Male dogs are not more aggressive than females, but their competitive tendencies might bring them into conflict with their owners more, which may result in aggression if not handled properly.
According to multiple studies as well as anecdotal evidence male dogs tend to be more dangerous and cause a much higher percentage of dog bite incidents than female dogs. Male dogs exhibit more of an aggressive behavior particularly against children.
In fact, the incidence of aggression in female and male neutered dogs is about the same. Importantly, a difference can occur in male dogs who have not been neutered. “Intact” male dogs can show more aggressive behaviours than their neutered and female counterparts.
Like territorial behavior, protective aggression usually appears as puppies mature into an adolescence or adulthood, at one to three years of age. Many dogs show the tendency to guard their possessions from others, whether they need to or not.
Intact male dogs represented 80 of dogs presented to veterinary behaviorists for dominance aggression, which is the most commonly diagnosed type of aggression. Intact males are also involved in 70 to 76 of reported dog bite incidents. Neutered dogs are three times less likely to bite.
While male dogs who are neutered do experience an increase in aggressive behaviors right after the procedure, neutering can make them much less aggressive over time. In fact, neutering has bee proven to create a much happier and calmer male dog over time.
And it is true that unneutered male and female dogs do exhibit different behavior than those who remain intact. Unneutered male dogs may be more territorial than females, and more likely to 'mark' their territory.
When do puppies start to calm down? Most puppies start to calm down as they approach their maturity age, which is usually around 12 months, but for larger breeds it can be more likely to occur between 18 months and 2 years.
If you have several dogs or intend to add to your canine family, a male may be a better fit. Females tend to have more problems with anxiety and phobias. If your house is a loud and busy place with lots of chaos, a male puppy may be more likely to be content. Sex is just one factor in a puppy's personality.
Undesirable behaviours such as barking, chewing, counter surfing, house-soiling and jumping up commonly begin to occur at around 3-6 months of age. Your puppy will not grow out of these behaviours. On the contrary, it is more likely that these behaviours will worsen if not addressed early on.
Female dogs are often said to be easier to house train than male dogs. "Many pet owners report that female dogs are easier to house train and are more attentive to their owners than male dogs, with male dogs being more aloof," Johanna Reel, registered vet technician for NHV Natural Pet, told INSIDER.
Male dogs are most often more affectionate and seem to thrive on constant human attention. They are usually less likely to separate themselves from the attention and will take any bit of love you can give them. The majority of male dogs tend to remain rather child like, and they seem to take a little longer to mature.
Dogs Prefer Adults — Particularly Women
A dog's preference for one person — or type of person — over another has a great deal to do with socialization. Dogs don't, as a rule, dislike men, but most dogs are cared for by women, and are thus more comfortable around them.
Most controlled scientific studies on this question (and there have been many!) show that whether a dog is spayed or neutered has no impact at all on the likelihood that they will be aggressive in any given circumstance.
Castration may make him slightly lazier, but don't expect it to have any effect on adolescent enthusiasm or rowdy behaviour either! If your dog has a behavioural issue, don't rely on castration as a “quick fix”. While it can help in some situations, it can make other problems much worse.
“This typically has to do with how they were socialized, who takes care of them and their past experiences,” Dr. Bonk told The Dodo. “If a dog is taken care of by a female, they're more likely to prefer females, [whereas] if they're primarily taken care of by a male, they may prefer males.”
Whether or not dogs are more attracted to one gender can't be objectively answered because all dogs and people are different. But, dogs generally tend to be more attracted to a specific set of behaviors that are exhibited mostly by adult women. It's not that dogs are exclusively attracted to female adults.
In most cases, dominant behavior occurs when a dog has reached maturity, somewhere between one and three years old. However, it's not uncommon for dominant behavior to occur in older dogs or puppies.
One to three year-old pups can be very energetic, hardly staying still for a single minute. As they age, however, they will begin to take longer and more frequent breaks between spurts. Most dogs will lose that seemingly abundant energy as they pass the three-to-four-year mark.
The short answer is: no. These are just generalised personality tendencies. The fact is, most dogs of either sex that are properly socialised as puppies—and given the proper training and care—can grow up to be wonderful, obedient, attentive, life-enhancing companions.
Answer: She may be protective of you or the couch (or both), and she just might not be comfortable with your husband being around. This snarl and growl is a distance-increasing warning telling your husband not to come close as she feels threatened by him.
The most common causes include conflict aggression, fear-based, defensive aggression, status related aggression, possessive aggression, food guarding aggression and redirected aggression.
Be sure to take your male dog out for lots of independent exercise and activity and keep him distracted as best as you can. Certain pheromone sprays can also be helpful during these times, particularly if there's some distance between the two dogs to start.