The differences in male and female dogs have been discussed forever, and everyone has an opinion. I am going to detail what I have seen with over a decade of experience raising puppies and working with thousands of different dogs.
The Basics
Trends and generalizations do not apply to all. If you disagree with my opinions that is 100% ok as there are exceptions to most everything. These are MY experiences.
The Boys- Best Trait
The #1 best trait male dogs have over female dogs is their lack of desire for drama and fights. This is mainly in regards to neutered males because with intact males the testosterone can affect this. In our boarding program, I am almost never afraid of any fights breaking out with male dogs. It is not even that they are more willing to submit, they just isolate more than the girls. The girls will bunch up and are more involved in playing with each other, but the boys mostly just wander around peacefully.
The Girls- Best Trait
The #1 best trait I see female dogs have over male dogs is intelligence. Once again, I am not calling male dogs unintelligent! In general, female dogs tend to be more focused, give more eye contact, and are a little easier to train. The boys tend to be more nonchalant, and they can focus with treats, but they are less intense in the training then the females.
Other Traits
When it comes to how vocal they are, being affectionate, being good with kids, eager to please, adaptable, etc. I can see no defined difference in males vs females.
Physical Differences
The main thing is you can not rub a male’s belly the same way as you can a female’s belly for obvious reasons. Females do have a greater risk for Urinary Tract Infections due to the folds of their genitals. Also, they have a shorter urethra, and it can touch the grass as they urinate, picking up bacteria. Chronic UTIs are not a common issue in healthy dogs, I would say affecting less than 1% of doodles.
Marking
Assuming your dog was spayed or neutered around 6-9 months, this is generally not a problem with males or females. I’d say less than 5% have this issue. However, if they visit a different home where intact dogs live then the odds of marking increase. I would say 15% of neutered males and 2% of spayed females will mark in my house. I didn’t know females mark??? Yes, they will sniff around, squat, and have small urinations to “claim” an area. Not common, but it does happen!
Conclusion
There are not major differences in male vs female puppies, but if you are really stuck in deciding between the two I hope this helps. Personally, I recommend spending time with individual puppies to learn more about them specifically.