best to introduce him to my first male and my current female on neutral territory. My dogs were already in my sister's backyard when my friends and I arrived with the puppy. I had a friend carry him into the backyard so my dogs wouldn't be jealous. Well, my male, Jed, took one look at the puppy and then promptly walked up to my sister, cocked his leg and peed on her bare leg. I thought she was going to be furious, but she actually found it hysterical and she still talks to me.


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## Dechi (Aug 22, 2015)

Regardless of temperament, I don't know why, but I seem to bond more deeply with males. All my heart dogs have been males, although I have loved my females also.

For me there is a certain " je ne sais quoi " with males. I probably won't have females anymore, I realized that in the last year or so. Better late than never...


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## snow0160 (Sep 20, 2016)

Zorkon that is my experience with females too. They tend to be more clingy like Velcro dogs. I really like clingy dogs so I prefer female. 


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