We’re planning to get an Aussie Shepherd from a breeder in the coming months, but we’re still deciding whether to go for a boy or a girl...
I’d love to hear about your experiences with your four-legged friends! We’ve heard that with Aussies, the females can have a bit more of a "difficult" temperament than the males... is this just a myth, or have you found it to be true?
The only Aussie we know is a female; she’s very sweet but definitely dominant and cheeky 😝
Thanks in advance for any advice and tips! Have a lovely evening, everyone.
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Thank you so much for all the explanations and for taking the time to help me!
We still don't have an answer yet 🙄 I’ll be sure to pop back on the forum to share my experience and let you know what our companion's personality is like.
Have a lovely day, everyone!
Personally, I don't think the differences are huge. I’d say that if a row breaks out, the females aren't usually as quick to snap, but they’re harder to read when they do (at least in my experience). I don't know if it’s a universal truth, but it’s been the case with all the males and females I’ve owned. I can tell with just one look if my boy is getting agitated and has had enough. With my girl, though, it’s much more complicated.
Even though they’re both generally calm, both walk well on the lead, and they don't fight unless another dog has been pestering them for ages (my male is more protective and often defends the female). Other than that, if the question is "are you going to have more trouble with a male or a female?", there’s no real answer.
It all depends on the individual dog. Obviously, if there’s a female in season nearby, things can be trickier with a male, but I’ve known very few dogs who actually run off to find a ***** in heat. And as for fights, it’s rare for owners to be reckless enough to leave their males with a female in season.
There are all sorts of reasons for behavioural issues, and often they've got nothing to do with gender.
Just to clarify a bit since @Patou88 mentioned it, I’d say it depends on the specific primitive breeds you're talking about. If we're talking about the most well-known ones, then yes, the males are often more aggressive than the females. But with primitive types, many breeds are largely unknown and are actually quite easy to train and don't cause any bother.
Hi everyone, thanks for taking the time to get back to me and for your advice. Because of that, we don’t have any fixed ideas regarding the sex of the dog...
We’ve owned and known both males and females of completely different breeds through our friends and family... they’re all different :-D
I totally agree with you that the training they get and the activities we do together will shape their behaviour (it’s definitely the plan!)
I’ve been reading about all sorts of different temperaments on forums regarding Australian Shepherds.
We’re going to stop overthinking things and put an end to this myth :-D
In my experience, the females are more mischievous; they tend to do things on the quiet and use their "female status" to wind up the males, whereas the boys will just go straight in there if there’s a problem, no nonsense ^^ which is perhaps why they’re seen as more complicated than the males.
@patou "With an Australian Shepherd, which is a totally different kettle of fish, M or F, I think the solution lies much more in the activities you can provide for them—and they’ll need loads of them—than in their sex."
As it happens, with many dogs, females can actually have a bit more of a feisty temperament than males! Prospective owners often mistakenly believe that choosing a female dog means they’ll get a calm, easy-going pet that’s less energetic or rowdy than a male. More often than you’d think, females are quite mischievous and won’t always be as compliant as you might like.
Do keep in mind that every dog, male or female, has an underlying personality that can be managed more or less effectively through the training you give them. There’s their natural character, and then there’s what you make of it. That side of things shouldn't be taken lightly.
