DogFilter: Should I adopt a male or female Boston Terrier pup?

August 16, 2008 9:26 AM

DogFilter: Should I adopt a male or female Boston Terrier pup?

I've heard conflicting information about male vs. female Boston Terriers. Is there much of a difference in regard to general temperament? Your thoughts on advantages/disadvantages and experiences all welcome and appreciated. Thanks!

posted by krisken to pets & animals (7 comments total)

Female dogs are often more easily housetrained in regards to pee, but I don't believe there are any appreciable differences in temperament.
posted by Countess Elena at 9:48 AM on August 16, 2008

My wife and I got a female Boston Terrier from a breeder, which we house-trained. A year or so later we adopted a 4-year-old male Boston Terrier. The male knew virtually nothing as far as training or tricks (sit, down, etc), but he was fine as far as house-training. He attempts to mark when we go to the vet, and I don't blame him with all those new smells, etc. Otherwise we have had no issues.

Our male takes less time to have a leak than our female who likes to sniff around before she'll grace a blade of grass with her urine.

As for temperament, our female (who is only 16lbs compared to the male who is 30lbs) is bossy and requires more attention. He puts up with a lot before he'll react and even then he isn't aggressive about it.

Our male is a big cuddle bug and loves nothing more than being buried in a blanket next to one of us.
We love them both, natch.

Email me (in profile) if you have any other questions specific to Bostons.
posted by terrapin at 10:15 AM on August 16, 2008

I have a female boston terrier. As a general rule, one female dog per household, neutered males do well together. My little girl is very bossy, a bit of a scrapper, doesn't like big dogs or other female dogs very much. Her big brother is a boxer who is very mellow.

You just have to meet them and take home the one that you love.
posted by Acer_saccharum at 11:44 AM on August 16, 2008

In my experience, female dogs tend to be . . . bitchier. Though those we've had have been very sweet and loyal in many ways, they're pricklier with other dogs and can be a little pushier in demanding attention. Our male dogs have been dopey and sweet and more submissive. I'm speaking from 25 years of dog ownership, 3 female dogs, 3 male, all fixed. Individual doggy personalities will vary, of course.
posted by PhoBWanKenobi at 11:47 AM on August 16, 2008

The variability between individual dogs is going to be greater than the assumed variability between genders based on a limited sample size of personal opinions. Pick the puppy the breeder feels is most suited to your situation, since the breeder (or whoever has raised them) is the one who knows them best. There is no right answer without meeting the dogs and knowing how each puppy compares to your situation. You can't accurately say that male dogs are like this, and female dogs are like this (unless you're talking about how their reproductive organs are arranged), they are all individuals.
posted by biscotti at 12:52 PM on August 16, 2008 [2 favorites has favorites]

We've had four terriers over the years, in our case Westies not Bostons, but I think some temperament aspects may be similar for all terriers. For example, terriers are "earth dogs," literally. Many of them like to dig in the earth (i.e., terre).

Anyhow, both of our two females have had stronger or "bitchier" personalities than our two males. That didn't make them any less lovable, but it did mean that they were more independent-minded, more dominant over other animals in or out of the house, and so on.

However, I also think I agree with biscotti about the variability between individual dogs being more important than the variability between genders. One of our females was much less assertive/agressive than another that we had later on and still have now, along with a very easygoing male Westie. Their personalities were different yet similar, their puppyhood experiences both before they came to us and after were quite different, and so on.

Finally, if you visit a breeder and have several puppies to choose from, hopefully one of them will choose you, and the question will be rendered moot. That is what happened to us in every case, one of them even insisting on crawling into my lap and kissing me repeatedly, then walking over and taking the leash of our other dog and bringing it to me: "I'm ready to go!"
posted by Robert Angelo at 4:00 PM on August 16, 2008

MetaFilter: You're talking about how their reproductive organs are arranged.

Spays are a bit more expensive than neuters, if money is an issue. Over a lifetime of medical care it's a tiny fraction, but still.
posted by Rock Steady at 6:36 PM on August 16, 2008