I am frequently asked which do I think is better, male dogs or female dogs? I’ll cut to the chase with an answer that reminds me of writing reports in my career in educational psychology: There is greater difference between individuals than between the two groups (genders.)
Hunter preference for one gender over the other seems to run
in waves. For a while the demand will be higher for males, then everyone wants
females. So, are there really differences
and what are they?
- With my dogs, the biggest real difference is going to be size. My females are consistently 50 lbs, give or take a couple pounds. My males have more variability, ranging from 55-65 lbs. Size is pretty much a personal preference. Some hunters feel that the musculature and bigger size of my males gives them an endurance advantage in thick cover, especially for those who hunt day after day. Others feel that at 50 lbs the females are lighter on their feet and more agile, giving them better stamina. In the home and on your lap in front of the fire, some like that smaller dogs take up less space. Smaller crates take up less room in a vehicle as well.
- Sexual maturity/desexing. No doubt, females coming into heat is a disadvantage. It's messy. We have to be so careful to keep her away from males and most boarding kennels won’t take a dog in heat. And don’t they always seem to come into heat during hunting season? If neutering the female is an option, for multiple health reasons, the smart owner waits until she is at least 18 months before spaying so there will likely be at least one, maybe two heats to endure before the spay. Spaying is also costly; $500-800 seems pretty typical not to mention the risk of surgery which is minor, yet always worrisome.
- There is no real reason or advantage to neutering a male; in fact studies show that doing so increases chances of bone cancer and ACL injuries. The question of a male marking in the house is simple: that is an obedience and socialization issue, not a hormonal one, and falls under the same rules as housebreaking. The same goes for “humping” human legs or other pets.
- I breed for a smooth, shiny, low maintenance coat. Females, once spayed, typically undergo a significant change in the quality and quantity of their coat. The texture becomes fluffy and cottony and often more profuse which requires more grooming especially after hunting. The same can happen if one neuters a male.
- I am often asked about gender personality differences. This is a tough one and definitely where I think that individual differences matter more than gender. A broad generalization is that my male dogs are perhaps more selfless and just want to be your buddy. They want to ride shotgun in the truck and hang out with me in the workshop. They will lie on the hard floor just to rest their head on my boot. My females are very affectionate and will race to the door to go with me and want to be in the same room as I, but once there they seek their own comfort on chairs, dog beds or the sofa. In my experience, my females perhaps are a bit more focused on themselves, the males on the owner.
- Some hunters have had the awful experience of a buddy having an aggressive dog that harasses or attacks other dogs at the truck or at camp. Those attacks typically involve males but I must say that I have never known one of my males to be aggressive. A bad situation can create a problem, for sure, but a well bred setter is simply not an aggressive dog. In fact I am afraid my males would fare poorly in a dog fight as they just don’t have it in them.
- Hunting prowess is also where the differences are individual, not due to gender. In 54 years of setters I have not seen any quality difference in nose, run, bird finding, staunchness or retrieve that I could attribute to gender.
So, the gender preference for me is a case of do what
I say and not what I do. If I was to
have just one or two dogs as my personal gun dogs, they would be males. They
would be my low maintenance truck buddies. Instead, I have a pack full of
female dogs and only one male. But that is because I need females for breeding.
I do not believe in repeatedly breeding
to the same male(s) so I do not keep my own stud dogs; instead I seek out the
best stud for each breeding. My dogs are also with me for life. When I retire a
female from breeding she lives out her life as my gun dog and companion.
So I think the male vs female debate largely falls back onto the old wise words that when shopping for a puppy - pick the breeder, then pick the litter, then just reach into the box and pick up a puppy.
