What’s better? Males vs Female Vizsla Dogs

Trying to choose between getting a female or male puppy? Or just wondering if there’s any difference at all really? I’m no expert (ask your breeder to start!) but here’s a couple things I’ve found over the years.

Physical differences

The obvious difference is males tend to be slightly taller and larger and of course have anatomical differences. It’s really important I be able to carry my own dog for long periods of time, so for me a smaller dog is very beneficial, however I don’t know this is a concern for most people.

Males will tend to mark as well as hump more than females. My Whiskey loves to mark just as much as males, although overall you’ll see this behavior in males more. Humping can also occur in both sexes although it will happen more with male dogs. On the other hand, I know with proper training you can keep dogs from humping, and some unneutered males do not hump or mark.

Another obvious difference is that unspayed female dogs will go into heat once or twice a year and this can be inconvenient, especially if you have a male dog, or your dog goes to daycare. It’s not been a huge issue for me, and there are solutions like an OSS spay that can keep hormones while preventing pregnancy.

Emotional

There’s something I keep hearing about Vizslas “Girls love you, and the boys fall IN love with you”. I can see where this comes from, and the differences overall. You cannot really speak to a specific individual but there’s definitely differences overall, just like humans.

Vizslas will all love their humans. They’re velcro dogs that seek human attention and love and want to touch and be with you all day long. Both my girls (and other Vizslas that come live with me) follow me from room to room, and I’m never alone in the bathroom. They all think they’re lap dogs, and they will love snuggle and cuddle.

However, as much as female Vizslas love to be on your lap and under the desk or behind the chair with you, male Vizslas will love you so hard they’ll be on top of your head. Males will bounce so exuberantly they’ll tackle you with their love, and they’ll want not only to touch you, they want to be part of you. Males are just very enthusiastic and unfiltered and everything is straight from their feelings and into their legs.

Hiking, Working, Dog Sports

Male dogs in general have less caution when it comes to risk taking, or just thinking about consequences. This is a part of why I chose females. Males tend to run and jump without thinking, without looking at what is on the other side. If they see something move, they will be more likely to run and chase rather than sniffing and thinking. This translates to more dangerous on cliffs with birds, more chance of injury on steep drop-offs or technical hikes, and more chances of making bad decisions with bears and porcupine. Overall I’ve seen many more males quilled and with injuries from running into things than females.

Another thing to think about, is females tend more to be thinkers, doing things on their own terms. They can be more emotional, opinionated and manipulative. This can be harder for competitions and training if your dog is more prone to doing things on their own terms, depending on the current alignment of stars. Male dogs and Vizslas are less emotional and less prone to emotional swings. For dog sports, males can be bolder and more aggressive attacking new obstacles or challenges.

Please do keep in mind that these are very generalized statements and each dog is different. While Whiskey is very reliable, fearless, and driven, Bourbon can be quite emotional, tentative and a thinker. However, it can actually be easier to run Bourbon in agility as she’s more accurate about her motions and less aggressive at just attacking whatever she sees in the arena vs actually listening to commands.

Socialization

Depending on what you’re looking for (or not looking for) Male dogs are generally more interested in meeting other dogs, more drawn to roaming in an attempt to find a mate. Although Bourbon roams extremely far, she doesn’t go and greet dogs along the way, however I know many long ranging Vizsla males that will go and say hello to others. I personally really like how my females keep to themselves and for the most part we have no problem with other dogs that want to pick a fight or are reactive or anxious. On the other side, they’re both less playful than males, and more standoffish to others on walks.

Because male dogs are more social, without proper training and socialization they can be more prone to get into fights with strangers. I’ve known too many unneutered male Vizslas that have gotten attacked by neutered male dogs, or just more dominance fights. I feel like this is mainly an issue in North America where most dogs are neutered and many are not socialized properly but it’s definitely a trend.

Females will still fight, but I think there’s less chances of a stranger random off-leash dog attacking a female, than a male. However, two females in a house that are battling for top dog will be much more vicious and fierce. Males posture more, females are serious when they actually do fight.

In Conclusion

Consider your lifestyle and what other dogs you have in your household. What is most important to you? I wanted a dog I could lift, a dog that would ignore others, one that wouldn’t chase chipmunks off a cliff or chase a bear, and one that didn’t mark up my home. Whiskey was an alpha female and I still introduced another female into my home because I was confident that as much as Whiskey was top dog, she would not be aggressive and would be a good leader for a puppy to follow.

Much more important than male or female, get yourself a good breeder that’s breeding good genes, healthy, with no aggression and a lovely temperament. Meet the parents and as many other Vizslas as you can and find and train yourself the perfect companion.