ChrisJ wrote:


Yep, my boy collies have been sweet, easy-going, straightforward and
totally transparent. What you see is what you get. My girl collies,
however, tended to be more complex emotionally and to take their
likes & dislikes VERY seriously.

In terms of performance events, I've found that easy-going nature of
the boy dogs can translate into a rather casual attitude. OTOH, when
trained with a great deal of tact, I've noticed girlie collies tend to
be more much determined and intense in performance events.


The boys are sweet and soft and transparent, and easily distractible and
easier (for me anyway) to shut down. The boys work for YOU and tend to
get all bent out of shape if they think they did something wrong. They
need a lot of emotional support.

The girls are tougher, more independent, and more likely to do the work
for the work, and who the hell cares what you think about it anyway!

I love, love love my boy dog. He's so darned easy. But Cala--tough,
uncompromising, and totally into the work; boy is she something. And
Viva, well we all know that Viva is the best dog on the planet, right?
Viva's the one who would tell me in NO uncertain terms when I screwed up
handling. As far as she was concerned, she knew the right way to do it
and I just got in her way, and get OUT of the way dammit so she could
fix my screw ups and get it done right.

When choosing a dog for work in my breed, it's the girls all the way
(and 19 out of the 20 Top Twenty Dobermans are bitches...)