Boys Vs. Girls

I don't think it matters. But which ever one you pick, I would get the dog fixed. Boys if not fix might run away more during matting season and might pee on house item to mark it as theirs and females do go into heat which could attracted other stray dogs while outside. I would make sure I got a breed that is good with children, look into what dogs have certain health problems, which dogs like to chew, bark etc...
Golden reterivers and german shepards are good family dogs. Hopes this helps.
L.

I have had both male and female dogs and all have been great pets. I would suggest that you go to your local humane society or animal shelter and adopt a homeless pet. The adoption counselors will work with you to choose the exact right pet for you and your family. The added bonus is that you will teach your girls the value of shelter animals and will be saving a life!!

it doesn't matter as long as you get a dog that is a good match for your family and you can afford to keep it healthy and fed. Please, please please spay or neuter your new pet and get some basic training.

BTW, I grew up with girl dogs, so I have a preference for them.

It is best to find a dog that suits well with your family. The only thing I have always tried to keep in mind is a male cocks his leg and they want to mark their territory all over anything and a female squats so females a little less messy in that respect but then there is the whole spay and neuter thing to deal with also. Males will stay closer to home if they are fixed. Good luck.

I didn't get a chance to read through the response, but girls tend to be a little smaller than boys (but not always)
More important is will the dog listen? Roll the dog to it's back, does it fight you to stay there? The less the fight the more submissive. But make sure it has enough spirit if you want a dog that's fun to play with for kids.

It doesn't matter. Sometimes it makes a difference when you already have a dog in the house, but not always. Most of a dog's personality is formed early, so by getting a puppy you'll have a lot of influence on that. Good luck--we love our dogs!

You got a lot of great advice! I've raised dogs for 15 years, and I can tell you females are 'cleaner'. With males, you have the marking territory thing, plus sometimes they get 'aroused' and their peewee will stick out, I just want you to know for your daughters sake, male dogs do that. Definitely get it spayed or neutered, we have way too many dogs out there now. How old are your daughters? I would recommend a small/med breed, but not small/fragile. I raised shelties for 15 years, awesome dogs, but it's very hard to find the small shelties anymore. I have a rat terrier, would not recommend, very hyper & high strung, plus she has seizures. Good luck!

Honestly I don't think it matters. Dogs, like people are different from one to another. I think the true question is pure breed v. mutt. And on that question, I wholeheatedly advise to go with mutt (from a shelter preferrably). They do not have the inbred anomolies that pure breds do, they are MUCH cheaper, and you are saving a life.
We are lab loves, they are such kind swweet dogs. Ours is mixed with some kind of terrier, but who knows.

Really, either are okay. Just make sure you do your homework on the temperment on the different breeds.

We've had german shepards, they were all female, and were all fantastic.

My parents have some Australian cattle dogs right now, and one's a male. He is the most stubborn, hard-headest dog I've ever seen. The vet told my dad that the dog thinks my dad is God and he (the dog) is Jesus Christ, and then there's everybody else. It pretty much took age and neutering to get him to calm down any.

We also had poodles that were great. My husband had a sheltie when he was growing up and said she was great. My sister had a great Australian shepard too.

I know you say you are a SAHM, but if you are out quite a bit a puppy may not be the way to go for you. You need to evaluate the time you have and if someone will be able to be home to let the puppy out several times during the day until it is trained. You may decide an older dog is better suited for your family.

We have gotten all of our pets from the shelter or a breed rescue and all have been wonderful. If you want a particular breed be sure to research it first to see if the energy levels, general health issues, and maintenance is a good fit for your family and budget then I'd start looking at breed rescues or put a request in at the local shelter to be contacted when they get the particular breed in. Otherwise I'd just go to the shelter to look at the dogs and pick one that seems to be the best fit for your family. Don't have your heart set on getting one the first time out. The right one may not be there that day and it is not a decision to be made lightly as the dog will be a "family member" for the next 15 years or so depending on the breed(s).

Good luck and many happy years with your furry friend.

Hello we have had both male and female dogs and for myself i prefer female. I don't know why but I have always felt like female dogs after being spayed are calmer, and so loving. This is just my preference.

My husband and I raise Labradors, so we have males and females. I can tell you that our female is alot calmer then our male. However, I have a 10 year ols son with Autism and BOTH dogs are grat with him. He can roll them all over the place and they have never as much as nipped at him..it just depends on how they are raised. I can tell you that if you are looking for a great breed Labs are about the best with kids. I hope this helps :) BTW we will hav Labrador AND Labradoodles towards the end of July ready for new homes....
both of our females are pregnant :) have a wonderful day!!

Personally myself, I have always grown up with and have male dogs. I don't think for myself I would want female.. just b/c the unsurity of it. Several friends of mine agree. I have come to know that males seem more patient with children (just from my own experiences) I have also heard the quote with some breeds " the females love you and the males are IN love with you"

I have an almost 2 yr old female beagle. She is absolutely amazing with kids. My husband and I wanted a female so we didn't have to worry about a male trying to hump everything! =)I take her to work with me and I watch 4 little girls, and our little beagle loves playing with them and all the other kids in the neighborhood. She even lets them dress her up..... you can tell she doesn't really like it, but she puts up with it for them.
I hope this helps you! Happy puppy hunting!

As many have alreayd mentioned, I think as long as you get a puppy you should be fine. From my eperience though, I like femals because they don't aim when going to the bathroom in your house! Potty training is definitely the hardest part of a puppy, but with females at least you know they can only pee on the floor and not on anything hiking their legs! Also, we have two poodles, which isn't everyone's favorite choice, but they are soooo good with kids. My daughter has pulled their hair, hit them, etc and they have never snapped or even growled at her (or anyone for that matter). They just look at me like Mom please help! Also, they are hypoallergenic so no shedding and no worries about any allergies that my daughter may or may not have. Good luck!

ok lets start at the beginning of things here
1- can you afford a pup or dog?? it requires food water shelter time and attention..it also requires vet care so you need to fiquire into your budget a health care package for the dog.. then please spay or neuter the pet...what kind of dog would you like to have... do your home work ask people about their breeds as family pets..a male will hike his legs many times marking their territory as a female wont..sor you have all these things to consider before you get an animal of any kind.. also many animals arebeing put to sleep so consider going to a shelter you are saving a dogs life this way...

I don't think it matters much as long as you get the dog fixed. I'd do some research into different breeds and start thinking about size more than I would worry about the gender of the animal. certain breeds need a LOT more attention, are more aggressive or smarter and easier to train than others. And remember any puppy is going to be hyper to some degree, if your girls are small I'd suggest a dog small enough not to totally trample them if it should jump on them. Oh and puppies will get big long before they outgrow the playful puppy stage.

We have a female lab/cocker spaniel mix. She is a great dog!!! We got her last summer when my dd was 16 months old. The dog was only 6 weeks when we got her. We've never had any problems with her jumping or knocking our dd over. However, she is an outside dog. She'd be a little big for an inside dog. I don't know if it matters if the dog is male or female. We've always had females!