# why do breeders charge more for females?



## Orla (Jul 5, 2009)

I've always wondered that and I can't come to an answer :blush: 
I bet its something really obvious :blush: 

Thanks in advance!

Orla


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## ndth (Jan 5, 2009)

I think it's because you can dress up a female one with all these awesome dresses and bows where as a male, options are a bit towards the limited side.


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## angelgirl599 (Apr 8, 2009)

I'm conjecturing here but I think one of the reasons is supply and demand. A lot of people who want maltese dogs want girls at the beginning. The stereotype is that they're "frou-frou" dogs because they are so beautiful. There is more of a demand for girls so they can sell them at a higher price because someone will be willing to pay that amount.

I've also noticed that breeders tend to charge more for smaller malts as well. It's not blatantly stated but that seems to have been a trend when I was looking earlier last year. I hope this trend dies out as the whole "dog as an accessory" thing dies down.


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## ilovemymaltese (Oct 9, 2008)

A breeder once told me that Maltese have a 65-70% chance of having male off-spring. Also females are in higher demand.


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## CloudClan (Jan 31, 2007)

There are several factors, but yes they do boil down to supply and demand. 

First probably 70-80% of the calls that Maltese breeders get specifiy a preference for girls. Often this is related to the way that people see this as a girly or pretty breed. So most buyers want a girl. 

There are slightly more males than females born. That is true in the human population too, but it evens out later in life. 

Also, breeders need to keep more girls than they do boys to keep a breeding program going. They can always go outside for stud service, but to breed they need to have girls. 

I know some breeders who do not believe in charging different prices. But the reality is that often breeders may set a price for all their puppies, but end up having to reduce the price on a boy just to get him placed. Other breeders would rather do that on the front end. That way they incentivize people to consider a boy where they might not have done. This helps even the playing field for the boys and gives them more chance of being placed in a similar time frame to the girls.


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## Cute Chloe (Nov 30, 2009)

Potential owners think male dogs will mark and pee all over the house.

When you see a Maltese, people always assume it's a girl, hence "What's her name?"

When people see a Rottweiler or German Shepherd, they automatically assume it's a male.

Then there's the "potential" of breeding them if they bought a female.

Supply and demand.


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## The A Team (Dec 1, 2005)

QUOTE (NDTH @ Jan 13 2010, 11:11 AM) index.php?act=findpost&pid=873046


> I think it's because you can dress up a female one with all these awesome dresses and bows[/B]



:HistericalSmiley: Great thought!


but don't you think the girls should cost less then? Because they then have to out and buy all those dresses and bows which brings the expense up even higher!!! :thumbsup:


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## Gail (Oct 14, 2007)

> Potential owners think male dogs will mark and pee all over the house.
> 
> That's why I bought a female. I know it's not always true but I didn't want to take any chances.


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## michellerobison (Dec 17, 2009)

I thought it was the greeder mentality of one can breed females and make more money from them than they can on males....


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## CloudClan (Jan 31, 2007)

QUOTE (michellerobison @ Jan 13 2010, 01:47 PM) index.php?act=findpost&pid=873093


> I thought it was the greeder mentality of one can breed females and make more money from them than they can on males....[/B]


Ouch!!! :shocked: 

I think that it a bit unfair to the wonderful breeders out there. Keeping more girls than boys is not related to being a "greeder."


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## Canada (Jun 4, 2009)

QUOTE (2MaltMom @ Jan 13 2010, 01:22 PM) index.php?act=findpost&pid=873082


> QUOTE (NDTH @ Jan 13 2010, 11:11 AM) index.php?act=findpost&pid=873046





> I think it's because you can dress up a female one with all these awesome dresses and bows[/B]



:HistericalSmiley: Great thought!


but don't you think the girls should cost less then? Because they then have to out and buy all those dresses and bows which brings the expense up even higher!!! :thumbsup:
[/B][/QUOTE]

Or send every female puppy home with a gift certificate for clothes! :HistericalSmiley:


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## michellerobison (Dec 17, 2009)

QUOTE (CloudClan @ Jan 13 2010, 01:52 PM) index.php?act=findpost&pid=873095


> QUOTE (michellerobison @ Jan 13 2010, 01:47 PM) index.php?act=findpost&pid=873093





> I thought it was the greeder mentality of one can breed females and make more money from them than they can on males....[/B]


Ouch!!! :shocked: 

I think that it a bit unfair to the wonderful breeders out there. Keeping more girls than boys is not related to being a "greeder."
[/B][/QUOTE]

I was told that by several breeders that they charge more for females because of the breeding possibilities,so it came from a breeder,not just my opinion...may sound harsh but yo uhave to wonder,especially if it's coming from breeders themselves.


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## jmm (Nov 23, 2004)

A breeder is not a greeder because they simply must have more females to continue their lines than males. As Carina said, you can always breed out to a male. Leasing or purchasing another female is not as easy as buying stud service. No reputable, responsible breeder looks at their female as a money maker. They look at their female as an essential key to breed the next, better, closer to the standard generation. 

And plenty of female dogs mark...It amazes me that so many people avoid males due to this problem and end up with a marking or incontinent female.


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## ndth (Jan 5, 2009)

QUOTE (Canada @ Jan 13 2010, 12:54 PM) index.php?act=findpost&pid=873097


> QUOTE (2MaltMom @ Jan 13 2010, 01:22 PM) index.php?act=findpost&pid=873082





> QUOTE (NDTH @ Jan 13 2010, 11:11 AM) index.php?act=findpost&pid=873046





> I think it's because you can dress up a female one with all these awesome dresses and bows[/B]



:HistericalSmiley: Great thought!


but don't you think the girls should cost less then? Because they then have to out and buy all those dresses and bows which brings the expense up even higher!!! :thumbsup:
[/B][/QUOTE]

Or send every female puppy home with a gift certificate for clothes! :HistericalSmiley:
[/B][/QUOTE]

:yes: wouldn't that be lovely?


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## maltluvr (Dec 8, 2006)

QUOTE (michellerobison @ Jan 13 2010, 02:09 PM) index.php?act=findpost&pid=873103


> QUOTE (CloudClan @ Jan 13 2010, 01:52 PM) index.php?act=findpost&pid=873095





> QUOTE (michellerobison @ Jan 13 2010, 01:47 PM) index.php?act=findpost&pid=873093





> I thought it was the greeder mentality of one can breed females and make more money from them than they can on males....[/B]


Ouch!!! :shocked: 

I think that it a bit unfair to the wonderful breeders out there. Keeping more girls than boys is not related to being a "greeder."
[/B][/QUOTE]

I was told that by several breeders that they charge more for females because of the breeding possibilities,so it came from a breeder,not just my opinion...may sound harsh but yo uhave to wonder,especially if it's coming from breeders themselves.
[/B][/QUOTE]


Anyone who produces a litter of puppies is a "breeder". Since we obviously know that all people who produce puppies are not reputable breeders who are breeding for the betterment of the breed, it is dangerous to suggest that just because a "breeder" says something, that what they say is true of Reputable Breeders. 

Females are more expensive in the small breeds, and males are more expensive in the large breeds because people think there is a difference in personality, disposition, and trainability in males and females. Not true. Differences based strictly on gender (except for the obvious difference in the "plumbing") is strictly a human reality. However, even in humans, this is mostly based on the way humans view their expectations of gender behaviour. Since pet owners spay/neuter their pets before they go through "puberty", they actually do not have male/female hormones after their surgery, so do not act differently because of gender.

Still, most people think a little dog to sit on your lap should be "sugar and spice" and a dog to scare away burglers should be "snakes and snails", so the vast majority of calls a Maltese breeder gets is for females. This drives up the cost of females, and drives down the cost of males. In the end, breeders "average out" a fair price for puppies. 

Another thing....Reputable Breeders place all pet pups, male and female, with spay/neuter contracts and Limited AKC registration, so the idea that the possibility of breeding justifies higher female pprices just does not apply to Reputable Breeders. Puppymills might need to worry about that, though since most of them have no contract at all.

As soon as people realize that Maltese males are as wonderful as what they think Maltese females are as pets, prices for females will go down, and prices for males will go up, so that both will be the same price. For now, buyers of males are getting a bargain !!


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## bellaratamaltese (May 24, 2006)

QUOTE (michellerobison @ Jan 13 2010, 12:09 PM) index.php?act=findpost&pid=873103


> QUOTE (CloudClan @ Jan 13 2010, 01:52 PM) index.php?act=findpost&pid=873095





> QUOTE (michellerobison @ Jan 13 2010, 01:47 PM) index.php?act=findpost&pid=873093





> I thought it was the greeder mentality of one can breed females and make more money from them than they can on males....[/B]


Ouch!!! :shocked: 

I think that it a bit unfair to the wonderful breeders out there. Keeping more girls than boys is not related to being a "greeder."
[/B][/QUOTE]

I was told that by several breeders that they charge more for females because of the breeding possibilities,so it came from a breeder,not just my opinion...may sound harsh but yo uhave to wonder,especially if it's coming from breeders themselves.
[/B][/QUOTE]


what type of breeders are you talking about? This isn't about selling breeding stock, it's about selling pets.


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## remy (Jul 9, 2009)

QUOTE (JMM @ Jan 13 2010, 02:29 PM) index.php?act=findpost&pid=873117


> And plenty of female dogs mark...It amazes me that so many people avoid males due to this problem and end up with a marking or incontinent female.[/B]


very true! my friend's female maltese marks all the time and even lifts her leg to pee :shocked: 

but my little boy doesn't mark or lift his leg and his personality is so mellow and sweet


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## Orla (Jul 5, 2009)

Thanks for all the answers!!

Milo is my first male dog ever and I did want a female when getting a maltese but he just stole my heart!
I didn't want a male at first cos I was scared of him marking and humping everything but so far Milo has been a dream dog and I wouldn't ever hesitate getting another male in the future :wub: - Milo is so sweet and much more loving than my girls.

I guess I knew an answer before I posted :blush:


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## 1malt4me (Oct 6, 2006)

Girls mark too, take it from someone who knows!
Dee


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## michellerobison (Dec 17, 2009)

It's hard to say which of our kids have the best personality,but I've heard boys can actually be more affectionate than girls. I thought girls were more affectionate at first , until we got Rylee,OMG what a cuddle bug. He always wants held and he will cuddle right up to you. My girls want held too but they just want to be on your lap ,but Rylee,the male, he wants to be right up near your heart. 

He's my little doodlebug,my sweet baby boy...so much for guard dog.. though he is the first to sound the alarm. He's also the smart one..who covers you from the rear. He's the "I got your back" guy...
But I saw that w/ our 2 male cockers too,they were the sweetest babies,loved to be held,loved to cuddled and those big sweet eyes...they were mama's boys...

As for that breeder I talked about,that's why we didn't buy from her. Her dogs were well taken care of looked healthy and were friendly but I got the feeling they were cattle to be bred. I hug on mine a lot,she didn't do that once while we visited. I wanted to hug every little dog there but I didn't want to chance making any of them sick. She had 3 pregnant females and 2 nursing females w/ 4-5 pups each,1 male, all in the house. She had a nice set up,little cubicle areas , and a play area,bright and clean too. 

I asked why more for females,she said because they're breeding stock. A male would have to really "hoof it" to compete money wise . You figure 5 females w/ a litter of 4-5 pups each so potential 20-25 pups @ $1,000- $1,500 each. I just felt cold from the place. I asked if she finds it hard to sell the puppies,she said you can't get attatched,it's a business. She didn't have a "no breeding" contract,so I guess she assumes anyone buying is doing so for breeding ,not as a pet.

That's why I got the impression of why the females were more expensive,so sorry if I offended any breeders on the list,it wasn't my intention. :wub:


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## bellaratamaltese (May 24, 2006)

QUOTE (michellerobison @ Jan 13 2010, 02:20 PM) index.php?act=findpost&pid=873171


> It's hard to say which of our kids have the best personality,but I've heard boys can actually be more affectionate than girls. I thought girls were more affectionate at first , until we got Rylee,OMG what a cuddle bug. He always wants held and he will cuddle right up to you. My girls want held too but they just want to be on your lap ,but Rylee,the male, he wants to be right up near your heart.
> 
> He's my little doodlebug,my sweet baby boy...so much for guard dog.. though he is the first to sound the alarm. He's also the smart one..who covers you from the rear. He's the "I got your back" guy...
> But I saw that w/ our 2 male cockers too,they were the sweetest babies,loved to be held,loved to cuddled and those big sweet eyes...they were mama's boys...
> ...


A greeder has a different mentality than the majority of show breeders. It's not a 'business', it's a hobby and one that I am quite sure I will never profit from. I wouldn't judge all breeders by the few that you talked to. Good breeders do not sell breeding stock to the general public (if they do, it's typically to another show breeder) That's a very good thing!


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## tamizami (May 1, 2007)

QUOTE (JMM @ Jan 13 2010, 11:29 AM) index.php?act=findpost&pid=873117


> A breeder is not a greeder because they simply must have more females to continue their lines than males. As Carina said, you can always breed out to a male. Leasing or purchasing another female is not as easy as buying stud service. No reputable, responsible breeder looks at their female as a money maker. They look at their female as an essential key to breed the next, better, closer to the standard generation.
> 
> And plenty of female dogs mark...It amazes me that so many people avoid males due to this problem and end up with a marking or incontinent female.[/B]


IMHO this is why its easier to find a very high quality male pets - because the breeders can't keep many boys. Male or female, I don't mind as long as its a Maltese from a reputable breeder! :wub: :wub: :wub:


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## Snowball Pie's Mommi (Oct 16, 2008)

QUOTE (Amby @ Jan 13 2010, 11:05 AM) index.php?act=findpost&pid=873040


> I've always wondered that and I can't come to an answer :blush:
> I bet its something really obvious :blush:
> 
> Thanks in advance!
> ...


Well, to be honest ... at first I thought I wanted a girl. And, then I heard the males tend to be a little closer to the Mommy.  I'm so glad we had time to think about it. We could have had a girl. But, we chose Snowball. And, of course, there have been no regrets at all.  Although Snowball is very close to both his Mommi and Poppi ... he sticks around with me more. :wub: :wub: :wub:


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## Tina (Aug 6, 2006)

> LOL This is what most people think. Boy are they wrong. Girls mark too. Just not as obvious. They are sneakier about it. They watch you very closely and then run real quick and mark what they want. To dogs it is a signature of where they have been.
> 
> Tina


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## maltluvr (Dec 8, 2006)

QUOTE (michellerobison @ Jan 13 2010, 04:20 PM) index.php?act=findpost&pid=873171


> It's hard to say which of our kids have the best personality,but I've heard boys can actually be more affectionate than girls. I thought girls were more affectionate at first , until we got Rylee,OMG what a cuddle bug. He always wants held and he will cuddle right up to you. My girls want held too but they just want to be on your lap ,but Rylee,the male, he wants to be right up near your heart.
> 
> He's my little doodlebug,my sweet baby boy...so much for guard dog.. though he is the first to sound the alarm. He's also the smart one..who covers you from the rear. He's the "I got your back" guy...
> But I saw that w/ our 2 male cockers too,they were the sweetest babies,loved to be held,loved to cuddled and those big sweet eyes...they were mama's boys...
> ...



Probably not even purebred Maltese, as most of us only have 2-3 pups in a litter. And 5 girls with pups at the same time sounds like a production line to me. Glad you stayed away from that one !


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## jmm (Nov 23, 2004)

I agree with Tami...you can get males that are show quality sold as pets because they are not needed in a breeding program so not worth finishing.


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## Delilahs Mommy (Nov 22, 2009)

LOL let's just all face it. It it's a FEMALE of any kind, it's going to be EXPENSIVE!


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## Orla (Jul 5, 2009)

QUOTE (maltluvr @ Jan 14 2010, 03:52 PM) index.php?act=findpost&pid=873499


> Probably not even purebred Maltese, as most of us only have 2-3 pups in a litter. And 5 girls with pups at the same time sounds like a production line to me. Glad you stayed away from that one ![/B]


there were 5 in Milo's litter.

QUOTE (dixiepalooza @ Jan 14 2010, 04:43 PM) index.php?act=findpost&pid=873524


> LOL let's just all face it. It it's a FEMALE of any kind, it's going to be EXPENSIVE! [/B]


true!


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## MaryH (Mar 7, 2006)

QUOTE (Amby @ Jan 14 2010, 02:33 PM) index.php?act=findpost&pid=873594


> QUOTE (maltluvr @ Jan 14 2010, 03:52 PM) index.php?act=findpost&pid=873499





> Probably not even purebred Maltese, as most of us only have 2-3 pups in a litter. And 5 girls with pups at the same time sounds like a production line to me. Glad you stayed away from that one ![/B]


there were 5 in Milo's litter.
[/B][/QUOTE]


There were 4 purebred Maltese in each of my last two litters. 

MaryH


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## bellaratamaltese (May 24, 2006)

QUOTE (maltluvr @ Jan 14 2010, 08:52 AM) index.php?act=findpost&pid=873499


> QUOTE (michellerobison @ Jan 13 2010, 04:20 PM) index.php?act=findpost&pid=873171





> It's hard to say which of our kids have the best personality,but I've heard boys can actually be more affectionate than girls. I thought girls were more affectionate at first , until we got Rylee,OMG what a cuddle bug. He always wants held and he will cuddle right up to you. My girls want held too but they just want to be on your lap ,but Rylee,the male, he wants to be right up near your heart.
> 
> He's my little doodlebug,my sweet baby boy...so much for guard dog.. though he is the first to sound the alarm. He's also the smart one..who covers you from the rear. He's the "I got your back" guy...
> But I saw that w/ our 2 male cockers too,they were the sweetest babies,loved to be held,loved to cuddled and those big sweet eyes...they were mama's boys...
> ...



Probably not even purebred Maltese, as most of us only have 2-3 pups in a litter. And 5 girls with pups at the same time sounds like a production line to me. Glad you stayed away from that one !
[/B][/QUOTE]


Hi! could you please introduce yourself to the forum, Maltluvr? 

I agree that 2-3 is a 'typical' litter but larger litters definitely happen.


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## ilovemymaltese (Oct 9, 2008)

QUOTE (BellarataMaltese @ Jan 14 2010, 04:34 PM) index.php?act=findpost&pid=873625


> QUOTE (maltluvr @ Jan 14 2010, 08:52 AM) index.php?act=findpost&pid=873499





> QUOTE (michellerobison @ Jan 13 2010, 04:20 PM) index.php?act=findpost&pid=873171





> It's hard to say which of our kids have the best personality,but I've heard boys can actually be more affectionate than girls. I thought girls were more affectionate at first , until we got Rylee,OMG what a cuddle bug. He always wants held and he will cuddle right up to you. My girls want held too but they just want to be on your lap ,but Rylee,the male, he wants to be right up near your heart.
> 
> He's my little doodlebug,my sweet baby boy...so much for guard dog.. though he is the first to sound the alarm. He's also the smart one..who covers you from the rear. He's the "I got your back" guy...
> But I saw that w/ our 2 male cockers too,they were the sweetest babies,loved to be held,loved to cuddled and those big sweet eyes...they were mama's boys...
> ...



Probably not even purebred Maltese, as most of us only have 2-3 pups in a litter. And 5 girls with pups at the same time sounds like a production line to me. Glad you stayed away from that one !
[/B][/QUOTE]


Hi! could you please introduce yourself to the forum? 

I agree that 2-3 is a 'typical' litter but larger litters definitely happen.
[/B][/QUOTE]

Doesn't litter sizes depend on the dam's size? ie. larger dams have larger litters?


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## MaryH (Mar 7, 2006)

QUOTE (ilovemymaltese @ Jan 14 2010, 04:45 PM) index.php?act=findpost&pid=873629


> Doesn't litter sizes depend on the dam's size? ie. larger dams have larger litters?[/B]



No. Litter size depends on the number of eggs produced by the female that were fertilized by the male. The number of eggs produced by the female is a breed-specific thing, not a size-specific thing. Saying "the larger the dog, the larger the litter" is about like saying a size 16 woman is more likely to have triplets than a size 10 woman who is more likely to have twins than a size 4 woman who will only have a singleton.

MaryH


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## Orla (Jul 5, 2009)

QUOTE (ilovemymaltese @ Jan 14 2010, 09:45 PM) index.php?act=findpost&pid=873629


> Doesn't litter sizes depend on the dam's size? ie. larger dams have larger litters?[/B]


Milo's mom was between 5 - 5.5lbs(can't remember) pre pregnancy and she had 5 pups in one litter(Milo's) and 3 in another.


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