Everyone thinks my male Shih-Tzu is a female since he pees by crouching, has long flowing hair and watches Oprah.
mnemosyne:
Here are two photos from a breeder of Golden Retrievers (a breed I’m somewhat familiar with, but I don’t know this breeder).
One Two
In both photos, the dog on the right with the slightly darker coat is female. I think these two dogs show a pretty good distinction between the “masculine” and “feminine” features people are trying to explain. The male is broader across the chest and into the neck, and has larger legs and body. He has a more square face, and seems to have a blunter nose, while the female is a bit smaller faced and has a more delicate muzzle. Males of the breed also tend to have longer fur.
For many Goldens (and Labs, really) I can often tell if the dog is male or female, though there are examples of each where it’s not all that clear. My sister’s previous dog - while very large - was often thought to be female when people first saw him because of the shape of his head, although when he was next to his full sister (my cousin’s dog), it was clear that he was the male, because she was just that much more delicate.
For mutts though, I find it’s tougher.
In both of those pictures the male’s tongue is hanging out and he looks a bit goofy (regally goofy, mind you, but goofy nonetheless). Perhaps this is a tell.
Nah, that’s just a tell that he’s a golden retriever.