I am about to buy a golden cocker spaniel and have the choice of either a male or female puppy.

As I have 2 young grandchildren, has anyone an opinion as to which would normally have the best temperement or be most suitable

Adam

I think thats pretty much has to do with ur personal choice, I like females but prefer males.
I always do a puppy test. I hold the pup in my arms craddled like a baby on its back, the pup doesn't wiggle and move is content great. Then I kinda pinch but not real hard between the toes, pup doesn't whine great. I also give little tugs on the ear and tail, pup doesn't mind great. Throw ur keys down if pup takes off but comes back to investigate great. I never pick the pup that runs to me (I always heard/read this was more agressive dog) or hides away(this is more the shy one) from me. I always pick the one that will come and say hi but also will go and play and is happy to come running when u call the pup not always in ur face and jumping up at u. Just my personal opinion. :)

These are just what I do and this is how we picked Taz our wolf/rott. He is so layed back the kids can do anything to him, not to mention other people's kids. For a big dog we wanted a well natured animal. This has not failed us yet.

Good luck.
ttfn :)

I can't really comment on which sex I prefer- I have a bitch at the minute:) But I chose a bitch since I thought a male will be bigger and stronger and therefore opted for a bitch- now that my (once was) 8 week ball of fluff is nearing full size- she's over the breed standard height wise and strong as an ox:o So a dog wouldn't have mattered that much anyway:) She's a GSD by the way and I have two children (5 and 7)- the youngest of which she *mothers*:)

Stacey x x x

Hi
A boy every time..they're big babies for life...well if you molly coddle they are :)
Tracey

Yeah, I go for the boys as well ! :D

To be honest I've always been a bit put off by the 'female' side of bitches - you know, wombs, teats, seasons etc. From the health point of view, I always think they have more 'bits' that can go wrong !!

I have 2 girls and 2 boys - we'd never had boys before, but nobody wanted dog puppies when we had the litter! And aren't they different to bitches? When they're feeling snuggly they out-snuggle the girls, but otherwise they're much harder work! I think they'll be our last boys, and we'll go back to only biches again.

I only ever had bitches in my past - Mungo is the first boy I've had and I think he's far more affectionate than any of my bitches were - but then that could just be the breed!! :)

Zoe P x

Hi, we always had bitches until last year when we bought a boy springer now we have 3 and I have to say they are absolutely adorable so much better than the bitches (we have 2), they seem alot easier to train and are more sociable. I dont know if this is due to different litters or not but boys get the thumbs up from me everytime.

Hi
I usually find with females that they have that little independence..which boys lack..which makes the boys more cuddly..saying that my little girl of 7 months is a right snuggle bum.. generally I think the boys seek more cuddles and want to be with you all the time..which can be a pain if your'e not a dog cuddler..I am and get as many in as I can :)
Tracey

I have had 6 dogs in my lifetime that I could call mine and not ' the families dogs'. Out of them I only had one male a cross Alsation/Doberman that I inherited when my uncle died. Rebel did not live up to his name with humans (including children) , my cousins who were only toddlers at time had to keep being pulled of him as he would just lie back and let them pull or bite him to bits. However with non family member adults he was very terriotorial and possesive of the family. As he was 12 when I got him and we only had him for a further 2 years, prior to him passing away peacefully in his sleep , he soon took over as leader in the pack from the two younger bitches I had at the time. Personally I prefer bitches .. in fact in my household at present I have Tess my x pointer , and x2 female black british shorthair cats ...I have fostered kittens from my vet where they need a bit TLC prior to being rehomed and its always the Toms that are the prob. What I do feel strongly about is if you are getting a bitch as a pet and do not have proper facilities to breed .. pls get it neutered early as there are so many good breeders about and also so many unwanted or abandoned pups in rescue centres , you really dont want the hassle.
My golden retriever had a hereditary problem (I forget what it was over 20 yrs ago ... however as a pup she had a blue eyes prob long after they should have gone brown and altough I was only young at time I decided to get her neutered asap as I did not wish to pass it on ) I let my GSD have one litter which I had agreed with breeder and the bitch I kept I gave to my cousin , then had Leisha spayed,
Sorry I have totally digressed.. to answer your question in brief my reply would be to go for a bitch....Karyn

If you are a particularly keen gardener, I'd say get a bitch! My boys have totally destroyed the foliage on anything below about 15". Container plants make wonderful urinals!

I disagree- I have a bitch and no grass left where she's *peed* on the lawn:)

Stacey x x x