Golden Retriever: male or female? I must confess that my home is full of rescue animals. It does not matter what age, sex, color, or breed they are, I take them when nobody else wants them. All it costs me is a general health check, deworming, vaccinations, and spaying or neutering. It works out at around ten percent of the cost of acquiring a purebred. The love, personality, and companionship come for free.
However, I do realize that when you shell out a fortune for a purebred, things like breed and gender weigh a lot when you make your purchase decisions.
You have already decided that you want a Golden Retriever.
Fantastic choice!
This breed has everything going for it except perhaps that it is not guard dog number one. It does bark when people enter your yard so I’m sure you can live with that much guarding.
In this article, we present the differences in gender of Golden Retrievers to help you make the choice between a female or a male dog. Unless you’re taking one of each, in which case you at least have the info of both and know what to expect!
Golden Retriever Physical Statistics
Female Size and Weight
- Height: 21.5-22.5 inches (54.6-57.2 cm)
- Weight: 55-65 pounds (24.9-29.5 kg)
As in most dogs breeds, the female Golden Retriever is smaller and lighter than her male counterpart. Every individual dog is different and it is not impossible that you may end up with a female dog that is larger than somebody else’s male.
You can see when comparing the figures for male and female that there is only an inch or two difference in the average numbers as far as height is concerned. As for weight, the bottom value for males is the same as the top value for females.
A lot of what you can expect in a pup can already be anticipated by looking at the parents. Are they larger than average? Then there is a good, but not one hundred percent, chance that their pups will also be large.
Male Size and Weight
- Height: 23-24 inches (58.4-61 cm)
- Weight: 65-75 pounds (29.5-34 kg)
There is not a huge difference between the male and female Golden Retriever average adult size and weight. Either way, the thing to realize is that you will have a large, heavy dog when the pup is grown. If this is not what you want, don’t even worry about gender, switch to another, smaller breed.
Golden Retrievers are classified as a “large breed”. To give you a comparative idea of what this means, here are some other dogs that you also find in this category:
- Alaskan Malamute
- Bloodhound
- German Shepherd
Temperament
Somehow we expect males of any species of animal, including humans, to have a different temperament than females. In particular, we expect males to be more aggressive than females. This is not all social conditioning.
The reality is that temperament has a lot to do with hormones and other substances in the body. Our feelings and moods are often caused by changes in these chemicals rather than the irritating behavior of our spouse or the pretty sunrise outside.
The same is true for dogs.
The two substances that are important in determining temperament, and especially aggression, are neuropeptides called oxytocin (OT) and vasopressin (AVP). People have it.
Dogs have it.
Although inheritance plays an important role in how much of these substances a dog ends up with, there are also other factors that can change it.
One comparative study used dogs that were selected for training as assistance dogs (therefore calm and non-aggressive). They were all Golden Retrievers. They consistently had higher free and total OT in their blood plasma as well as a higher ratio of OT to AVP than another group consisting of different breeds, but who all has a history of aggression.
This study and others suggest that you could expect a dog with higher levels of vasopressin to be more aggressive. This is a new angle, as we always talked about high levels of testosterone indicating aggression, which naturally are high in male dogs.
It does not look like there is any evidence at the moment that male dogs have higher levels of AVP than females. But the levels of both neuropeptides in the blood of either gender can change under certain conditions.
- OT levels rise in dogs as well as owners when there is friendly interaction, especially touch. It is also elevated after exercise and eating. You can see why it is called a pleasure or love hormone.
- OT levels rise before, during, and after the birth of a litter in the female dog.
- AVP levels rise in dogs who are known to fear gunshots when they do hear a shot. It lowers after drinking water.
- Permanently lowered AVP levels are caused by dysfunctional hypothalamus and pituitary glands (both in the brain), resulting in diabetes insipidus. This is water diabetes, not the one associated with insulin.
Most dog owners have observed that a female dog with puppies can be much more aggressive than a male. This behavior is transient and will disappear as the puppies grow up.
The Golden Retriever is classified as a sporting dog (USA), gun or bird dog (UK), or Retriever dog (FCI) – various classifications apply in various countries. All of these terms imply a dog that likes to chase and hunt. Therefore it sounds as though it has a certain aggressive streak.
That is only partly true.
Golden Retrievers were originally bred to chase and bring back prey that the hunter shot. However, for several decades most breeding has focused on a calm, friendly, non-aggressive temperament. It will still chase, but it is not inherently a very aggressive dog.
Is there a difference in the temperament of the male and the female Golden Retriever of today?
Will the male be more prone to aggression than the female?
At the moment these questions have no definitive answer. The best option when looking for a specific temperament in a Golden Retriever is to consult with the breeder regarding the parents of puppies.
Your own treatment of the pup will naturally also determine whether it ends up an aggressive, fearful dog or a happy, friendly one.
Exercise Requirements
Retrievers were bred to retrieve. That means being outside, running after the prey, searching for it, and bringing it back.
They were required to have stamina and to be able to handle all kinds of terrain. In the case of the Golden Retriever, some of their first ancestors were water spaniels and so they have no compunction to dive into the water after the prey.
The result of the above is that today Golden Retrievers need lots of exercise and love water. Even if they have been bred for show purposes or as family dogs. It makes no difference whether Golden Retriever male or female, your dog will want to run, play, fetch, jump, swim, and in general bounce about a lot.
Breeding
If you have any intention of breeding then you must decide whether you want all the work and time that goes into caring for a pregnant female. And the litter of puppies for at least eight weeks.
Or all the work and care that goes into keeping a male at home and away from all other female dogs in the neighborhood when they are in heat. Oestrus happens twice a year and can last for two weeks. Doesn’t sound like a big deal?
A male dog that smells the bitches in heat and who can not get to them is no joke. He will probably whine, go off his food, and exhibit all kinds of other unwanted behavior because he is so frustrated. He will try his best to get out of the house or the yard. Hullo digging, scratching, jumping, chewing through leashes, running away, and not react to your call…
Breeding with a male dog sounds like easy money but it’s not. Not if you want to be a responsible and respectable breeder.
Breeders have a wide choice of stud dogs who are well-known and who are champions in the ring and field. Why would they choose an unknown dog to mate their bitch? It will need to win some championships first or at least do very well in competitions of all kinds. There are health checks that need to be passed. Then you need to break into the circle of sought-after studs.
If you do not intend to breed then neuter or spay the dog as soon as it is advisable and forget about all these troubles. The standard age for the procedure is six months for bitches and nine months for dogs.
But take note of new research on Golden Retrievers that show an increase in risk for certain cancers and joint disorders in dogs neutered or spayed before one year of age. Your vet should consider the size and general health of your pup before doing the surgery. For males, it is a simpler surgical procedure and costs less.
Easy to Train
If you want a dog that is easy to train look no further than the Golden Retriever. The question is, is there a difference in trainability between males and females? Some owners maintain a preference for one or the other sex, but most breeders say it should not matter. Female dogs may need a bit more encouragement but that does not mean they are difficult to train. It’s all up to the individual dog and of course, you, the owner.
Golden Retrievers generally train easily but you need to consider their temperament. They may be overenthusiastic in their eagerness to please so you must allow them to make mistakes. Training with positive reinforcement methods always works best with Golden Retrievers regardless of sex.
Are Male or Female Golden Retrievers Better for Hunting?
Are male or female golden retrievers better for hunting?
Many hunters say that their best dogs have been females with male-like tendencies.
Huh?
That seems like an opt-out. It does not help much when you have to make your choice and the dog is still a puppy.
Anthea Lawrence in her book “Training the Working Retriever” says that you train the dog in front of you (p.26). The breed and sex is a secondary consideration.
A helpful consideration may be to know whether your pup comes from a line that was bred to be gundogs or show dogs. Golden Retrievers are very capable of being both but if you are a new owner, you may find it easier to train the dog to hunt if it comes from an established gundog line in the first place.
Conclusion
People expect an easy answer to the question of the pros and cons of male and female Golden Retrievers. It depends more on your personal preference than on the dog. For a generalized overview of the pros and cons of gender see this.
There may be other factors that are important to you when you make your choice between a male or a female Golden Retriever. If you consider the ones we have discussed, it seems that male and female Goldens are pretty much the same in all aspects except size.
There is no clear advantage to choosing either sex.
Enjoy your Golden and look after it well!
