This is probably the most frequently asked question I get asked as a breeder, should you get a male or a female and the answer is anything but easy.

In Australian Shepherds and Miniature American Shepherds, the FEMALE is typically the dominant gender for lack of a better word. That means she is going to have a little bit more attitude than the boys. 

Cuddle factor. A general rule of thumb is the females are not as cuddly as males. They will jump up and say hi but then tend to have what I call the mother hen personality, they have to go room to room and check on everyone, then they will come back and cuddle for a minute and then off they go to check on things again. They feel it is their duty. While you get the odd female who is more cuddly than others, as a general rule the boys are the huge cuddly sucky gender.

Being reserved with strangers is also more dominantly a female trait. They are the gender that will bark more at strangers and take longer to warm up. Again some blood lines are stronger in this trait than others but within a litter the trait will be 10 times more prominent in the females than it is in the males of the same litter. While this might be annoying for one family, it may be the ideal trait for a person living on their own to warn off strangers.

Training and maturity. It goes without saying that the females mature much faster than the males. This means they focus more, pay attention more and take things more seriously. If you are a serious person and are not looking forward to the goofy bouncy antics of a young dog, you may want to choose a female who will grow out of it sooner. If you like the non serious goofy personality and want it to last, get a boy. They both train equally as easy, the biggest differences are when you say sit the female is very military, will sit very upright, proper and correct and take it as a job, where as the boy will sit but will likely have his tongue hanging out of his mouth, his head tilted to the side and will be sitting to the side in a much more relaxed fashion thinking it's all a game.

Within a litter boys tend to be an inch or two taller than their sisters and more solid in substance and coat.
Of course each litter will have different tendencies based on who the parents are.

 

When it comes to adding an additional dog into your home gender really is a personal thing and will change puppy by puppy. If your current dog has personality traits that make it better with one gender that may be a factor to take into consideration.  However this breed absolutely can live with the same gender or with the opposite gender with no problems. Anyone telling you otherwise is not very versed in the breed. If females could not live with other females, how would breeders keep multiple dogs? If males did not get along with others how would breeders have them in their hone. Part of their personality will be formed in the way they are raised, what personality traits their parents had and what you allow once you get them home. Don't let the internet tell you that you can't live with the same or opposite genders. It's all old wives tails.   

Tell me about what you want in a dog, what your lifestyle is like and I will help you choose which gender is better for your family.