I've only one female dog in my life. The rest were all male. I really can't say if the female dogs are much smarter than the males. But one thing is for sure, they are more fierce. Especially when protecting their young.

Having experience with both genders, I'd say neither one is smarter than the other based off what I've seen. Yet, there are times when handling male dogs where the voice of Robin Williams pops into my head and says, "God gave men both a penis and a brain, but unfortunately not enough blood supply to run both at the same time.”

I really think this is more dependent on the personality of the dog. Each dog is different. Also, male dogs can get a bit goofy if they havent been cut at a young age. They tend to get more lazier. Pertaining to "smarter" I think its probably more of a specialized thing. Male dogs naturally were to fetch food, protection etc. They don't care for certain things when it comes to instincts. Female dogs would most likely be protective too but more of her pups and actively seeking out the best spots for them and being on the look out.

I've lived for some time with both a female and a male dog, but I didn't notice any relevant differences between them. What I did notice, though, is that the male dog tended to be more active and willing to play, whereas the female one was lazier and preferred to sit on the sofa (however, they were different breeds, so that's not a very fair comparison).
Still, I think it mostly depends on the dog's personality, rather than on their gender.

It's an individual thing. You can't really focus so much on the specifics of the dogs gender, because either side of the species has a different selective form of intelligence. While they can both represent natural understanding, females have a type of intelligence that the males don't, and vice versa. I wish more people understood this about humanity, that we represent 2 sides of the same coin and they're not supposed to look the same at their greatest.

I have found female dogs to be more independent and less energetic than their male counterparts. They are usually more mellow and calm, but that does not mean it is that way for every female dog. The gender should not really change too much about how they behave.

I have noticed something similar going on during the years, maybe it has something to do with testosterone but it's definitely not a proven fact that females are smarter than males. Obviously you are not alone in this, yet there's no research that I know of that can back up this theory.

I've had more female pets than male and it's usually true. But part of that might be because I like picking the smartest of the litter. I will take a runt if it's a smart. Females might be smarter is because males are typically heavier and they have to defend themselves and their pups. When you're smaller you have to be more calculating to fight, steal food, and not get injured. But males can be smart but they can get away with being more physically aggressive or active. Also, dogs are pack animals. Males are always part of the pack but females go into temporary seclusion when they have pups. That requires some independent thinking to choose when to leave, pick a den, hunt by themselves, hide the pups, and raise the pups before going back to the pack. So that might be why your dog can outsmart you and not do tricks.

I think it is possible that the female is smarter than the male dogs. It could just be an isolated incident in your situation. I do not have much experience with females other than my sister's dog. I have not had my female very long and both or mine are different breeds so that may make a difference since some breeds are smarter than others. I think it makes sense that the female is smarter because of the fact that she has to take care of the pups and everything that entails. Males being the protectors would not necessarily have to be extremely intelligent to be aggressive.

I totally agree! ll of my male dogs are a little goofy. I love them, but my female dogs seemed more mature and ready for business. They were busy being motherly or trying to keep tabs of the other pets while my male dogs were just wanting to run around and chase their tails.

I totally agree! ll of my male dogs are a little goofy. I love them, but my female dogs seemed more mature and ready for business. They were busy being motherly or trying to keep tabs of the other pets while my male dogs were just wanting to run around and chase their tails.

I wonder if female dogs actually mature first just like humans, we go trough a phase, usually when we are like 12 to 14 where boys continue to be kids yet girls are pretty much little young women, as the years go by boys catch up and we end up basically at the same level. I don't know if this some kind of cultural imposition though. I wonder if female dogs stop being puppies much earlier, yet mature dogs are all basically the same.

I've had more female pets than male and it's usually true. But part of that might be because I like picking the smartest of the litter. I will take a runt if it's a smart. Females might be smarter is because males are typically heavier and they have to defend themselves and their pups. When you're smaller you have to be more calculating to fight, steal food, and not get injured. But males can be smart but they can get away with being more physically aggressive or active.

Well, she does have to live with 2 bigger males (not very aggressive though), so it makes sense for her to wise up and be more careful if she wants to have a toy for herself to play or eat her pig's ear without the other dogs trying to steal it from her. So maybe this is not about gender but all comes down to the fact that if you are big and the stronger one you don't have to be very smart to get your way.

I would have to agree with you in this one. Marshie, our shih tsu, is very smart. Every time she does something bad, she immediately goes into hiding. Like if she pees inside the house, you are very lucky to find her. She knows she will be scolded so she immediately goes into hiding. Plus, she doesn't eat non-edible things unlike our other dogs. She only eats from her bowl of food as well. She knows when her favourite caretaker is going home. And even after years of not seeing each other, she still knows her.

Every time she does something bad, she immediately goes into hiding

Yeah, I don't care what researches say when they claim that we are just anthropomorphizing them, dogs feel guilt and they are very aware of the fact that they did something wrong, moreover, they sometimes do things that they know will annoy us out of spite, just like little kids. I had a dog once trying to hide a mess she did by placing a cushion on top of it when she thought that nobody was looking, I couldn't believe my eyes.