Advice on whether a male or female would be better to adopt as living in a small apartment.

[Leannevan]

Hi there. We are considering adopting but are unsure about whether a male or female would be best. We live in a small apartment. Advice please on which would be better? Especially in terms of the toileting? Many thanks in advance 😊.

[1Moregrey]

I do not think gender makes a difference.  It is more about the temperament of the dog.  They all fold up to small size when they want to nap in your chair.

As far as toileting in my experience it comes down to what you are comfortable with.  Have only had one male with toileting issues and he needed to have a confident dog in his home.  I was fostering he was outside for hours would come in and go.  Brought second dog in for a weekend no issues.  Second dog went home his issues came back.  Had nothing to do with his gender everything to do with he preferred to be in a multiple dog home.

Best of luck with your search.  Just take it slow during the first few months while they adjust to all the new sights, sounds and routine.

[Hubcitypam]

It depends on the dog  and pottty training as adults  is a genuine crapshoot.  

We all know my mantra is "the bigger the boy the better"...and that is many dozens of greyhounds later.   The big guys  have 'nuttin to prove to no one.  Oddly enough my most prolific markers dogs have almost all been small females.  

Edited February 8, 2021 by Hubcitypam

[palmettobug]

I have boys, and one girl. They've all peed in the house, mostly oopsies, like learning the routine and stress. Roman, the youngest boy (he's 2 and 2 months), did have a few more incidents that I will call "marking", but I have belly bands and I learned to take him out right after dinner.

I was initially skeptical of getting a boy, as I'd only ever had girl dogs. My Johnny was a sweet boy, he wasn't perfect, but he was a good boy. Very attached to me. 

[HeyRunDog]

The old adage is to have a dog that is the opposite sex to the owner. Whether that is true or not you'll find arguments both proving and disproving it. Also generally male greyhounds are more clingy than females.

Toileting depends on the dog, it's training, the owner and how clear it's "I need to pee" signals are. A set routine for meal times and toileting opportunities are the best defence against accidents.

I'm  lucky when I got Grace as she had only been in the adoption kennels a short time off the track and she knew not to mess in the house without any training from me. In the 2 1/2 years I've had her she has only messed in the house five or six times and that was either negligence on my part or she'd eaten something that had disagreed with her.

Male or female, large or small you take a chance and enjoy the the company of a lazy athlete

 

[MerseyGrey]

I don’t think it’s possible to know unfortunately. It very much depends on you and the dog you get and gender probably doesn’t have much to do with it. Small dogs can stretch out and take up your whole sofa, big dogs pretzel up and you hardly know they’re there. I believe that if you get the right dog for you it’s like fitting the last piece of a jigsaw.

With toileting, it’s a case of getting your dog into a routine and then sticking with it. Again, I don’t think there is much difference between boys and girls. I have a boy who happily goes overnight without peeing (9 - 6ish). As long as you’re prepared to gear up in all weathers and before bed and first thing it’s doable.

Our dog is our first. We adopted him at age 7 (he’s now 10) and he has been a wonderful introduction to this affectionate, quirky breed. You might not get that much choice depending on where you are but I can highly recommend an older dog based on our experience. Although he can be a bit of a shadow he’s playful without being a maniac and basically an old man who wants a quiet life. Good luck with your search!

[Hubcitypam]

20 minutes ago, HeyRunDog said:

... Also generally male greyhounds are more clingy than females.

 

And the biggest suck ups.  I've always said girlie greys are more catlike and come to you when they wish while the boys stick closer.

[DocsDoctor]

3 hours ago, Hubcitypam said:

And the biggest suck ups.  I've always said girlie greys are more catlike and come to you when they wish while the boys stick closer.

This ties in with what the manager of the greyhound adoption kennels initially told me too: "as a general rule, when it comes to training, the boys just want to please you. The girls on the other hand will be wondering 'What's in it for me?'"

I've had three big boys in a small house (consecutively, not together!) and have never found space a particular issue. Just given each a downstairs bed in the living room, and an upstairs bed in the study for night-time, and discouraged them from using the human furniture, at least when I am around!  They were all quick to pick up on housetraining too, though I admit I do have a small garden for loo breaks first and last thing.

[macoduck]

This ties in with what the manager of the greyhound adoption kennels initially told me too: "as a general rule, when it comes to training, the boys just want to please you. The girls on the other hand will be wondering 'What's in it for me?''  YUP!  Give me a big older boy anytime! Plus a belly band is easier to use than a diaper on a female.

This is the best product for cleaning up pee and poop accidents and removing the odor. https://www.mypetpeed.com/

 

[cleptogrey]

go by temperament not size. GH fold up nicely and fit anywhere. for years we schlepped 2 gh(m&f) around in the back seat of a 2 door honda civic. we live in a teeny house(900 sq ft).  the girls are the brains behind the operation and the boys are big mushes. my males have never marked! remember the smart girls mark as well-

[greysmom]

I'm not sure what you mean when you say you're concerned about "toileting issues."  Potty training doesn't depend on gender, for the most part, and it definitely depends more on the people than the dog IMO.  Set up a strict daily schedule (flexible in the beginning as the dog settles in) for eating, toileting, and exercise.  It's what they are used to and what they do best with.

FWIW, when living in an apartment, it's much more important that you have a plan for getting in and out easily and quickly, and the amount of stairs you need to maneuver, if any.  Most greyhounds will need to be taught how to manage them, which make potty trips eventful for the first week or so.  If you only have elevators, they will need to get used to those too.  And have a plan for getting outside in case the power goes out.

Greyhounds tend to do very well in urban environments, as long as they are calm and confident dogs in the first place.  Gender makes no difference.  Personality and temperament is MUCH more important than gender.  Make sure your adoption group knows what your neighborhood is like.  Then be prepared to give them some extra time to get used to this extremely new environment.

So, don't get hung up on gender for your frist greyhound.  Find one who fits your lifestyle and living situation best.  Everyone will be happier.

[sobesmom]

Pick the dog that fits your household.  Gender doesn't matter.  When I went to adopt my first grey, I thougt I wanted a "small female".  I came home with a large male. 

IMHO - be blind to gender, size, age, etc.  Find the dog that FITS in your home.  Fostering is a great option for figuring that out.