Controversy Between Proponents of Male and Female Dogs

People tend to speak from personal experience when discussing the differences between male and female dogs, or any other dog-related topic; this is a normal human characteristic. They may make generalizations based on a single or just a few personal experiences or the experience of others they know. In part, because people sometimes offer advice based on this limited experience, much misinformation circulates about dogs.

Some people claim that males are more aggressive than females, or that females are easier to train. But beware of information based on one person's limited experience. Try to base your decisions on opinions of what are widely held beliefs by many knowledgeable people. Usually published information that references to the opinion of many experts contains more reliable information than what is available from one person who has not thoroughly researched the subject and is not aware of the opinions of experts in the field.

The Relative Importance of Gender

As a final thought in our discussion of how gender affects your choice of a dog, the type or breed you choose unquestionably plays a larger role than gender in determining your dog's personality.
Gender should be used to reinforce the traits you are looking for when choosing a breed. For example, if you want a dog that is a little more playful than average, you could choose a breed that rates average for playfulness and select a male of that breed. The male's tendency to be a little more playful and exuberant longer into his adult life than the typical female could be just what you are looking for.

Research has shown that neither a male nor female dog offers a significant advantage over the other in their ability to make a fine pet.