If you already have a dog and are considering adding another to your family, most trainers would recommend that your new dog be of the opposite sex to lessen the potential for the competition and conflicts associated with same-sex pairings. In some breeds, opposite sex pairings are essential for maintaining peace in the home. In other breeds, same-sex pairings do very well. In Greater Swiss Mountain Dogs, I would not hesitate to put two females together in the same home and I know of many families able to easily maintain two mild mannered males together, especially if neutered. I personally would be concerned about the potential conflict if attempting to maintain two intact stud dogs together in perfect harmony and would not recommend it. Ultimately, it is the new owner's decision as to which gender of Greater Swiss Mountain Dog to add to the home.
In general:
•
Male dogs tend to be “lovable slobs” and “good ol’ boys”
•Male dogs tend to be more outgoing, more vigorously affectionate,
more “in your face”
•Male dogs tend to be more stable and reliable in mood and less prone
to emotional swings
•Young Male dogs tend to be clumsy and silly and prone to acting like
oversized kids.
•Male dogs mean well and are easy to love
•Female dogs tend to be more subtle than males and tend to be
affectionate on their own terms. They’ll request or demand petting,
then reassert their independence by walking away when they have had
enough.
•Female dogs tend to be quicker to learn and are not as easily distracted
during training sessions.
•Female dogs are less likely to be openly defiant or to engage in blunt
power struggles or dominance challenges, yet they can be clever,
passively resistant and manipulative about getting their own way.
•Female dogs are prone to mood swings and emotional theatrics.
•Female dogs are experts at “The Dirty Look” and “The Sulk”
•Male Greater Swiss Mountain Dogs are typically slower to mature and
require a strong, steady hand along with patience through their juvenile
stages.
•Male Greater Swiss Mountain Dogs require hormones to achieve their
distinctly masculine look. I recommend neutering between 15 and 18
months of age and strongly discourage earlier sterilization. Neutering does not solve behavoir problems, training does.
•Male Greater Swiss Mountain Dogs average between 110 and 135 lbs
and range from 25 ½ and 28 ½ inches tall at the shoulder, though it is
possible to see some that are a bit smaller and some that are a bit larger. The size they are as a puppy gives no indication of their mature size.
They are considerably taller if you were to measure to the top of their
head. Certainly, most male Swissys can easily reach the tops of tables
and kitchen counters.
•Female Greater Swiss Mountain Dogs are typically faster to mature
and quicker to housetrain (though bladder control is still much slower to acheive than other breeds), but no young Swissy should be left
unattended without being safely confined to a crate.
•Female Greater Swiss Mountain Dogs are distinctly feminine in
appearance when compared to males.
•Female Greater Swiss Mountain Dogs average between 85 and 105 lbs
and range from 23 1/2 and 27 inches tall at the shoulder, though they too can be smaller or larger. They too will remove food from kitchen
counters.
•Female Greater Swiss Mountain Dogs should go through a heat cycle
before they are spayed and should not be spayed before the age of 15
months and are 100% housetrained. Urinary incontinence is a serious
potential issue in the Greater Swiss Mountain Dog and no Swissy
female should be spayed early. The incidence of mammary tumors is
very low in Swissys, but the incidence of urinary incontinence is high
compared to other breeds. Waiting to spay far outweighs drastically
improves the odds of avoiding urinary incontinence as the Female
Swissy matures.
