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\u00a0Not a substitute for professional veterinary help.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
If you\u2019re considering adding a new dog to your family, you probably have a lot of questions about the kind of dog you should adopt<\/a>, what you should look for before you bring a new pet into your home<\/a>, and what different traits might mean for their temperament and personality. After all, you\u2019re adding a new member to the family\u2014you want to make sure they fit in wonderfully.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Another big question that comes up for a lot of prospective pet owners: Should you get a male or a female dog? Well, on that front, we\u2019ve got some helpful insight to consider. We talked to a veterinarian and a professional dog trainer to learn more about the differences between male and female dogs and help you figure out which might be the best for you.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Dr. Gary Richter, <\/a>a holistic vet, founder of Montclair Veterinary Hospital & Holistic Veterinary Care, and author of The Ultimate Pet Health Guide<\/a> <\/em>says that broadly speaking, a dog\u2019s sex has little bearing on their suitability as a pet. \u201cThat shouldn\u2019t be a major factor in the decision-making process,\u201d Dr. Richter notes. \u201cMeet the dog and see if their personality fits with yours.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n He adds that a good fit between dog and owner is more likely to be dependent on other factors. \u201cYou need a dog whose energy level and demeanor fit with your lifestyle.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n That view is shared by Nicole Ellis<\/a>, a Certified Professional Dog Trainer (CPDT-KA), APDT member, American Kennel Club CGC evaluator, and coauthor of Working Like a Dog<\/em>. She says that the most important influence on personality and compatibility with humans \u201cis not male or female but how a dog is trained and what it\u2019s exposed to.\u201d <\/p>\n\n\n\n The sex of the dog you adopt might not be a strong indicator of how well they fit into your family. However, both experts note that there are some differences you might want to be aware of before you adopt.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Let\u2019s start with the obvious\u2014male and female dogs have different reproductive and genital systems. But there are also some more subtle differences you might consider. Nicole Ellis says that male dogs tend to be larger (both in height and weight) than female dogs\u2014so you might keep that in mind if the size of your dog is important.<\/p>\n\n\n\n According to petMD, female dogs also tend to reach maturity faster<\/a> than males, which may mean that a female dog is more mature than a male dog of the same age and might be easier to train as a result.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Nicole Ellis notes there are very few differences between the sexes when dogs are young. \u201cAs they get older, and hormones come into play,\u201d she adds, \u201cyou begin to see a difference. But still, often these differences are not that major.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n Many of the biological differences between male and female dogs are tied to their reproductive hormones. However, Dr. Richter says that while a dog\u2019s behavior can be influenced by hormones, if you remove their source by spaying or neutering the dog, you\u2019ll see less of the behavior over time.<\/p>\n\n\n\n According to the American Veterinary Medical Association (AVMA), spaying or neutering removes the dog\u2019s ability to reproduce, affects the development<\/a> of sex-associated traits and behavior, and, ultimately, helps reduce overpopulation. Male dogs are neutered, which means they undergo an orchiectomy\u2014a medical procedure to remove the testes. Female dogs are spayed, which means they undergo an ovariohysterectomy\u2014a medical procedure to remove the ovaries, fallopian tubes, and uterus.<\/p>\n\n\n\n This procedure prevents the dog from reproducing, and also reduces some of the behaviors associated with mating, according to the AVMA.<\/p>\n\n\n\n petMD notes that an intact female dog (that is, a dog that hasn\u2019t been spayed) will experience estrus<\/em> two times a year. This is also commonly called \u201cthe heat cycle.\u201d Going into heat means that the dog is able to carry a litter, and her body will produce a secretion that attracts male dogs. A spayed dog won\u2019t experience a heat cycle and will not be interested in reproduction.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Nicole Ellis cautions that if you don\u2019t want your intact female dog to get pregnant, you need to keep her away from other dogs while she\u2019s in heat.<\/p>\n\n\n\n She adds that male dogs who have not been neutered will be more likely to mark their territory. \u201cIf you aren\u2019t neutering your male dog,\u201d she says, \u201cbe prepared that he has an innate urge to pee and mark everything.\u201d <\/p>\n\n\n\n The American Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals (ASPCA) notes that intact male dogs might mount people, other dogs, or inanimate objects, and they might even escape to look for a mate<\/a> and endanger themselves in the process. A neutered dog will be less likely to mark his territory, mount, hump, or roam. <\/p>\n\n\n\n In addition to reducing overpopulation (which, the ASPCA says, leads to many homeless dogs) and preventing unwanted behaviors, spaying or neutering can have health benefits for your dog.<\/p>\n\n\n\n According to petMD, spaying female dogs can help prevent health problems<\/a> like mammary cancer or uterine infections and neutering male dogs can protect them from benign prostatic hyperplasia and testicular cancer. Some diseases are more common in dogs who have been spayed or neutered, but petMD says that the benefits of the procedure outweigh the risks and that most vets recommend it.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Dr. Richter adds that the timing of the procedure can have an effect on your dog\u2019s health, too. In the past, he says, most vets have recommended spaying or neutering early (before the dog reaches puberty) to prevent the development of unwanted behaviors. However, there has been recent evidence that it\u2019s best to wait until the dog reaches physical maturity.<\/p>\n\n\n\n The effect of waiting until maturity seems to vary from breed to breed, but in general, Dr. Richter says that dogs spayed or neutered later in their development have fewer orthopedic issues and are less likely to develop certain types of cancer.<\/p>\n\n\n\n According to Nicole Ellis, there aren\u2019t many differences in (non-mating-related) behavior that are determined by the dog\u2019s sex. She does note that a recent study on dog aggression<\/a> found that \u201cmale dogs were six times as likely to bite compared to female dogs.\u201d But she emphasized that \u201cit\u2019s not as black and white as that and a lot more comes into play\u2014including the dog\u2019s training and upbringing.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n Dr. Richter says that many of the reported behavior differences between male and female dogs can be chalked up to anthropomorphism. \u201cA lot of it is human projection,\u201d he says.<\/p>\n\n\n\n However, he says that one reported behavior that does seem to be accurate. \u201cDogs tend to get along better with dogs of the opposite sex,\u201d he says, when they\u2019re living together in a home. \u201cIt\u2019s like yin and yang.\u201d So, if you\u2019re adding a second dog to your family, you may want to consider creating that balance for a more peaceful household. Male Dogs vs. Female Dogs: Which One Is Right for You? \u00a0Not a substitute for professional veterinary help. If you\u2019re considering adding a new dog to your family, you probably have a lot of questions about the kind of dog you should adopt, what you should look for before you bring a new pet into your home,…<\/p>\nREAD MORE<\/a>","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"parent":0,"menu_order":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","template":"","meta":{"ub_ctt_via":"","_monsterinsights_skip_tracking":false,"_monsterinsights_sitenote_active":false,"_monsterinsights_sitenote_note":"","_monsterinsights_sitenote_category":0,"_genesis_hide_title":false,"_genesis_hide_breadcrumbs":false,"_genesis_hide_singular_image":false,"_genesis_hide_footer_widgets":false,"_genesis_custom_body_class":"","_genesis_custom_post_class":"","_genesis_layout":"","footnotes":""},"class_list":{"0":"post-1721","1":"page","2":"type-page","3":"status-publish","5":"entry"},"featured_image_src":null,"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/dream-babies.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages\/1721","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/dream-babies.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/dream-babies.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/page"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/dream-babies.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/dream-babies.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=1721"}],"version-history":[{"count":5,"href":"https:\/\/dream-babies.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages\/1721\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":1843,"href":"https:\/\/dream-babies.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages\/1721\/revisions\/1843"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/dream-babies.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=1721"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}Does Your Dog\u2019s Sex Matter?<\/h2>\n\n\n\n
Anatomical Differences<\/h2>\n\n\n\n
Hormonal Differences<\/h2>\n\n\n\n
Health Differences<\/h2>\n\n\n\n
Behavior Differences<\/h2>\n\n\n\n
Credit: https:\/\/www.rover.com\/blog\/male-vs-female-dogs-which-one-is-right-for-you\/<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"