I had a female beagle as a kid--a very independent and kind of difficult dog, but sweet as could be. (My parents thought a male would hump, spray, roam, you name it, so they still insist on having females only.) We adopted a female mix 1.5 years ago who's also independent, and a tough little customer. When we added our Aussie male puppy a year ago I was in uncharted territory, but he's been wonderful! We neutered him at 7 months and have had no trouble with him marking or doing other irritating guy stuff. He's very sensitive and affectionate as well. I'd say in general females are a bit more stand-offish and independent (many of the posts here suggest this too), while males, especially neutered ones, are great velcro companions. We love them both!
