I have both male and females. My Zelda loves me, but Max is IN LOVE with me. He also completely adores my eldest daughter. He's passive with anyone else, but when she comes around, he acts like a crazy in love dingbat. I also have another female, Aurora, she is very possesive of me but I wouldn't say she loves me, more that she recognizes me as the pack leader and she is a dominant, so she doesn't like the other dogs around me. I don't know that it's got anything to do with love-it's more like personality and who a dog tends to love.

We've always gotten all our pets neutered/spayed as soon as they're old enough. I've never seen a difference in personality. Both my DD's have male dogs and both were neutered later-one very late in life (he was a rescue) and it didn't seem to change anything. They just don't run away any more. I don't know that it changes any aggressive tendencies-but the lack of testosterone will keep them from being hormonally crazy if there is a female in heat within miles.

Be aware, if he's a humper, he'll always be a humper. My DD's female humps the cat (a male). Humping is not related to sex!

As to being more trainable, I also don't think it has anything to do with sex...it's personality. Dominant dogs are harder to train I think-but if you establish yourself as alpha, they're more likely to respect your dominance as pack leader.

I've owned and loved so many dogs-each one is a distinctly different personality, just like people. You'll know the right dog when it comes along.

I've been involved in Goldens for years, and in my breed, males are known to be more "velcro"-type dogs than females, meaning that generally they're more attached: completely devoted to you, following you around, wanting affection, etc. Females, on the other hand, can be equally affectionate, but on their own terms. Of course, this is a generalization. I have a female who is incredibly attached to me, but even she's more aloof than any of my males have ever been. I imagine that's what she was trying to say, and it's intuitively opposite of what many people believe from their childhood pets, for whatever reason.

Some breeds are considered easier/more difficult to train/live with - Huskies, for example, are great dogs, but known to be stubborn escape artists and not necessarily the best breed for a novice dog owner. But in choosing a dog, I'd focus more on the personality of the individual animal, not generalizations, because there are always exceptions. The specific dog, how you interact with it, and the quality of the instruction will play the greatest role in how well you're able to train it.

Mr. Fluffy and I are in love....what can I say? :-)

Agree with breeder's statement and think it generally true of dogs.

My experience with the love factor is more breed than gender related. My female Gordon setter loved me, was in love with my DH. My brother's female Golden Retriever is in love with him and us (we're her dog sitters). Our male Dalmatian was in love with us. Our current male mixed breed (Chow/Heeler) is in love with us but totally on his terms. We are his people but he is a dog who likes to spend a lot of time alone - like me!

My male beagle loved everyone in our family but was in love with me. After he died, we got a female beagle. She likes me a lot but is crazy in love with my husband and sometimes appears to actually think she is his wife!

I don't think it has much to do with being trainable or not.

I think it's great that you're being so thoughtful about your dog search.

Neutered males tend to mark less.

I really hope you get to go to her and see the environment the dog has been in.
If she's a breeder the parents should be on site.
Watch how the dogs interact with the other dogs.

Make sure in your contract that there is a return policy for health and temperament problems.
Get the vaccination and health records.

Shop now for a vet. hopefully one with Havanese knowledge.

Is she selling the dog to you ?
Sorry to be so business like when getting a pet you will love but there is a reason for pure bred rescues.

I've never looked at it that way but I think it's totally true.

All the male dogs I've had have been completely devoted to me while the females tend to be a little more aloof. As an example, we let our dogs on the bed and all my male dogs were cuddlers while the females liked to stay at the foot of the bed.

There are definitely positives and negatives to both. Do you want a dog who follows you around, possibly being under-foot but will let you do whatever you want with them?

Or do you want a dog who will give you plenty of affection but still likes her own space?

This is so interesting! I have a male beagle/jr mix and a female jr and everything said so far is so true. The male dog is in love with me! He is my very best buddy and I make his world. The female, she loves me, but the adoration is not there. it's been this way for 12 years.
I just thought it was the temperaments of my two dogs.

I also think this is very interesting! We have only had one dog in our married life - the "pup" we have now (she is 7). I don't have a male dog to compare to but my little girl loves me like crazy. She follows me most places I go, needs to know where I am, etc. She loves my husband but I am the one she will 90% of the time want to sit with, always lays by my feet at night, etc. She is also very protective of me. She "guards" me. I had not noticed her doing this other than the way she situates herself at night in bed. But, last week I was in another room ironing, and she, as usual came with me. For once I actually took notice of where she lay and how she was positioned. She was between me and the door - facing the door. Making sure nothing got to her mom!

Perhaps it's different for a one dog family and that dog being a female???

tina

The male Australian Cattle dog who grew up with our children (one dog household) loved my husband but was in love with me.

We now have a female Australian Cattle dog (again, one dog household). She loves me but she is in love with my husband. Given a choice between a human male or female, she prefers men.

My daughter has a Papillon and she was told by the breeder that the males are more loving.

If we get another dog, I will definitely want a male, not a female. Although it is nice to have a dog that doesn't want to pee on every single shrub and tree.

I have three purebred Brittanys; one is from a breeder and the other two are rescues. My family always had a Britt when I was growing up, so I favor them, but love all types of dogs.

Jenny, the first rescue, is a small female who is approx. 11. She is in love with me, and when I tried to bed her down on a big fluffy comforter on my bedroom floor her first night, she glanced up, saw my two 'boys' at the time on the bed, and she hopped right up and spent the night curled up on my shoulder. In the 9 years that I've had her, she still sleeps pressed against me. She also MUST come to me a few times a day, put her front feet in my lap, lean against me and give me kisses. I think it it as her daily thank-you for having her join the family.

Sam, who turned 13 in April, is more independent, but I also get kisses from him each morning, and lots of dancing around and happy tail wagging. He's such a happy dog!

Riley, the most recent rescue, is 4-ish approx. I've had him since November 2011. When it's cool, he shares my office chair with me EVERY day, and has form almost day 1. He follows me from room to room, and sleeps pressed up on my other side. He doesn't give kisses, but he shows his love by not letting me out of his sight, if possible. I am VERY lucky that he has no separation anxiety, as you'd think that he would, from his clingy-ness...

So in my crew, they are all loving, but no one tops Jenny in showing it.

She chose these two based on my answers to her detailed questionnaire.

Both of her dogs sound nice, but I am puzzled about something she said: "Females will love you but a male will fall in love with you".

Not to be suspicious but she may be trying to make the male the more desirable dog for you to adopt. The female may be a dog she knows will be easy to find a home for. I think a spayed female would be easier to place than a male dog that has been intact for awhile.

I've always attributed the degree of devotion a dog shows to factors such as breed, personality, and previous experiences. However since all opinions are anecdotal and it's not possible to do a double-blind study we'll never really know, will we? :D

There have been 10 dogs (5 females, 5 males) in my adult life over almost 50 years (we almost always had 2-3 dogs at a time) and 2 of the males were devoted more to me than other members of my family IMO because I was the person they spent the most time with rather than that they were male. One was a puppy when we bought him and since at the time I was a SAHM I was home with him and trained him so I was always his alpha and we had a very special relationship. The other was an adult Greyhound (not a rescue) we adopted after I retired but DH was still working so I was home all day with him. One hears Greyhounds may tend to be more clingy and needy than some other dogs and he seemed to need a lot of attention and got it from me so he bonded well with me. He had beds in several rooms and when I went to another room he would soon awaken and follow me and quietly settle in another bed! The Greyhound had never been a breed that appealed to me but he certainly changed my view as he was a gentle, well-behaved, quiet, and all-round wonderful pet.

We have two West Highland White Terriers, (Westies). I got the male first, from a breeder, and the female a year later as a rescue. The male is definitely in love with me, while the female loves me. They both follow me everywhere, sleeping underneath my feet in which ever room I end up in, but the male is more clinging and always has to be closest to me. In bed, she sleeps at the foot of the bed and he will lie down next to my face or upper body.

I am diabetic, and the male has blood sugar awareness, so he is especially clingy if my BG is running low, he wonâÂÂt leave my side until I reassure him. The female doesnâÂÂt seem to notice or react to this at all.

Prior to this, we had male and female labs. The male was totally in love with my DH, the female loved him, but was much less interested in him than the male.

I think I would agree with your breederâÂÂs assessment.

The male/female thing is often said about my breed. I've had four Poms, all wonderful, loving dogs, three male and one female. The female is completely devoted to me and follows me everywhere (even into the bathroom when I shower). She curls up in my lap or next to me whenever I sit down. She is also very sensitive to my emotions and well being. For example, if I am very stressed, she doesn't eat well and vomits. If I'm sick, my husband has to pry her from my side to go outside or eat.

I also had a mixed breed male and a mixed breed female who were "in love" with me.

Oh my gosh, I've had dogs my entire life but have never viewed them like this before today! We have a male Doberman, Ronin, and a female Tibetan Spaniel, Chloe. I'm home with them pretty much most of every day and love them both equally but I ~now~ can definitely see that, although Ronin loves my DH, he's crazy in love with me. He is my Velcro-boy and follows me everywhere. And it is just the opposite with Chloe: she loves me but the world rises and sets on my DH for her!
And what has also struck me as funny with my dogs is that every time DS's (then high school and college) buddies would meet our two dogs for the first time, the guys were very macho acting, giving Ronin 95% of their attention. By the end of their visit they almost always were cuddling little 12 pound Chloe. I wonder if guys are more attracted to female dogs because of the adoration they get from them? Just a thought, but I've see it happen at least 20 times over the years with my two furkids and company.
Lynn

Totally agree on the males-in-love part. But I wonder if it makes a difference if there's just one dog in the house or more?

My sister's male Cairn terrier is "her" dog -- he communicates very clearly when she returns after a trip away and makes his displeasure known (marking, grabbing a shoe, vocalizing).

There is a female Cairn in the house, too. She came after the male had been there for a while.

I sometimes wonder if the male became even more clingy/lovey when the girl came, just to show his mom that he was there first, and to seek confirmation that he is the number 1 love for her?

But I don't agree with the comment about less marking by neutered dogs -- but I only have my sister's male terrier to judge by. He is still doing a bit of marking, and that's the reason she says she won't get another male.

My terrier is a girl -- the only dog in my house. I tell her she's my "companion girl," and to her that means she's like velcro, too! She is right behind me when I go into another room even just for a second. She snuggles near me in bed, and frequently needs to be touching up against part of me (usually the butt!).

But she will go off with the dogwalker or the groomer without a glance back, and she gives kisses to everybody on the street who will bear it, but not to me! Just a little more independent (or maybe I'm embarrassing her in public!).

I only had a male dog as a child and got grossed out my his thingy coming out all red and shiny. I am not sure if this only happened before he was fixed or not. But chose a female for my adult pet she loves us all even extended pack members. I don't have to think about rubbing her belly.