There are some advantages to having a female English Cocker Spaniel rather than a male, which include the fact that a female does not feel the need to leave a scent everywhere and a female is easier to housebreak than a male. If you do not have the male neutered right away, they will forget at times they are housebroken, whereas a female will always remember. If you do not use the female or male for breeding, you should have them altered for many reasons. The problem with scenting alone makes a female more favorable. The male that is neutered does lose the urge to "mark his spot" everywhere.

Affection And Love

Both the female and the male English Cocker Spaniel are affectionate and show love to their owners and family. Therefore, there is no disadvantage or advantage to having a male or female as far as the affection and love for his or her owners is concerned. There is one thing about females, if they are not spayed, they can be moody at times. This is especially true when they are in "heat". Males on the other hand can become uncontrollable when trying to get at a female in heat if they are not neutered.

Training And Hunting

One thing about the female and the male is that a male English Cocker Spaniel can be harder to train than a female. The females are more apt to learn quickly and not be easily distracted as a male. Males are always checking and investigating everything. It is just their nature. Neutering does not help with this, but dedication to training does. As for training the dog for hunting, females are said to be great hunters, but males are just as good at hunting if properly trained. Every dog is different in personality; therefore, it is more about the dog rather than the sex of the dog as to which one would be the better hunter.

Overall Comparison

Advantages and disadvantages to owning females verses a male is always going to be a matter of opinion. You have to take into consideration the personality of the dog as well as prior socialization if any, prior training and how the dog will grow up around you. Although a female appears easier to train, both a female and a male are good around children and other animals if they are brought up around them. Females do not have the desire to run away as much as a male does, but with the male, neutering can help eliminate the issues of running away.

If the female is going to be bred, you will have to consider the time and money that goes into becoming a breeder. Females as well as males need to be checked by a vet to ensure their health and then the puppies need to be examined shortly after birth as well. Owning a male for stud is less expensive; they only require a check up to ensure their health. With the female, you need to help with the puppies, which do take a lot of work on the owner's part.