Generally Speaking, Do Female Dogs Make Better Pets?

While the individual temperament, personality, socialization and training of a dog will determine the dog's suitability as a companion animal, distinct differences exist between males and females. For some people, whether to choose a girl dog or a boy dog is a matter of personal preference; for others, issues like trainability factor into the equation.

Female pups mature faster than their male counterparts, and their maturity makes them easier to train at a younger age, the PetMD website says, which can make them appear smarter. They are more likely to learn commands quickly and respond to obedience initiatives. While some females have a more mellow temperament than males, they are also subject to hormonal mood swings, according to author Michele Welton.

While patience, time and attention need to be part of housebreaking both male and female dogs, males are more likely to mark or spray a large area when urinating inside than females, which can make indoor mess cleanup less challenging with girl dogs. Outside, however, female dogs do more damage to grass, plants and trees with their urine output than males because they deposit more in a single spot than males do, generally.

Spaying or neutering your pet will protect against unwanted breeding, but having a female dog presents bigger challenges in the reproduction department. If you don't spay your female dog, she'll go into heat several times year, which can be a messy endeavor. If she gets pregnant, you have pregnancy, birth and a litter of puppies to contend with -- good things if you want to breed, bad if you don’t. An unaltered male, meanwhile, is more prone to roam in search of female companionship, which can put him at greater risk for accident or injury.

If you’re bringing home an adult dog, the pup’s previous training and home life will have an impact on his behavior and demeanor. A female who was the victim of puppy mill over-breeding may be clingy and anxious or overly aggressive from previous litters being taken from her at regular intervals. Likewise, animals of either gender who were abused or mistreated may also have behavioral issues that will take love, time and patience to overcome.