I've been researching on the topic, I've read some parts about Males exhibit X vs Females exhibit X.
Such as dominance, protection, and preference to males and female owners.

Just so the disclosure is out there:

I have a Male black lab now whose 4 years old. I take him everywhere with me, goes to the farm every weekend, goes to the lake often.
I would take this dog with me the same as my current lab. I do like the thought of having a protection dog as well, my lab is a great dog.. but lets be honest if you offer a bone, he'll let you on in.
I love the breed, my family has had shepherds, and i want to have another dog for my lab before he gets a little older and can't tolerate puppies.

Edit: Just wanted to add, a close friend said he chose a female over the male in regards to protection over people vs property. This is an example more or less.



The best thing is generally to hear what real owners have to say about their experiences.

Thanks for all the help.

Tag for info

IME, males are less dominant than females.

I have both.

I prefer females, as they are more aggressive, which is what I pay them for.

I hobby breed GSD's females are more aggressive in general. 

I concur that female Shepherds are more aggressive. I have a Male. My friend has two Males. We almost always here of how aggressive GSD's are...then we always find out the GSD was a female. It seems like it's 10-1

I grew up with a litter of GSDs.  I now have a female.  IME, females are smarter.  More psycho about birds and squirrels also.  They can also hold their pee longer, and don't pee all over all your plants and tires.  Males IME are larger, dumber and maybe a little sweeter and more docile.

Well said.

My experience also.

My female.  Really the perfect dog.  Every vet and groomer wants to keep her.

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My pure 5YO female has a wonderful demeanor.  Calm and gentle around kids, family and while out in public.  She's very cautious towards strangers but not aggressive,  especially on our property.  I definitely don't need a doorbell as if anyone approaches the front door, she knows and let's us know - even if she's in the back room.

She's obedient and well trained but not in protection/bite work so I have to question what she would do if a stranger enters the house with a ball, presents it, throws it out the door and says to go get it...?

We have a very specific process that we go through each time we introduce someone new.

If you come to my place and attempt to get in the yard or house, they'll attempt to kill you. This happened twice, so we're feeling pretty good about that.

Once you're "in", you can come and go anytime, even 6+ months later.

"Males fight for position, Females fight for keeps."  That's been my experience.

My boy would let the other dogs know where they stood.  But when something was going down and any of the dogs would decide that it was time to put the hurt on, it was always one of the females.

My observation is that the females are better with kids. Can almost be too protective. 

The biggest differences are in bloodlines/pedigrees rather than gender. Females from lines breeder 'A' uses may appear smarter (or "aggressive", or whatever) compared to males from lines breeder 'B' uses.

Of course there will be some variation between pups from every litter. A litter of 3 males and 4 females could have 2 males that are sweeter than any of the females (or vise-versa). The same litter could have all females who like kids but 1 male who actually likes kids better than any of the females.

Overall though, you are more likely to have both males and females from pedigree 'A' who are more similar to each compared to pedigree 'B' regardless of gender.  

Research breeders and pedigrees first. A good breeder will match your situation with a particular pup in their litter. That pup could be male OR female. After learning about your needs/desires in a dog, a knowledgeable breeder may even tell you that there isn't any pup in the litter that will fit your situation.

It takes several weeks of observation/evaluation before a breeder is in a position to make informed selections. It's normal and acceptable for a breeder to request a deposit even before a litter is born, however, be wary of a breeder who is certain there is a pup for you before spending a reasonable amount of time evaluating.

Thanks for the help. I actually working with my breeder right now. Basically told me the statement above. Most of his lines are German and went over the same thing more or less. I've already put a deposit down on a pup.

But all the help in the thread has been great, really helped me with making a decision.

I thought it was "Males fight for breeding rights, females fight for breathing rights."

Kuddos to you for doing research! There are no guarantees with puppies but thoughtful research greatly tips the odds in your favor.

Dogs who possess the correct traits for their breed are a joy to own for people who appreciate the working ability of the breed. On the other hand, if you don't understand or appreciate a breeds working ability, those same dogs are a royal pains in the ass who create stress and frustration.

Good luck with your new pup! "real" German Shepherd Dogs can be great companions for folks who understand and appreciate their temperament.

Thank you sir! I really wanted to know before I committed, make sure I knew what suited me.
I looked over different "traits" you can look for when looking at pups. So i'm studying that, it will be 7ish weeks before I see the pup.

Here is the Sire and Dam:





Both sides have A1-A2 hips and great elbows. ( went and looked over their line)

How big are those two?

Sire is 100lbs, Dam is 75lbs.

Bit big for the breed. The trend is to over breed them to push the size. Mid seventies is the natural high for males.

I would agree that female GSD's are more aggressive than males. I've had bad encounters with GSD's, about the only breed I have a real problem with (I love Pits), and all of them were female. One thing about female dogs in general, the fights they have are way more serious than most fights between males.

The two biggest GSD's I've ever seen were females, the biggest one was a neighbor's dog that was just immense. A mid 60's import from Eastern Europe "Zonia", she scared the hell out of a lot of people just from the way she would stare at you. She liked me a lot, and would come see me daily on her patrol of the neighborhood. If my friends were with me, most of them were just terrified of her, and her growling and locking eyes when she wanted a chin rub didn't help. She was at least 125 pounds. The Lab that lived next door to her was 100 pounds, and he was much easier to pick up than Zonia was.

The second biggest one, "Greta" was just a really nice dog, a few pounds lighter than Zonia, with less hair, but a whole different attitude than Zonia had. Greta and a neighbor's female Doberman got into a huge fight with the Dobe ending up in the hospital overnight. Greta had already fought with the same neighbor's male Dobe, and she just let him go when he decided to cut and run, but with the female, she was deadly serious.

I have both a female and male GSD.  I think my female is more loving, into cuddling than my male.  I'd say she is also more aggressive.  Whether she is playing or if she sees someone or another dog.  She does like to go on car rides more than he does.  I don't know if it is an age thing or what, but both of them right now are pretty much into one toy more than anything in the world.  For him its his kong, for her its this cheap little football thing.  The crying and screams they make if one of their toys is lost is something else.  I don't know if it is because she is still a puppy, but she is far more destructive than he is.  Her separation anxiety is far worse than his was at her current age.  And finally I think she is smarter than he is too.

I need to get both of mine weighed at some point.  I'd say Elsa is around 60 pounds, and maybe Baxter is around 100?  I say she is more aggressive than he is, but truth be told she puts on a big show.  I was walking her one night and one of the neighborhood dogs was out in their front yard playing when we were walking by.  The dog had its toy in its mouth and ran towards Elsa.  Elsa took off under a moving truck that I was right by, hid and was growling and trying to act all bad.
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I gotta a girl GSD.

Best dog ever.

I have 3 dogs, whom weekly stay with my dad and his 2 dogs. The biggest tit out of the bunch is my female GSD. However, when she really gets fed up she is the boss. She hasn't an aggressive ounce in her. I also havnt trained her to have any aggression. My sister has a female 1 year old and it is very dominant, though we are teaching it not to be due to her being a service dog. Smartest breed I've ever dealt with though. Very athletic companions. Also LOVES kids.

Here is a pic of her playing with my cousins puppies.

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