# Female or Male? Good Breeders?



## isabelj (Dec 24, 2012)

*Hi!

While looking into our very first Maltese fluff, we came across a breeder we really liked here in Ontario. The thing when we called is for now, all she has is little males, and the next litter may be in a while. When we talked to her she said the difference from male and female in some dogs is obvious, but Maltese is not that different. We had our heart sets on a female but don't want to wait so long? Does anybody have experience with both and have a preference? Any input on if a boy is just as good is great:biggrin: I also heard that after being neutred some boys get lazy and lay around, where as girls after spaying still stay energetic and fun. Is this just a myth or true? 

Also if anybody knows of any other reliable breeders in Ontario that we could look into to find a female would be great 

SO excited for our first baby :wub:​*


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## Sylie (Apr 4, 2011)

There are dozens of threads on the subject. I suggest you enter "male vs female" in the forum search box and read through some of those threads.


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## IvysMom (Dec 24, 2012)

I predict that you will fall madly in love with whomever you bring home.

That said, some people tend to be more girl-dog people while others are boy-dog people; and then there are some who are happy with both. Personally, I am a girl dog person. I can't really explain it, I just am.

While I do believe you would madly love your little boy maltese, if you have your heart set on a little girl, I would wait to find her. The best analogy I can give you is when I went shopping for a new Caravan in dark blue. The local sales lot had none in dark blue and did their best to sell me the very pretty gold van they had on the lot. The gold was very pretty and I would have loved it. However, I also knew every single time I passed a dark blue Caravan I would be wistful and STILL wish I had a dark blue Caravan, despite loving my gold one. I waited and purchased a blue and have never regretted sticking to my guns

If you decide to bring home the little boy fluff who you will certainly adore, will you still wistfully wish you had a little girl fluff? If not, bring home the boy! But you know yourself and if you will still be wistful for a girl, maybe you should keep looking for her.


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## Summergirl73 (Sep 18, 2011)

I think it really is a matter of preference and luck. Some girls are a handful while others are not. We have a female Malt and she's a precious little cutie. We had a boy who was a mixed breed (he was 15 when he passed away) and he was hands down the best dog we have ever had. I guess the bottom line is they all have there own personality regardless of whether they are female or male. Best wishes on your search  .


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## Daisy's Mommie (Sep 24, 2012)

We are fortunate to have both- a male-Zoey who is 6 and Daisy who is 3. They are without a doubt the most amazing little creatures. I love them both dearly. Zoey is a little older so he doesn't so excited about playing ball or playing tag with his sisters but when one of us -Mommie or Daddy comes in the door-you would think that he is still a puppy!! Running, barking, twirling around on his back feet and tugging on your leg to be picked up and loved on. Daisy is happy about EVERYTHING! She runs at the drop of a hat, chasing her tail, the cats and anything else that moves.. Yhey are both wonderful. Both of them have a wardrobe--sweaters, jackets, bows--Daisy has dresses, t-shirts, skirts, a bikini and anything else you can imagine! I highly recommend either the male or female because once you have held your furbaby for 10 seconds you will be IN LOVE and nothing else will matter. Congratulations to the furparents-to-be!!!


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## isabelj (Dec 24, 2012)

Thanks! Wow all that very helpful! I guess we will wait until we see this weekend and see what it's like! Daisy's mommy that another thing, we were looking forward to having bows and little cute girly coats for when it's cold outside since it snows here, and I don't think a boy would love a pink coat. But we're definitely not going to base it on that if we love him that will be it! So excited to go this weekend and test the little fluffs out They're only 7 weeks now.


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## Ladysmom (Oct 19, 2004)

I loved my Lady and always assumed that I would get another girl when I lost her. It just didn't feel right to get another girl as Lady was still (and will always be) my little girl so I got a boy this time. I just adore having a boy! Bailey is the happiest, most social little guy ever. If I decided to get another one, it would be very hard to choose between the two sexes.


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## Kathleen (Aug 4, 2011)

How exciting to be choosing a puppy! Congratulations!
I have two also, a boy and a girl, both a little over a year old.
There are definitely differences in their personalities, but I don't think it is a boy/girl thing. I think it is just different personalities.
They are both full of energy and like to play constantly. There was no difference at all in activity level after Max was neutered. Daisy is full of fun, happy as can be, and always busy. Max is also happy and likes to play, but not quite as extreme as Crazy Daisy. He can be a little snuggle bug sometimes, whereas she is always up to something.
I think that all Maltese have sweet and loving personalities so you really can't go wrong. To me, the big difference is clothing. As you said, many more options for girls! But there are clothes and bows for boys too.
I bet that you will know once you meet them. If your heart melts, it is meant to be. If not, you will know it is better to wait a little while. It is definitley worth waiting if it just isn't right, especially if it is a breeder that you like.
Good luck with the seach! Have fun!


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## Malt Shoppe (Jul 20, 2011)

Dear Isabel,
I feel very qualified to answer your questions. I have had 5 Maltese, all but one have been females; never ever wanted a male - don't care for the little faucet on the tummy. Loved each and every one of my precious females with all my heart - still do and miss them terribly. 

Then, by a set of unforseen circumstances, suddenly I agreed to take a 8 mo old neutered male Maltese due to health issues by the owner of only 10 days before she suffered severe health issues and couldn't keep him. He's from a great breeder whom I've gotten 2 of my Maltese.

Let me tell you, I'm still eating crow - he's been mine for almost 20 months now and he's marvelous. He's the first dog I've ever had that actually played with toys, so he has a huge amount of them now. He's full of personality, very smart, active, but cuddly at the same time. He's my shadow all the time.

My females were more sedate, they slept alot, didn't play with toys. I loved them dearly but I must say, if I ever got another Maltese, it just might be a male again.
And....his little faucet is so tiny, it's no consideration.

It was fun to buy girlie things, bows, little pink coats, stuff like that for my precious females. I didn't put them in dresses so that wasn't an issue. I have a few little shirts for my male, Blaze but he doesn't wear them often since he has long hair and clothing tends to matt him.

My male is pure delight. I've heard 'females love you but males are in love with you' - I believe it. Blaze causes me to start and end my day laughing and keeps it up all day long - he's so entertaining.

Either way you decide, you will absolutely love your Maltese beyond belief. If you get a male now, you most likely will want another Maltese in the near future anyway, then you can get your female.

I hope this helps, take it from someone who knows!


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## J Smith (Dec 11, 2012)

isabelj said:


> Thanks! Wow all that very helpful! I guess we will wait until we see this weekend and see what it's like! Daisy's mommy that another thing, we were looking forward to having bows and little cute girly coats for when it's cold outside since it snows here, and I don't think a boy would love a pink coat. But we're definitely not going to base it on that if we love him that will be it! So excited to go this weekend and test the little fluffs out They're only 7 weeks now.


I wanted a female Maltese (my daughter asked for a girl dog to name Snow White) but we ended up getting a male. I'm in Alaska, so I know the weather you're talking about (though it's been a heat wave lately!). We bought sweaters and fleece booties for Blizzard in either red or blue, and even a little tuxedo. If you're a sports fan, there are pint sized jerseys. I definitely want to get a female still, but Blizzard is a blast, and I'm happy we didn't wait for a female.


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## Yogi's Mom (Jan 6, 2013)

*Hello And Welcome-So Glad to hear you are wanting a lil maltese.*
*Everybody is right--no matter what you get--you are going to fall in LOVE!!!--I Have A Boy--10mo old--This Little guy is wacky and i love it. he never stops,tons of fun. He show me so much love.*

*I Really like a little girl also. Look At Yogi my Boy--He Said Hed Like If I Got A Girl to!!! He Has A Blue snuggit to.:Welcome 3:*
*No Matter What You Will Get-Your Life will change--and this is the place,to learn all you will need to be a good furbaby mommy*


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## StevieB (Feb 2, 2012)

Ooh I love my boy, but I wouldn't put a dress or frilly coats on him! So if that's what you're wanting then you should wait. But if that's not a deal breaker then I can promise you'll love a boy. That to me would be the biggest consideration, both are wonderful as far as personality. I think a lot of that just comes down to the individual dog.


Sent from my iPhone using Petguide.com Free App


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## pippersmom (May 21, 2012)

Pipper is a male and he didn't get lazy after being neutered. He's a very busy little guy who just wants to play play and play. Once he gets tired then he just wants to lay on my lap to sleep or snuggle up against me as close as he can get. There is nothing like a maltese! I just love him so much!!!!! :wub:


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## SweetMalteseAngels (Oct 16, 2011)

I have both male and female. Initially, I wanted a girl so I put deposit down on her. When I went to pick her up, I saw the tiny precious boy that I ended up getting two and love both of them to death. I think as others have shared, you can't go wrong with either gender when it comes to malteses. I think what makes up their personality has a lot to do with their breeder and how you interact with them once you get them. You need to make sure that they are well socialized and properly trained. Both my dogs are are affectionate but my boy is the demanding one. When he wants you to pet him, he will come to you to so that he can be held. When you are holding him, he will give you none stop kisses until you stroke his head. He will lean towards your body as he rests his head on your body. But when he wants to be alone, he will sit on the opposite side of the couch and want to just go to sleep. He doesn't cuddle near you when he sleeps. My girl on the other hand loves to be held too but waits until you come and carry her. She doesn't demand to be held like my boy does. However, she always likes to be with me all the time. She loves to sit on my lap at all times if I let her. She likes to have her body touching me somehow even when she is sleeping. I think that not all girls or boys behave this way. It's each individual thing.

One thing that is different though is the clothing. There are so many cute clothes to dress up the girls and not as many for the boys. Also, many clothing is not good for the boys because sometimes their pee get on the clothes unless the belly area on the clothes are short. Also, if you like putting bows on dog's hair, I would get a girl. when I put a bow on the boy's hair, i get an earful from many guys saying that it is just not right. However, if you don't care about this, then either one is great. Best of luck to you whichever one you decide. You may end up getting both like me at some point. It's great having both since they keep each other company when I am work and also you get best of both worlds!


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## isabelj (Dec 24, 2012)

Wow, all this information is so helpful! Super glad I joined the site it seems like such great support. I think I see that it all depends on the very dog. I'm looking forward to Sunday when we get to visit! The breeder doesn't know yet if the pups will even be for placement yet but we are still aloud to visit them. I'll report back how it went


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## Sugarstar (May 9, 2012)

Good luck on your visit. Its going to be so much fun! Puppies are adorable.It really is a joy to see the puppies with their parents. My favorite memory is of the breeder bring out the puppies first and then the mom later. The puppies were lazy and just kinda sat there and slowly sniffed us when he brought them out first. I think the breeder could see I was a little concerned so he brought the mom out to interact with them. Soon it was puppy madness! The puppies were jumping around, climbing on us, and chasing their mom. This was before they were ready to leave the mom. They still had to stay with her for another 3 weeks. 

I actual avoided going to visit male only litters (females always seem to go first in a litter so I was too late several times) when I wanted a female because I knew I would be very very weak in the face of cuteness. Boys are equally as cute and I could have easily gone home with one if he was right in front of me. My decision wasn't based upon the personality of males vs females since I believe there are too many exceptions to that rule and personality is an individual dog trait. My decision on what gender to get was based upon two things:

1. Marking/Peeing- lol I didn't want a dog that could aim higher than the ground. Since small dogs tend to be harder to potty train, I rather not have to wash walls or furniture. Floors are enough for me. This was a huge factor for me. I also admit that I am not a big fan of the extra bit being very obvious when they are shaved.

2. Accessories- I just adore girly things. Even though the dogs don't care, I couldn't put up with a bunch of strange looks for giving my boy dog a dress.

I ended up going with a girl and I don't regret choosing her. I adore her. She loves to snuggle and follow people around. She is an attention hog and will act like everyone is her best friend. I really like that about her. I always wanted a dog that other people could enjoy. Some people say females don't bond as closely and are independent, but I know she adores me. She just doesn't fear other people and has a curiosity that is so much fun to watch. But these traits are all probably based upon her individual personality, being socialized young, and having a good breeder that picked the parents for that trait (her mom was big snuggle bug too, her mom actually sat on my lap to get away from her pups and get some petting from me, and then went to her owner for more snuggles). I doubt her being female has much to do with it.


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## Haley28 (May 4, 2012)

I have never had a female maltese, but originally I wanted a girl. The breeder I got my maltese from only had boys left, but I fell in love with my sweet Toby instantly. I would get another boy in a heartbeat but my husband says one is enough lol. I got my male maltese neutered at about 6 months and it didn't change his energy level any. He loves to play and snuggle and as far as the potty issues with males, he never did get the leg lifting thing since we neutered him at 6 months. He's 2 1/2 and still squats to pee and is housetrained. We love him to death!


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