I have a 16 month old female in Schutzhund and in a year I want to start my next dog. I bought a female because only females came out of the litter I wanted. However, this time I will be more patient and willing to wait till the right pup comes along.

I know the pros and cons to owning each sex but does anyone have PERSONAL EXPERIENCE they could give? I'm looking for people that have competed with both males and females and which they prefer.

Thanks

Nothing wrong with having more dogs... except the case you keep them inside the house.

I have in this moment 3 dogs, but each have his own space in the kennel...

Yes, is difficult, because trining one makes the others to scream, and want attention.

Anyhow you will loose one of the best thing, you will not be in the center of attention of your dogs. They will find more pleasant to play each other than to wait for you to give them attention!

Also, if one is pregnant or has puppies, they MUST BE ISOLATED! Closed in different places.

I'm new to Sch and I picked a female because I was told that the females were more eager to please and males were more inclined to challenge you. Me being new to the sport I wanted every advantage of learning and not burn time with rank issues.

I have both male and female, my male was much more easier, He took alot longer to mature, he is very sociable, but he can turn on like a light. My female looks just like yours in the picture,exact opposite of the male she's very tempermental, gota challenging personality, another thing to look at is having 2 females seems like there can be more fighting issues you might have to deal with later.

I don't think that you can generalize. Alot will depend on the dog's lines & the individual dog. GSDs in general are a bit more aloof then many other breeds. I don't see any amount of tempermental behavior in my female or any difference in her working in or out of heat. She is a very high drive hard dog that is stable & social. My males have been a bit more aloof but still social, stable dogs. GSDs tend to fully mature around 3 years of age. I could see the full change in their behavior as it matured around 3. I have never seen any difference in the quality of work based on gender, more so on the individual dog.

It is easier to have multiple intact males in one house then females. But alot of that depends on the owner's knowledge & leadership skills.

My dogs live in the house with me & go most places that I go. My truck is their 2nd home. Both dogs are equally bonded with me & follow me around the house from room to room. I am the center of my dogs world. I can't imagine my dogs living in a kennel & having the same kind of bond with me that they do by living in my home. JMO

Well, I've titled far more bitches than males in my many years in various dog sports, about a 3 to 1 female to male ratio, I think.

Heat cycles can be an issue when trialing. Seems my gal hasn't missed being in heat for an event yet. It makes for some interesting, "She's never done that!" stories.

Charlie, you are such a lucky guy. Didn't your mama teach you that 'timeing is everything in life'?

My childhood education tended to focus more on the "playing the hand you are dealt." as in use it up, wear it out and make it do.

Must have worked, one of my performance appraisals had the notation, "Has unusual ability to use resources at hand to complete tasks."

A bit of doggy PMS seems to wonders for the TSB rating. Not so much for the obedience though.

Gotta love those girls!