Well, so far there have been 40 comments on this question, and what interesting ones they have been. I’m going to summarize what folks have said so far (and also am sending this question out to a list of Certified Applied Animal Behaviorists and some professional trainers in different fields. If you are on any lists you think might be appropriate, please send this question out and ask them to comment. . . ) I am SO interested in the comments so far.
Of course, you can read the comments for yourself, but here are some trends. (Keep in mind that this question was not sent out as a survey, so not everyone answered the same question.) 11 people explicitly said that other factors like age, personality and training were far more relevant than sex (or simply, “No: one is no easier to train than the other). 5 people explicitly said that the sexes were “different, but neither was necessarily ‘easier or harder than the other.'” 5 (or was it 6?) people said that in their experience, females were easier to train, while 9 people said that males were easier to train. Here’s list of some of the comments:
~Females are quicker to learn, more intense. Females (F’s) have a better work ethic while males (M’s) have a better sense of humor. F’s easier to get to focus. F’s more easily distracted. F’s quicker to learn, M’s develop more slowly. F’s mature faster. F’s focus better in adolescence. F’s more stubborn but M’s more distractable. F’s more laid back but more aloof than males. F’s smart but more independent. F’s more ‘what’s in it for me. F’s learn faster.
~M’s easier hands down. Males ‘goofier’ in adolescence. M’s sweeter but girls smarter. Males need more affection. M’s are ‘love bugs’. M’s more focused on trainer, F’s assess environment more (other people etc.). M’s more even keeled. Males more independent, F’s more sensitive. Males more drive, F’s more willing to please. M’s sweeter, F’s smarter.
Interesting, hey? What stands to me are two things: Lots of people volunteered that they think females are “smarter.” Many people mentioned that they thought that females matures faster than males. Do we know that to be true? That female dogs mature physically and/or cognitively and/or emotionally faster than males? (It is indeed true in humans, but do we know that for a fact in dogs? I’m sending this out to my veterinarian friends…) I also wonder about the difference in human ‘training’ (usually called “school!”) that makes it clear that girls do better in certain types of academic situations than males. Is it possible that some people think female dogs are “smarter” because of the way we train?
I should note here that many of the comments carefully noted that the writer could only look to his or her experience… sometimes with many dogs, sometimes with a small number. I appreciate how thoughtful many of you have been, thank you so much for your comments.
I find myself thinking of my own dogs in relation to that question… the two most “stubborn” dogs I’ve had were male and female (Drift and Bess) while the two most ‘biddable’ were also both male and female (Willie and Lassie). I find myself thinking about what goes into the label of “trainable…” What does that mean, after all? Smart, as in quick to put two things together? Biddable, as in do what you ask when you ask it? Skilled at a particular task so that they look like they learn fast? Emotionally mature enough to focus on a lesson rather than be distracted by the environment or internal anxiety? Quick to learn, or consistent once having learned? There are so many things that are relevant when the question is asked, it is almost unanswerable in a way, isn’t it? I’m reminded of the works about human behavior that talk about “social intelligence’ versus ’emotional intelligence’ versus inherent skill. (Not to mention the effect of the environment. Have you read Malcolm Gladwell’s Outliers yet about what ‘makes’ people super successful? It’s fantastic! Boy will it motivate you to practice practice practice if you want to be a good dog trainer!)
To be continued… keep up your comments, they are fascinating. I’ll pick this up again after I’ve hear from more of you.
Meawhile, back at the farm: Here’s a photo of some of the Vermont Vixen’s savoring our monthly brunch (that’s Vermont Valley west of Madison WI, not the state of Vermont!) and Brittany Spears the hefty ewe making a pig of herself at the feeder (okay, we’re all eating!)
Kelly Ladouceur says
I was one of the folks that preferred males in general. When I think of a dog being easier to train, I think there are many elements in that. First of all, a dog that is willing to try things, without being afraid of being wrong (but I am the first one to say that this can be influenced by upbringing and training methods as well as gender and inherited characteristics). A dog that wants to do what you want, without having to know why you want them to do it. A dog that catches on quickly (of course, this is dependent on how well the trainer expresses their desire too) and doesn’t need a ton of repetitions to figure it out.
I’m sure it has a LOT to do with the style and methods of the trainer and less to do with gender, but I definitely prefer males. Maybe it’s because I’m a single girl, I don’t know.
I look forward to reading more comments from trainers, vets and behaviorists.
Crystal says
Do you find that either males or females have more aggression or reactivity issues?
I’m wondering because the comment about females assessing the environment more is very true about my reactive female. Although, of course, I suppose hormones plays into it as well, both re: aggression/reactivity, and re: trainability.
Julie says
Growing up we had predominately male dogs. Only two females out of 6 dogs.
As an adult I own two male dogs and work with a female (in agility).
Without a doubt I will be a getting a bitch for my next dog. I want to see if my experience with the current bitch I am training is accurate or a fluke. She has great work ethic and drive. The boys also have nice work ethics, but there is a subtle difference.
I started training her for agility in January at age 6. She was trialing by May and racking up the Qs. I am sure some of it is me being a better trainer, but most of it is her personality and drive.
Leigh says
This is such an interesting topic! And such a wonderful read that I thought I’d add my experiences.
I’m a female and have had dogs all my life both male & female (w/ probably more females for no known reason). Each dog has a special place in my heart but my “once in a lifetime dog”, heart/soul dog was Jimmy Gimme Sheltie. He was the Cary Grant of dogs….charming, handsome, goofy, sweet, gentle, & wise. He could charm anyone, anywhere (and saved me many pet deposit fees because of his charisma). Was he smarter than my other female dogs? Probably not, but he had a willingness to learn that more than made up for it. He had a “joie de vivre” unlike any other dog I’ve ever had.
I could sing his praises for hours….and yet, he wasn’t perfect and that made me love him even more.
I lost him to cancer this past August and I still find myself in a fog occasionally. Lucky for me, I’ve got 2 other dogs that live with great gusto so they keep me going & away from the fog.
Alexia Cochrane says
I lost my beloved old black Lab female, Katie, one year ago. At the same time I was training my boyfriend’s border collie, Scout, a lovable enegetic stubborn wonderful boy. He bonded with me very strongly, but the agreement was to share him with the boyfriend (we live apart). I want a more constant doggie companion, so a week ago I adopted my own dog from the local shelter. Lily is 1 year old, border collie cross (probably heeler), and has some history of abuse, but her most recent owner of 3 mos. was good to her before he moved to the city. She is timid around new people, but accepts them quickly. We bonded overnight. She comes when called, loves to plays fetch, does down and is getting better about down-stay. The problem is that she is already territorial around me, especially around food and in the car, with Scout. She nips but does not growl or attack. They sleep next to each other (on the floor next to my bed); they love to play, but then she gets tense and nips. This leaves me in tears and frustrated, and Scout confused. He’s a lover, not a fighter. Should I return her to the shelter? Can she be trained to overcome this? Will she become more tolerant of Scout, and other dogs, around me? Should I have gotten a male dog?
C. says
I think I apply some of my political education to my perception of dogs. There is an interesting book by Carol Gillian called In a Different Voice in which she presents the idea that women view the world as a web and men view it much more linearly. As a result, women tend to think about their actions in terms of how they might affect others- really taking time to play out the repercussions of those actions. Men, on the other hand, see the world much more “clearly”. If they think what they are doing is right then they carry on irrespective of how it affects others. I don’t know how much of this difference is affected by women bearing children, but I think the theory could be applied to dogs.
I tend to think the females I’ve worked with are more comtemplative, whereas the males are somewhat more simplistic. In some ways, this makes males easier to train task-wise, but females pick up on what I ultimately want from them- even if it’s not what I’m actively training!
Carmen Hurley says
This is such an interesting discussion, I love reading about everyone’s experiences. My original post stated that I have found females to be less distracted by their environment during the adolescent age period and in general think this is true, however I don’t necessarily believe that this is a measure of intelligence. How “smart” a dog is seems to be measured in the eye of the beholder and how an individual defines intelligence. For example in our household where we have a variety of breeds, our Collies are extremely biddable. “What can I do for you today Mom?” is their motto in life. We didn’t have to train them to like children or be good with small animals. They have been bred for these traits for many years so training and living with them is very easy. My husband’s Am Staff on the other hand is the least biddable dog I’ve every lived with. Her motto in life is “test, test, test” and this makes her difficult to train and live with b/c she is not biddable (which is why we do things like tracking and weight pull with her). However she is the one that has figured out how to open all of our gate latches, and will test them on a daily basis to make sure we haven’t forgetten the extra lock. So who is more intelligent? As far as picking up new skills the quickest dog I’ve ever owned is my 7 month old Rottweiler puppy, she’s like a sponge and demands training on a daily basis to keep her busy mind occupied. I sometimes say that she is the smartest dog I’ve ever had but then again I’m defining “smart” as the ability to pick up new skills. Our Am Staff’s breeder would define our Am Staff as the smartest b/c she can problem solve and our Collies’ breeders would define them as smartest b/c they behave so well. This is a drawn out way of saying that I don’t think gender has anything to do with intelligence. Rather I think gender sometimes influences dogs’ reactions to the environment during the younger years when hormones are flaring.
trisha says
Such interesting comments, I enjoy them all. I love how we are teasing apart the strands of “easy to train” into
“quick to learn” and/or “biddable” and/or “willing to try new things”… so much seems to go into “trainability.” It really does seem that gender is such a small factor, given how many other factors relate to how easily a dog is trained. Here’s the beginning of a list of factors, help me fill it in:
– biddable (“what can I do for you today?”)
– quick to learn (which, given my Will’s behavior, divides into at least 2 categories: quick to associate a sound and an action, versus quick to associate a sound (word from us) and an object (which Will can’t see to be able to do. In other words, how easily can dog ‘think out of the box.’…. whoa, seems to me this is an entirely new and huge topic! yes?
-not afraid to try new things, to be wrong (and yes, absolutely, training method crucial here)
-able to focus on task at hand
-remembers something once learned
– able to generalize something learned in one context to another context
-learning dependent upon the task: learning how to manage sheep or track a person for example
-emotional versus cognitive learning (learning how to manage one’s own emotions as a part of a performance)
etc etc… I’d keep going, but I have to move on to other things… but what would you add?
trisha says
To Alexia: I’m so sorry, I can’t give advice about any individual cases in the blog, but I can refer you at least
to my booklet, Feeling Outnumbered, about How to Manage a Multi-Dog Household. It contains exercises that
can prevent or treat mild cases of that kind of competitive behavior. The only thing I can say about your case is that sometimes you can turn that kind of problem around, and sometimes you can’t…. sorry I can’t say more, but a good answer requires a house call. Most importantly, try to find someone in your area who is qualified to work on that issue and understands how to use positive methods to change behavior. Good luck.
DeAnna says
I’m coming to the conversation late, but it’s been something I’ve been thinking about lately. I just got my first puppy. He’s a lab/border collie/mutt. I got him from a shelter at 8 weeks old (his mom and the whole litter were dropped there) and he’s just 12 weeks old now. We had family dogs most of my childhood, but Corrie is the first one I’ve had as a grown-up. The shelter had him neutered at 8 weeks, so I don’t know if you can really consider him “male” in terms of hormones, and I assume that being neutered so young will affect his development in some ways.
So, I am very interested in gender dynamics and gender politics in humans. I have several friends who are transgender, or who are going through hormone therapy to change their gender, or who identify as some gender other than the two we acknowledge in our binary system. And then there’s the plain old vanilla gay folks. So issues of gender and sex are something I’m tuned to, and so I’m finding that interesting in terms of this new puppy.
I have noticed that one of the first things people ask me when they meet him is if he is a boy or a girl. I wonder why this is an important question for people. Often they ask me this before they even ask me what his name is or how old he is (both of which seem to me like more useful information). So if people are feeling the need right away to know his sex, that means to me that almost every interaction he has with people is based on their perception of how his gender should act. As several people commented on previous posts, they are willing to put up with “boy behavior” that would be unacceptable in a girl. I’m sure there are lots of other subtler ways that we culturally expect girls and boys to act differently, and of course, our dogs reflect that back to us.
I’ve also noticed that before he had a collar, people asked me right away if he was a boy or a girl. When I put his collar on (it’s pink, with little skulls and crossbones), people right away started using the feminine pronoun. So even without a conversation about his sex, people are making assumptions about his behavior based on an incorrect assumption about his sex.
So based on that really small data point, I would venture to say that it’s impossible to say whether male and female dogs are inherently different. But you can certainly argue that dogs raised in our culture, one that is strongly rooted in a binary gender system, are more likely to conform to our cultural gender values. (That girls are smarter, boys are goofier, girls have longer attention spans, boys are mellower, etc.)
Having said all that, it seems to me that Corrie readily recognizes the difference between human males and females. He likes all people and thinks they should all pet his belly while he wiggles around on their feet. However, he seems to especially like men. I don’t know about his life for the first 8 weeks, so he could definitely have been socialized to people with facial hair or something, but it seems to me that if he recognizes a difference in gender, then that probably indicates an inherent need to understand gender differences, as if there were gender differences that it pays to be aware of in the canine kingdom.
Kellie says
Patricia! Have you seen the news?? Dogs have feelings such as jealousy and a sense of fairness. http://www.cnn.com/2008/TECH/science/12/08/dogs.jealousy/index.html?eref=ib_topstories
Have they stopped to read your books?! Could have saved a lot of research on their parts! No seriously, how long will it be before humans climb off their pedestal as the only “feeling, thinking” mammal? Just wait, next they will spend thousands of dollars to explain why dogs turn around three times before going to sleep (or in the case of our dog Milo, digs in the bed like he has found gold)–to make it more comfortable to sleep.
Sang says
I just finished reading Outliers about 2 weeks ago, and you’re right Patricia, it was a great read, and definitely made me start to look at my own heritage and “breeding” that has contributed to, and continues to contribute to who I am today.
I find it fascinating in the context of dogs in the sense that dogs also have certain predetermined tendencies based on breed, upbringing, and the opportunities presented to them to be successful. When the right combination comes together, superstars are created. Take away certain seemingly small pieces of the puzzle, and their ability to be truly great also diminishes.
As we discover more and more about our companions, about how their minds work, as well as their hearts, we learn more about the necessary elements to create success for our dogs. Hopefully one day we’ll finally figure it out:)
Sophie says
We have two desexed male Vizslas and all I can say is that personality has a huge effect on ease of training! One of our dogs, Murray, has been a dream to train – a smart, sensitive, eager to please, ‘top of the class’ dog. The other, Otto, whilst equally smart and more food motivated than Murray, has the attention span of a flea so when he’s reached his training limit (which varies from day to day) he rolls over with his belly in the sun or wriggles out of his collar and makes a run for it – much more challenging!
I think whatever our dogs’ personalities and attitude to training, the variety (and challenge) can only help we dog owners and trainers improve our skills. I’ve had to be quiet and subtle for one dog and a ridiculous, jumping, exciting fool to keep the other dog’s attention . . .
P.S. Have recently read ‘Feeling outnumbered’ and ‘How to be pack leader’, both wonderful resources which I’ve recommended to other doggy friends! ‘Feeling outnumbered’ has really helped to restore some calm to our often over-exuberant multi-Vizsla household!!!
Alexia says
To Trisha: Thank you for responding to my desperate post! Since then, an acquaintance in Boise(who is totally devoted to her 2 border collies; her mother has talked with you in WI) recommended The Other End of the Leash, and reading that has made a HUGE difference for me. My Lily has improved dramatically (partly because I’m behaving less like a primate, partly because I’ve had her nearly a month now). She is best friends with Scout, who loves her to pieces. When Scout and his human (my boyfriend) come to visit, I pick up both food bowls, remove all of her favorite toys, so there are no “bones of contention,” and have a few fun toys they can share and play tug with. Scout is bigger and loves to pull her around on the carpet. They snuggle/sleep together on the couch and next to my bed. I am socializing Lily to new humans and other dogs and she is doing very well — her shyness is less every day. Thank you for your inspiration!
Jean says
As I synthesized the article I laughed at the thought of having to choose between gender. From time I had begun to work dogs in SAR, people have criticized my Airedales as a breed in general and not according to gender. Since I also have a lab mix, I often compare him to the Airedales and never dwelling on the gender of the dogs. In the circle of people to whom I must make my dogs accountable….it is all about the breed and very little about the gender.
Anne says
I have had 11 male dogs, and 9 females since I was a teenager; all but the very first have been Aussies, many of them intact. I don’t find that much difference in trainability between males and females. As far as different techniques, I vary them more on individual differences than based on gender. I do see some personality differences, with some of the males being a bit more goofy acting and females a bit more serious, but the males can be just as serious when it comes to work. The goofiness comes out more during play and petting.
Kathryn K says
Well My Fiance has a Brindal male & I have his daughter.. a brindal female.. & I have read above sum characteristics of both I agree with & sum that are not very true, with my 2 anyways. =]
MALE- (Coco) (Hes also 10 yrs old tho, not neutered either.) Hes very calm. Very sweet & Playful.. But has gotten lazier with age. Hes not mean or agressive at all. I have seen him get agressive with like 3 other human guys.. But they were kinda skiddish ppl & were acting sketchy ya know? He will bark at dogs when we bring him into public.. so I guess dogs he doesnt know. but not nearly as often as our female does!! He is very well trained. He’ll sit at the end of our bed for hours (sumtimes lightly whining) before he’d try and jump up (even if he knows were asleep, or wont be mad!) Hes good with our female chihuahua, & was good with our male chihuahua as well. He is potty trained very well. I have seen him pee or poop in the house maybe 5 times in 6 years. That is ONLY when we are not able/there to bring him out when he needs to go, not his fault. <3 He is great & mellow with kids, young or older. He will let them pull on him, try and ride him ect. Hes very affectionate, I catch him starin at me all the time & gets all excited when i finally pet him or call to him. He seems to shed alot tho. He has started to drag his back legs the past 1-2 yrs or so.. (I hear its a pit bull thing?) I noticed his anxiety is higher than our female also i think? Like if we argue or people are yelling he will start to shake really bad & run to the closest person who is quiet (not yelling or shouting). He HATES loud noises.. ect.. So basically what ive learned thru writing this stuff here (Ive never actually looked at each dog & figured out there personality traits) He is more Anxious.. Very Affectionate.. Avg amount of energy… Protective… Strong-willed… But gives up more easily than the female will.. More easily potty trained (in my experience)
FEMALE- (adyma)(uh- deeh-muh):(she is also only almost 3 yrs old)
She is definitely more agressive towards our female chihuahua (never seen her around a male dog).. More pigheaded, it takes alot more tries to get her to do what you want her to do.. Sometimes she wont even do what ur asking her to (if she doesnt want to) Example.. every night we tell the dogs they cant get on the bed.. Coco the male dog will just sit at the end of the bed & whine & eventually go lay on the dog bed on the floor..) Adyma will keep jumping on the bed like minimum of 30 times before I fall asleep (3-4 hrs sumtimes) & when she jumps up & I tell her to get down she will jump back a lil, still on the bed, & look at me again like what? lol. she will try to stay up like the first 5 times i tell her till i move towards her & say it then she will jump down.. & try again in 5 minutes.. She chews EVERYTHING!! not nearly as bad anymore.. but still pretty bad.. she seems to like those dog rope thigns so she chews alot less with those. She has wayy more energy than our male.
So here are my exp. of female traits- More aggressive than males… More thickheaded than males.. More protective.. gets bored more easily… More energy than our male.. id say more playful than our male, but she comes & asks for it.. our male is always willing to play & loves it.. but we have to inititiate it.. She will come jump on us & head but us until we play with her.. She is very jealous. If i say another dogs name she will come running & lick me to death. lol… More territorial.. Way more curious… Always checkin everything out.. I wanna say more cuddly but i dont.. Our male always has to lay in between us, unless its to hot or sumthing.. but she will ALWAYS have to be touching me sumhow.. laying against my leg or ONTOP of them.. or directly on top of me.. & when she hears loud noises or arguments ect she will always growl & get more defensive whereas our male gets more anxious? so ya.. Hope this helps ya’ll!! =]
But u gotta think about the fact that my dogs are not only different genders but completely different ages. coco is 13, adyma is 2.5