# Male vs female first dog



## dyrne (Feb 22, 2015)

My sister will be picking up a GP or Anatolian in the next few weeks and it got me thinking about which sex to recommend as a first dog. I've always felt like it is best to start off with females at first and introduce a male since females tend to be more maternal and (I've always assumed) more likely to keep a male in line around their flock. Since they have chickens... a female just seems like a safer bet. Complete bull? Thoughts?


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## mekasmom (Jan 19, 2010)

My opinion is female. They don't lift their legs. And if you want better, cleaner behaviors, get her spayed. But that is my personal preference. Even if you have males neutered they will lift their legs unless you have them altered fairly early. And then, if they are altered too early, you risk bone disease. I just prefer females.. But I don't like messes. If you choose a male, get him altered BEFORE he learns to lift his leg like three mo or Four mo at the oldest. But then you have to worry about pano. It's a trade off. That is why I prefer females. I would not want an intact female. They tend to have "attitude" issues at times. Hormones are tough. JMHO


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## [email protected] (Sep 16, 2009)

I have LGD's ,, both sexes.
there are pro and con for both.
If you have young children, a male might get the idea that he is alpha with the children.
A female is less likely to want to roam, however that is not a guarantee ..
a lot has to do with how the dog is raised and trained.
I have had 2 different male LGD's and 3 different females. all of them were Maremma except one female Anatolian who was a fixed female. she was by far the mildest, however she was not a good watch dog. 
for a family with children, I lean toward the female.

un-neutered males sometimes get grumpy in their old age.

a breeder near me had all 3 of his older males fixed when he started having his grandchildren visit.


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## hiddensprings (Aug 6, 2009)

Personally, I think it is the personality of the individual dog. I raised Anatolians for quite some time. My one female was awesome, BUT not good around poultry. She was more of a "social butterfly" as well. (meaning, if she could figure out how to get out of the fence, she thought it was her job to protect not only our farm but also the neighbors cattle farms) Another female I had was totally into her job. She hung with the chickens and goats and was more then happy to stay home to protect. My male was also super laid back and didn't feel the need to leave. He was scary to people that didn't know him because of his size, but he was more disciplined then either of my female. If I told him to back off or quiet down, he did. Of my three dogs, I preferred my male when it came time to getting the job done. Plus he was super will all of my grandchildren. They loved him and he had the patience to be around small kids.


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## dyrne (Feb 22, 2015)

We intended to get a female but ended up getting her a male pup since that was all left when we met up with the breeder. Once we were looking at the pups there was little chance of us getting out of there without one  He's still young at a little less than 3 months but is a sweet dog and other than being a little playful occasionally with the chickens is working out very well.


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## kalmara (Aug 21, 2011)

100% male for a first dog - bitches tend to be much sharper & quicker & you also have to deal with her seasons.


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## mnn2501 (Apr 2, 2008)

mekasmom said:


> My opinion is female. They don't lift their legs. And if you want better, cleaner behaviors, get her spayed. But that is my personal preference.


Mine too.


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## motdaugrnds (Jul 3, 2002)

I like both sexes and have learned thru the years it is the way a dog is raised that will strengthen (or weaken) its innate propensities...no matter what the breed.


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## Lisa in WA (Oct 11, 2004)

You might want to talk to your vet about early spaying/neutering causing possible increased osteosarcoma risk in Great Pyrenees and Anatolians before making the decision when to neuter.


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