I’m not pet owner and I don’t spend much time around animals in general. (Don’t get me wrong, I love them, It’s just I know I would be a terrible pet owner.)
How common it is for people to see, let’s say, a dog and immediately just know whether it’s “she” or “him”? If two dog owners meet in a park, would it be awkward for one of them to misgender the other’s dog?
Of course, I mean without looking at the “obvious” traits.
Are there behaviors that are typical for male/female pets outside the one directly related to mating?
I recognize that within the animal kingdom, the traits are not always clear, and I guess gender is quite more flexible than sex. I would be interested in both aspects.
What about cats or other animals?
THIS IS WHY WE SNIFF ASSES.
No
I mean as long as they’re not wearing pants, yeah.
It’s not an exact science, but I’m pretty good at it with dogs and horses.
Look at the dog from behind, the answer will be obvious.
would it be awkward for one of them to misgender the other’s dog?
Story time!
I was on my way into PetSmart to pick up my dogs from a routine vet appointment when I saw a man standing on the sidewalk right in front of where I parked. He had a dog with him of a breed I’d never seen before (probably a mix of many). This dog looked super neat with a mostly white head with a cool black stripe over one eye.
“She’s a pretty dog!”
Him, looking actually angry: “He’s a male.” (Or something like that)
I then looked up at him and noticed he was wearing a MAGA cap. I didn’t notice before because his dog was so striking.
Without skipping a beat, I replied…
“It sucks being misgendered, don’t it?”
I don’t know if he was a bigoted, anti-trans asshole but he was wearing the uniform.
The look on his face was… Dumbfounded. Honestly, I was hoping for shock and horror but it was good enough 👍
The breeds I’ve owned i can tell from shape and size. Other breeds I’d have to see what gear they are packing.
Would it be awkward for one of them to misgender the other’s dog
Personally, I don’t care. But some people take it really, really personally when you misgender their dog, and they tend to be exactly who you think they are.
Karens?
I would have guessed (older) blokes who would take someone assuming their male dogs is female as a slight.
If I look at their genitals, yeah.
No…
I generally don’t even bother to correct people anymore, my dog doesn’t care.
I’m only ever sure if I see the twig and/or berries. Not seeing those, doesn’t mean the dog is female, however, because they can be easy to miss on some breeds.
So, I just guess, and don’t worry at all if I’m wrong. The dog doesn’t care.
Cats are even harder to distinguish. I can’t tell the difference between a fixed male cat and a female cat, even when they’re sitting on me.
Some things are standing out like dog’s bollocks.
Nope unless you see them pee. People are wrong about the sex of dogs all the time. they don’t care.
Nope unless you see them pee.
nonsense
People are wrong about the sex of dogs all the time. they don’t care
people can be wrong about what is 8+7, that doesn’t mean it is impossible to tell what the result is.
I don’t really get your comment. the dog and generally owner usually around me do not care if you call a girl dog a boy or a boy dog a girl. that is all I meant. it had nothing to do with accuracy on the don’t care part.
point of my comment is: “you are wrong. it is possible to tell sex of a dog. whether some people around you are wrong all the time is no proof one way or the other.”
youu know the thing is I took the op’s comments to be like in general. I did not mean to suggest its impossible just that most people don’t from a distance without something that would make it more obvious.
One of my female dogs squats, sometimes she squats while lifting a leg, the other lifts her leg, and very rarely squats.
unless you see them pee
You mean see/not see the “pebbles”?
Or do they tend to pee differently? I know dogs typically pee by raising one leg, but sometimes they just crouch by both back legs and just release. Is this what you mean?
I vaguely recall when I was a teen we had a dog (he/him, and a mutt) and he would usually do the “this lamp post is mine now” pee but when he really needed to go he would just crouch and leave a big puddle.
Generally speaking, male dogs tend to lift a leg to pee while the females tend to squat. It’s nowhere near foolproof, of course, but you can usually say for sure that a dog is male if it’s lifting a leg. That said, I know plenty of male dogs that squat, or do the “lazy lift” where you can’t quite tell. So y’know…
if you own a female dog you can tell the difference between the pee and poop by the arch of the back. A male dog doing a puppy pee also looks different. Its possible female dog owners can tell easier.
i … i don’t know how i left you with the impression that i can’t tell poo from pee. … i must have done something horribly wrong. 🤣
Actually I think for pretty much all mammals it’s as easy as telling liquid the difference between liquid and solid.
Some males don’t even do the leg lift and still just squat.
I have a 110lbs beast of a mutt. Cujo like even, except he doesn’t try to kill me. He squats like a female dog and it makes him much less scary.
Usually the males are bigger and heavier, and the females are smaller and more slender. It’s relative to the breed. If you see a husky, but it’s a bit small and thin, you can safely guess it’s a girl. But if the dog is totally average and well behaved, you can’t tell.
Depending on the breed, males are often fluffier too.
The famous Lassie is actually played by a male dog due to the thicker coat
