ALL FEMALES OR ALL MALES???

[BIGBLUES]

I am looking for your input on whether you have had better luck with all males or all females as far as getting along in the kennel. I am about ready to sell my best lion dog cause she always wants to fight my other female.

[Brindle]

I have had far better luck with females. Can't stand hard headed, hump everything males.

[Redwood Coonhounds]

I've always prefered male dogs, the way they look, sound, and usually less tempermental, and they don't come into heat. At one time I had all males with no problems. Then I started to get females. Mixing the sexes gets complicated. Males get growly, pissy and humpy, and you have to watch for unwanted puppies... After a while my females started out numbering the males, and as my best dogs became females, I started phasing out the males hoping to run only females. Never had any issues with housing, 2, 3, 4 or more females together, even when in season. But I have a really super nice male whom I won't part with, so I am still stuck with mixed sexes, so my "all female pack" is just a theory at this point... I said after he came and went, I'd have no more males... Well... I have a really nice 1 year old son off of him...

That said I have found the 2 perfect males to have around. Both intact, they do not growl, they do not piss, they do not hump. They lay around and sleep. I have had females in heat the past few months, and they don't change behavior, still eat, sleep, and hunt together fine. I keep my 4 females either housed together in a 10X40, or I sepereate them up into 4 10X10 connecting kennels by my house. Then I have a single 10X10 kennel up away from the main ones a ways on the hill, and a couple chains by it. I keep the males together in the pen or on the chains on the hill away from the girls, and keeping the piss smell away from the house... I usually only house dogs together when its super cold, because feeding 4 dogs together is a bit much. My dogs mind well, and never fight, but I pay too much for food to have one dog sneaking more kibble than they need, and sometimes I'm too busy to supervise.

So I am stuck at 4 females and 2 males at the moment.

It really depends on the dogs. Certain dogs just don't have that laid back pack mentality. Males tend to be more common pain in the asses, but, that said, when females fight, it's bad. Nothing worse than a mean bitch.

[FullCryHounds]

I kept males and females in separate kennels for about 15 years. I had fights, constant barking problems, bordom, health and feet issues and thought there had to be a better way. I decided to try something id been thinking about for a while. I got rid of the females i had and now for the past 14 years, I have had zero fights and vertually all those other problems stopped. However, I raise my dogs differently then most. I raise and keep all my dogs together at all times in a one acre run. I usually cut my dogs but i currently have two uncut males. each dog is different, its not neccessary to cut all dogs, some are so passive, they just dont need to be cut. They all sleep in an 8 foot long, three foot wide insulated box and I feed them in separate bowls but all next to each other. They learn quick that I am the pack leader and they all learn to get along pretty quick. I gave up individual kennels, females and all the problems that go along with them 14 years ago and will never go back. I could go on forever about all the positives that I've encountered doing it this way.

[al baldwin]

This my experience, I believe keeping all hounds of one sex sure makes for less problems. Doubt that if it makes any difference if one keeps all males or females. Any dog that has a mean disposition can rub off on the pack. Years ago owned two females, both very easy going, showed no aggression towards each other or other dogs. Had shared a kennel for a couple years. Came home one day to find they had got in a fight, had to have vet stitch one of them. Worried , the fight would carry over while hunting them together, pleased to find that was not the case. However, from that time forward all my hounds were kenneled or chained separate. Again, to each his own. Al

[twist]

Have to agree 100% with Al . Andy

[BIGBLUES]

I kept males and females in separate kennels for about 15 years. I had fights, constant barking problems, bordom, health and feet issues and thought there had to be a better way. I decided to try something id been thinking about for a while. I got rid of the females i had and now for the past 14 years, I have had zero fights and vertually all those other problems stopped. However, I raise my dogs differently then most. I raise and keep all my dogs together at all times in a one acre run. I usually cut my dogs but i currently have two uncut males. each dog is different, its not neccessary to cut all dogs, some are so passive, they just dont need to be cut. They all sleep in an 8 foot long, three foot wide insulated box and I feed them in separate bowls but all next to each other. They learn quick that I am the pack leader and they all learn to get along pretty quick. I gave up individual kennels, females and all the problems that go along with them 14 years ago and will never go back. I could go on forever about all the positives that I've encountered doing it this way.

Sounds like I have exactly what you had going on 14 years ago. I am thinking about selling my females and going all male.

[roscosrokons]

I usually only have 2 dogs at any given time maybe 3 occasionally, so I have never really had any issues with the dogs not getting along. I have had intact males together and seperate sex together, and lately just 2 intact females. They run loose in about a .5 acre pen with 3 goats. Ha! They all seem to get along good though.
One thing I have learned over the years, is to not get involved in there fights unless absolutely neccissary. I used to run out when ever I heard a tussle and discipline the older dogs for ruffing up a younger one and I don't think the younger one would learn the respect that it needed to and would keep testing the older dog. It seems like if I just stand their and let the older dog discipline the younger one and make sure nothing gets out of line that it usually doesn't amount to much but a wrestling match with alot of noise and the dogs know where they stand with each other and me, and never seem to have a problem afterwards.
But as far as females or males in general I would have to lean towards the females. It seems like they get along with strange dogs a little better and they aren't always running around pissing on everybody's stuff. But they deffinately are bitch's and worthless hunters when they are in heat.