The Great Dane is probably one of the easy-going dog breeds. However, before buying a Great Dane puppy home, you should put their size, temperament, and strength into consideration.
They are famous for their patience and friendly nature. But the decision to buy a Great Dane comes to one last question. Should you get male or female Great Dane? Which one is better? We will try to help you in this article to decide which gender you should buy.
Male Great Dane is usually more reliable than females. Although males take a longer time to get trained than females, females seem to lose all the training at “that time of the year.” When a female is in heat, she is hard to control, and with its huge size, it can be overwhelming for the owner.
Male vs. Female Great Dane Puppies
There is not a big difference between a male and a female puppy when they are only eight weeks old. The only difference you can notice might be in size. Most of the time, male puppies are bigger than females.
However, they are not going to be puppies always so it is good to study all the differences between male and female Great Danes.
Height and Weight Differences
There is a slight difference in weight and height in male and female Great Dane. Like any other breed, males tend to be taller and heavier than females.
Here is the guide of weight and height at different stages of Great Dane’s life:
6 Months Old
12 Months Old
18 Months Old
Although there is a difference in size and weight, this difference should not affect your decision to buy male or female.
These statistics are only for knowledge purposes, and you should focus more on other important things when you are about to choose between male or female.
Let’s look in detail the differences between male and female Great Danes.
Male vs. Female Great Dane: Does Size Really Matter?
No, it does not. Great Dane is already a pretty big dog breed, and the difference between male and female is not huge when it comes to weight and height. A fully grown female Great Dane would be around 2 inches short of male height.
The difference in weight could be more noticeable because of the build of the gender. Male looks more muscular while the female is more on the smarter size. Regardless of the gender of Great Dane, you have to make sure that they are provided with enough space.
It does not matter if is a male or female. With the dog of this size, a backyard will be necessary to use their energy and to give them space where they can roam easily.
A Great Dane will not do well in apartments, and he might knock over things occasionally just because he is bigger than most dog breeds out there.
Females Mature Faster
Female Great Dane is most likely to hit puberty and adult age before a male Great Dane. This trait comes in handy when you are about to train them.
A female dog is ready to be trained a lot earlier than males and pick up commands from an early age because of their maturity.
Of course, the temperament of the individual dog will decide that which one is easy to train. But generally, females are a lot easier to train as compare to the males of Great Dane breed.
Do not assume already that a female is smarter than males. They are both intelligent, and the reason for the easy training of females is because they take the training session more seriously while males tend to get distracted easily and might not have the same level of interest in training sessions.
You will need to work extra to train a male Great Dane as compare to the female. Their inner child keeps pushing them to do stuff which they should not. Females, on the other hand, have more of a serious nature and tend to listen to their owners more carefully.
Girls Are Moody
The issue of being moody is not only limited to the Great Dane dog breed. Almost every female dog has this moody attitude. There can be several reasons like being in heat, pregnancy, or change in hormones.
You will notice more this trait in a female that has not been spayed. The heat cycle remains for more than 20 days and happens twice a year. Prepare your self for some unwanted behavior in the females as their mood will drive them. A heat cycle can start as early as 6 months to 1 year.
Your training to the female Great Dane might do in vain at this time of the year. A female dog is more likely to ignore the commands, and it can be too much to handle if you do not prepare yourself accordingly.
Female Great Danes Are Ready to Mate
The heating cycle of a female Great Dane is only the first stage. Things are not going to be comfortable when she enters the second stage. The second stage is commonly known as Estrus.
A female Great Dane will start to flirt with male dogs, and she will be ready to mate at any time. A male can pick up her scent from miles away, and it will be highly recommended that you do not let her out of your sight in this period.
The male Great Danes could be ready to fight each other to win her over. While another female can be aggressive towards your female Great Dane when she is going through this stage. The situation can become quite tricky if you do not pay attention at this time of the year.
Tip: A female Great Dane will hold her tail to the side when she is about to mate.
Neutered Male Great Dane
A male Great Dane might develop a habit marking their territory by urinating. They will be ready to attract female dogs nearby and expect some humping behavior in the males. If you do not want this kind of habit to develop, then you must get the male neutered at an early age.
A male Great Dane can be neutered between 6 to 9 months of age. If you decide to neuter the male later, then humping might not go away as he will still have this habit developed.
According to many owners, dogs that have been altered at 2 years of age will have an established behavior than dogs altered at 6 months of age.
You might want to know that dogs that have not been spayed or neutered are not allowed in some parks or daycare because of the behavior they develop.
Early Socialization
Regardless of the gender in Great Dane dog breeds. Early socialization should be done for both males and females. A good dog is always friendly towards other animals.
If you do not train them from an early age, then male or female, both will have some unwanted traits that will be hard to eliminate later on.
If you are planning to keep two dogs in your home, then it is a proven fact that the opposite gender gets along really well than the same gender. At the same time, it depends on the individual and be ready to see some unexpected behavior in the opposite gender as well.
Nature of Male and Female Great Danes
Before we dive into the temperament and character of the male and female Great Dane. It is highly important to remember that the nature of a dog depends on the individual.
A male dog can be easy going, but it does not mean that female will not be. Any temperament dog develops because of the training they receive and the genes they have of their parents.
We have many examples of Great Dane owners, where they tell us that they have two females. One is far more relaxed, and the other one is totally crazy.
So it is very hard to predict that male or female, which one is more suitable. You can not predict the nature of the dog. It does not matter if it is male or female.
Generally speaking, male Great Dane is a bit more easy-going and get along with family nicely. A female Great Dane can have attitude some times and might be closer to only one person in the family. Females tend to develop a bond with the handler, while males create a relationship with the family.
Health Differences
Spaying and neutering of the dogs help in avoiding overpopulation of the dogs, but many people do not know that it can prevent unwanted behavior and many health issues in your Great Dane.
Spaying female dogs can prevent many diseases such as mammary cancer and uterine infections, while neutered male dogs can be prevented from diseases like benign prostatic hyperplasia and testicular cancer.
Your Great Dane might be at the risk of having health issues because of being spayed or neutered, but it is proven that the benefits outweigh the risk involved in this process.
Whether it is a male or female, always keep a close check on their health and occasionally visit the vet to keep everything in order.
Is Male Great Dane More Aggressive Than Female?
Many owners believe in this theory, but there is no evidence to support it. It might be possible that male or female, any of them can be aggressive depending on many factors.
There is some evidence that suggests a male dog can be bolder. He might challenge or threaten another dog, but this behavior rarely leads to a fight.
Fight between two dogs rarely cause any harm. Female dogs stay away from threatening action, but they do have a strong will to enforce their dominance.
There is more chance of a fight between two female dogs than two male dogs. Keep in mind that when female dogs fight, it is far more damaging.
Who Is More Friendly?
Friendliness depends more on a dog breed than its gender. A Great Dane dog is a far more friendly dog breed than others out there. So In this situation, you do not have to be worried. You should look for male or female when the dog breed is aggressive.
Male Great Danes are far more likely to be engaged in play with humans while a female can be a bit more reserved and may involve more in cooperative behavior.
Which One Is Better For You?
When you start to find a Great Dane puppy, most of the breeders will offer you the male more than a female. But do not make your decision straight away.
It is in breeder’s interest to sell more male puppies than females. They would like to keep females for breeding purposes. In this way, they will always have the flow of puppies coming to sell.
There are some criteria to choose the right gender for your house. Below we are mention some of the crucial things which you should consider before making a decision.
Consider Size Preference
A Great Dane is a large dog breed, while there is no significant difference in male and female, every one-inch count if you are worried about the size of your dog.
A male dog breed can be a handful for some owners because of his size, so choose females if you have this problem. Females are easier to control.
Consider Other Pets in the House
If you already have an aggressive dog breed at home, then you should stop looking for a new pet. It will be surprising for you to know that most of the owners get into trouble because two pets do not get along with each other because of the aggressive nature of one.
However, Great Dane is a friendly dog breed and they usually behave well with other pets when they are socialized at an early age. Still, you might want to take caution when bringing a Great Dane to your home.
As we mentioned earlier, dogs with the opposite sex tend to get along with each other more nicely than dogs with the same gender. If you have a male dog at home, then a female Great Dane should be an obvious choice for you.
Keep in mind that two males fight more for a show than hurting each other while females go for the kill and want to tear each other. You are most likely to get bitten when you will try to separate them. Females dogs never forgive and forget.
Does Dog’s Gender Matter?
According to Dr. Gary Richter, a holistic vet, founder of Montclair Veterinary Hospital & Holistic Veterinary Care, a dog gender have a little impact on its owner.
A breed plays a more significant role than the gender of the dog. He says that if you are planning to buy a dog, then you should meet him first, check his temperament and nature, then decide to bring it home.
You should probably give more focus to which dog breed suits your lifestyle. A dog’s energy level and his traits are more likely to affect you than his gender.
Another thing to remember is those gender traits are there, but training makes a dog perfect. While a female and male can have their differences, his training makes him what he is and what he is exposed to.
When you are done researching dog breeds only, then you can move onto the gender of the dog. Take your time and decide carefully as you are not only choosing a pet. You are choosing a family member and a lifelong companion.
Follow Your Natural Preferences
Most of the people have their opinion made up already about the female or male dog because of which they have a natural preference for one gender.
There can be no reason to explain this, and if you are more inclined to get male or female, then there is nothing wrong with it. Just make sure that you have studied the Great Dane enough to know what it takes to keep them happy and to raise them properly. Once you have covered that, you should be alright.
My Final Thoughts
Male and female Great Danes are not very different from each other. Other then the heating cycle of female Great Dane, there is very minimal things to notice.
You should be more careful when you are trying to bring in an aggressive dog breed, then you should always go for females.
Most of the time, gender does not make any difference to what your Great Dane turns out to be. It can be either male or male.
If not trained or looked after correctly, they are bound to have unwanted behavior and destructive nature.
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