# Male vs female golden



## familyof4 (Jun 8, 2017)

We are researching and excited to find a puppy for our family. Are there typically large personality differences between a male and female golden? I have had a female in the past who was sweet, easy going and just an ideal dog all around. I do not have much experience with male dogs. We currently have a sweet female havanese at home. Thank you for any help you can provide!


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## Pilgrim123 (Jul 26, 2014)

Hi and welcome to the forum. Over the years, there have been many discussions on this subject, such as http://www.goldenretrieverforum.com...r-puppy/431673-did-you-chose-male-female.html 
If you do a search, you'll find many more.
Good luck with your new pup!
Oh, and, for the record, I have no preferences when it comes to goldens. Both are fabulous dogs.


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## RANGE DOG (May 27, 2017)

I agree with Pilgrim,
My past experience was male's were more affectionate, but I'm sure it changes from dog to dog. I'm currently looking for one of each, so that decision is already made. :grin2:


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## Otter (Feb 23, 2011)

Pilgrim123 said:


> Oh, and, for the record, I have no preferences when it comes to goldens. Both are fabulous dogs.


Agree with Pilgrim as well. I guess it just comes down to the personality the dog has.

Our first Golden, Nellie, was a female. She was a sweetheart. She could be a bit snooty at times though. She was kinda stuck up  .

Our second Golden, Henry was half sister to Nellie, was a male. A real happy-go-lucky goofball and my wife's heart-dog and shadow. Everybody loved Big Henry. He is my avatar picture.

The third, Giggles and half sister to Henry, was a female. She was a total goofball just like Henry.

Our fourth, Barkley, has a nut nut lose and can be a total PITA. Not your typical Golden. Doesn't get along with other dogs very well. He has always been our 'problem child'. Love him to death though. Still have Barkley. Barkley is super attached to me. One of Barkley's brothers had a totally different personality that Barkley.

Our fifth is Pebbles. She is a great Golden. Love her to bits. Barkley is her uncle. Pebbles is super laid back (sometimes called super lazy).

Our sixth, Sandy, is Pebbles' daughter and she is pretty high strung and needs more exercise, training, and attention than she gets. My fault. She can be a PITA at times only because she gets bored. She beats up on Pebbles all the time... She is only about 1-1/2 years old. She will calm down some in time.

Edit: I just wanted to add, that Sandy's sister/littermate Riley comes over to play often. Riley is way more laid back than Sandy. When the puppies were 8 weeks old, we had several Golden breeder/handlers come over for a puppy evaluation. Sandy and Riley were the 'pick of the litter'. It was a toss up between the two. I decided to keep Sandy because I thought she was the cutest, most attached to me, and the most laid back of the two for the previous 8 weeks. Now, a year and a half later, Riley is definitely more laid back than Sandy and Riley is way more like Pebbles. They change a lot over the first couple three years though. And we had the litter because I wanted another Pebbles... 

I can't speak to other breeds, and I am not an expert, but in regards to Goldens our experience has always been that they are all different with different personalities. We really don't have a preference regarding male vs. female.

Good luck!


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## Sweet Girl (Jun 10, 2010)

I train with a group of Goldens, and in general, the boys are goofier and sillier, and the girls are a bit more serious and focused. And we all talk all the time about the differences and what we love about both. 

I met a family with a goofy male Golden in the park yesterday, and it was the same conversation. So it depends what you want in a dog (and there are no hard and fast rules or guarantees). I like girls partly because I like smaller dogs, but I do like the tendancy towards more seriousness, too. 

People also talk about the love-you versus love-me; males tend to be love you love you, and girls tend to be love me love me. My two girls definitely fit those descriptions in general terms.


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## murphy1 (Jun 21, 2012)

The first breeder I've ever dealt with was back in 1990. It was when we got our first Golden Casey. She said the best pet you will ever have is a neutered male. I've had seven dogs in my lifetime, the males were more affectionate and loyal. Females were great but different, more independent in some ways . My last two dogs have been male and should I ever get another it too will be a male.
Good Luck


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## ceegee (Mar 26, 2015)

It really does depend on the individual dog. I've had one of each. My last golden, a female (Ruby), was extremely affectionate, a real lap dog. We used to joke that she "didn't do floors": if there was a human available, she would sit in their lap or squeeze into the armchair next to them. On the other hand, she didn't like most other dogs and I had to be careful with her when out in public. My current dog, a male (Duster), likes to be close by but doesn't enjoy cuddling. He will occasionally come and lie with his head on my foot, but he won't share a chair and hates being on someone's lap. But he loves all other dogs without exception.

I didn't think I'd get another dog as focused as my Ruby, but in fact Duster is proving to be almost her equal in that respect. He was a serious puppy and has turned into a fairly serious adult, with occasional spurts of goofiness. I'm impressed with him.

Bottom line, IMHO it's more important to choose the individual dog than to choose the gender. Tell your breeder what you want, and ask him/her to choose the right pup.


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## Foster's Mom (Nov 29, 2016)

We absolutely love our boy, he is super affectionate and loving.


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## aesthetic (Apr 23, 2015)

ceegee said:


> Bottom line, IMHO it's more important to choose the individual dog than to choose the gender. Tell your breeder what you want, and ask him/her to choose the right pup.


Totally agree with this. My family visited Kaizer's litter when they were around 6 weeks, and I absolutely fell in love with the smallest girl in the litter. While all the puppies were nibbling on my toes and playing with toys and eventually sleeping, she was on my lap asking for pets and cuddles. I asked my breeder about the girl and she said, "she's not the right puppy for you". I was a little upset of course, but I trusted my breeder to know which puppy was the right one for us. I wasn't going to pretend that I knew her litter better than she did. Flash forward 15 days later, we picked up the biggest male - the complete opposite of the puppy I fell in love with. But Kaizer ended up being the perfect dog for us. I have absolutely no regrets in trusting my breeder to pick the best dog for us.


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## Sweet Girl (Jun 10, 2010)

I should add, my current female is extremely cuddly - she loves to come sit in my lap and loves to snuggle and sleep with me. But I would still put her more in the "love me" category. It's hard to describe. To me, she's the perfect balance.


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