What's with this myth: "female dogs don't get along"?
By inu1711
@inu1711 (5285)
Romania
October 20, 2012 2:10am CST
Or it isn't a myth?
My dog is well socialized and she wants to play with any dog. I can trust my Binne 100% in the presence of other dogs, no matter their gender.
This morning we were walking in the neighborhood when we met an old lady walking her German Shepherd girl. I've seen them before from a distance but we never came close. This morning we changed a few words, while the dogs were sniffing each other. The other dog jumped on me and kissed me, while Binne was checking the old lady's pockets for treats. They soon started to play. We walked together for 20-30 m and the dogs were walking gladly ahead of us, shoulder to shoulder. I know dogs' body language and I can tell they looked very happy walking like that together.
I can't remember exactly what I said but the lady stopped terrified and asked me: "your dog is a female???
" I didn't have time to say more than "yes, she is" because the old lady jerked the leash, made a sudden turn and waved me from a distance "have a nice daaaay!", while dragging her dog who didn't want to go away.
I know many people mistake Binne for a male dog (don't ask me why) and probably the old lady did the same. But why did she have to be so scared, once the two dogs were getting along so well? I understand there may be cases of aggressiveness between female dogs but it wasn't our case!
Maybe we will meet again to have the explanation from her.
How about you? Do you feel OK when your dog meets a dog from the same gender? Or you are afraid to come close, like the lady in my story?
Do you think "female dogs don't get along" is a myth?
Or maybe Binne is an exception that she gets along with any dog?
" I didn't have time to say more than "yes, she is" because the old lady jerked the leash, made a sudden turn and waved me from a distance "have a nice daaaay!", while dragging her dog who didn't want to go away.
I know many people mistake Binne for a male dog (don't ask me why) and probably the old lady did the same. But why did she have to be so scared, once the two dogs were getting along so well? I understand there may be cases of aggressiveness between female dogs but it wasn't our case!
Maybe we will meet again to have the explanation from her.
How about you? Do you feel OK when your dog meets a dog from the same gender? Or you are afraid to come close, like the lady in my story?
Do you think "female dogs don't get along" is a myth?
Or maybe Binne is an exception that she gets along with any dog?3 people like this
4 responses
@thesids (22180)
• Bhubaneswar, India
20 Oct 12
Hi inu
long time no see!
Well, I didnt know that such things existed. I mean, we had a female dog as a pet and she was the coolest one could have. She never messed around with other male dogs and the only one she knew was a male at my friends place (he was ou neighbor those days).
I personally feel that this is just a misconception playing on the mind of the old lady but generally it is about possessiveness. I guess, her male dog flirts with all females he encounters when with the lady and as the lady is possessive, instead of blaming her dog, she blames the other gender
long time no see!
Well, I didnt know that such things existed. I mean, we had a female dog as a pet and she was the coolest one could have. She never messed around with other male dogs and the only one she knew was a male at my friends place (he was ou neighbor those days).
I personally feel that this is just a misconception playing on the mind of the old lady but generally it is about possessiveness. I guess, her male dog flirts with all females he encounters when with the lady and as the lady is possessive, instead of blaming her dog, she blames the other gender2 people like this
@inu1711 (5285)
• Romania
20 Oct 12
Hello thesids,
You are right, I haven't been here much lately. I wish I had more time to spend here, you know that.
I really don't know what happened in that old lady's mind, she probably thought the dogs will start to fight, though they seemed the happiest dogs around while walking together, side by side. I can tell when there is a tension between two dogs and I can "read" the signs that foresee a fight. There was nothing like this among our two female dogs.
I haven't known you had a dog! You never said anything about her. (Or you said but I wasn't here to read about her?)
I really don't know what happened in that old lady's mind, she probably thought the dogs will start to fight, though they seemed the happiest dogs around while walking together, side by side. I can tell when there is a tension between two dogs and I can "read" the signs that foresee a fight. There was nothing like this among our two female dogs.
I haven't known you had a dog! You never said anything about her. (Or you said but I wasn't here to read about her?)1 person likes this
@thesids (22180)
• Bhubaneswar, India
21 Oct 12
Ah, yes I understand that you have been busy with offline and office work dear. But it is great that you do keep coming back to post pictures of binnie or even share some discussions which is really good.
Yes, we had a dog when I was working in late 1990s - a German Shepard and she was the best friend I ever had. Though she was quite gravely ill during the last one year of her life but that illness of hers got all of us in the family closer and we learned to fight and survive. She is probably the only friend I miss even today - it always felt that she was related to us in some earlier birth and had arrived to stay with us so that our family learned to love more
2 people like this
@inu1711 (5285)
• Romania
21 Oct 12
Oh, but I haven't post a picture of Binne in ages! Maybe I should post a few pictures of her.
You wouldn't recognize her.
Now I remember you told me once about your German Shepherd. How could I forget? I can see from your words that you loved her enormously. Didn't you think about getting another dog?
You wouldn't recognize her.
Now I remember you told me once about your German Shepherd. How could I forget? I can see from your words that you loved her enormously. Didn't you think about getting another dog?1 person likes this
@carmelanirel (20942)
• United States
21 Oct 12
I also use to believe that myth, but not anymore. My neighbor's dog is female and gets along with not only all dog, male and female, but cats as well. I think it depends on the dog. My Penny is still hyper and thinks she is the alpha when it comes to other dogs, so she did go after my neighbor's dog and I won't allow them together. Ciara on the other hand, is like my neighbor's dog and she gets along with my neighbor's dog, except the neighbor's dog is older and so she doesn't run around much. When I take Ciara over there, the dogs sniff one another and then Ciara goes off on her own, ignoring the neighbor's dog..lol
@carmelanirel (20942)
• United States
21 Oct 12
I think, like people, dogs have different personalities and Penny is not a social dog. I mentioned I thought it was her trying to be an alpha, and it might be that, but with the one neighbor's dog, she is not assertive, so Penny takes advantage of that, but now that I think about it, when Penny goes after another neighbor's dog who is more assertive, this dog will pin Penny down. I have no idea why Penny does this and I don't like it because I can't trust her.
2 people like this
@inu1711 (5285)
• Romania
21 Oct 12
So you can't say 'female dogs don't get along' is a general rule.
I thought it depends on the way the dogs were socialized as puppies but your example with Penny and Ciara makes me think again. I am sure they both were socialized the same way, though Ciara is friendly and Penny isn't. So it must be something more involved.
2 people like this
@rogue13xmen13 (14403)
• United States
20 Oct 12
I think that this could very well be a myth. I know a lot of people who have multiple female dogs, and they seem to get along just fine, so I don't know how true that would be.
2 people like this
@Octav1 (1419)
• Romania
22 Oct 12
I don't think this is a general rule.
My grandmother used to own two female dogs all the time but I never heard about aggression among them. She wanted to have two guard dogs, but she didn't like male dogs because she used to say they are not there when you need them the most (she wanted to say they like to go after female dogs in heat).
1 person likes this
@inu1711 (5285)
• Romania
22 Oct 12
Thank you Octav. But it seems there are cases of female dogs that don't get along. Especially if they don't know each other. Read in the box above: Carmelanirel has a female dog that can't be trusted in the presence of another female dog, yet she lives with her sister with no problems.
1 person likes this
@Octav1 (1419)
• Romania
23 Oct 12
I admit there must be exceptions, too. But from what I know there were no problems with the two female dogs in the same household.
Maybe the old lady's dog was a dog like Carmelanirel's dog. Maybe she couldn't be trusted around new female dogs around. Have you thought about this?
