[NAGDU] differences between male and female guide dogs

[Lisa Belville]

Hi, Madison.


I've had three dogs so far.?? The first was a male Lab/Golden Cross 
weighing around 95 pounds.?? The second and current dogs are both 
female.?? My second dog was a trim black Lab weighing around 65 pounds 
and my current dog is a Lab/Golden cross weighing around 75 pounds


As far as personality goes, my first was a huge wuss.?? He was 
intelligent and an excellent worker but he was stressed by 
thunderstorms, fireworks, unexpectedly loud noises, or just anything he 
thought was odd or out of place.?? Most people thought he was a large 
black Lab, and only a few people familiar with Golden Retrievers could 
tell he was a cross.?? He had a long, tall body with a narrow triangular 
Golden head with feathering on his back legs and tail.?? His fur was also 
a bit wavier than a typical Lab.


Katy was a Plain black Lab and she was one of the spunkiest dogs I've 
ever known.?? She was steady and fearless during fireworks, thunderstorms 
and even a few dangerous tornadoes.?? She was very dog distracted, though 
and difficult for me to keep in line unless I caught the distraction 
early enough.?? Her puppy raiser's nickname for Katy was "Katy Cat" 
because she wasn't as affectionate as most Labs are.?? If she wanted my 
attention, then she'd make sure I gave it to her, but if I was in the 
mood to play or cuddle, I would be soundly rebuffed until Katy got over 
herself and decided to be affectionate.?? She loved carrying forbidden 
objects in her mouth. . . there was always a selection of bones, socks, 
hair scrunchies, and her most favorite toy. . . A soft ring with 
squeakers in it.?? Katy was very gifted about how to arrange these 
objects in her mouth to make maximum storage.


Paige is my third dog and second Lab/Golden cross, only she's a yellow 
Lab crossed with a Golden Retriever.?? She is tall and long-boned with a 
pointed Golden head, long muzzle and feathering all over her body, but 
especially on her back legs.?? The fur on her back is longer than a 
Lab's, but it's not as fluffy as a full golden.?? She's everything people 
have said about a Golden.?? She's affectionate to everyone anytime 
anywhere.?? She's always ready to snuggle or plop her head in a lap for a 
nice head rub and ear scratch.?? She loves doing the Golden lean, 
especially to her favorite humans.?? She hasn't shown any stress reaction 
to fireworks or thunderstorms, something I was worried about because 
she's from guide Dogs of America, and they're in Southern California 
where they rarely get severe weather.


I never had issues with Hunter or Katy marking their territory or being 
overly aggressive.?? So far, Paige is a soft dog who responds mostly to 
voice commands, though she can show off the Golden stubbornness from 
time to time.


Generally I don't have a preference for male or female dogs. It's more 
about the personality and the work ethic for me.?? I think that I prefer 
the Lab/Golden crosses, only because they seem to have the sturdiness of 
a Lab and the lovable nature of the Golden.



Lisa Belville

missktlab1217 at frontier.com

On 6/12/2019 3:53 PM, Madison Martin via NAGDU wrote:
> Hi all,
> I was just wondering out of curiosity for those of you who have had both
> male and female dogs as guide dogs what differences (other then size) have
> you noticed between the two genders? Please be 100% honest. If you want to
> write me privately then go ahead. I've only ever lived with female dogs so I
> can't comment. Look forward to hearing back from you guys with your
> thoughts! Thanks
> Madison
>
>
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