this post was submitted on 05 Apr 2026
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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?

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[–] HubertManne@piefed.social 2 points 1 week ago (4 children)

Nope unless you see them pee. People are wrong about the sex of dogs all the time. they don't care.

[–] SpruceBringsteen@lemmy.world 8 points 1 week ago (2 children)

Some males don't even do the leg lift and still just squat.

[–] HubertManne@piefed.social 1 points 1 week ago

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.

[–] Speculater@lemmy.world 1 points 1 week ago

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.

[–] coalie@piefed.zip 2 points 1 week ago (1 children)

One of my female dogs squats, sometimes she squats while lifting a leg, the other lifts her leg, and very rarely squats.

[–] HubertManne@piefed.social 1 points 1 week ago

I kinda would like to see that.

[–] 14th_cylon@lemmy.zip 2 points 1 week ago (1 children)

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.

[–] HubertManne@piefed.social 1 points 1 week ago (1 children)

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.

[–] 14th_cylon@lemmy.zip 1 points 1 week ago (1 children)

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."

[–] HubertManne@piefed.social 1 points 1 week ago (1 children)

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.

[–] 14th_cylon@lemmy.zip 1 points 1 week ago

it is not a personal attack on you, but it still doesn't makes sense.

if someone asks "can i find good french restaurant in this city?" "no" is not the correct answer, just because i, or even majority of people, don't know one.

it IS possible to tell sex of the dog. it depends on the breed, it may be easier with some, and people who are well familiar with the specific breed will be more successful than just random person.

but the fact that lot of people will answer incorrectly, or don't care, doesn't imply it is not possible.

[–] netvor@lemmy.world 1 points 1 week ago (2 children)

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.

[–] technomage@lemmy.ca 3 points 1 week ago

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...

[–] HubertManne@piefed.social 1 points 1 week ago (1 children)

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.

[–] netvor@lemmy.world 1 points 1 week ago (1 children)

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.

[–] HubertManne@piefed.social 1 points 1 week ago* (last edited 1 week ago)

with a female dog its a bit hard to tell. At night I often have to check the area she was in just in case. So if you see them pee then you know the sex. I was not commenting on your ability to. You know I sorta took your question to be a general thing. Like most people in general can't but if you own one you are a bit more likely to but even then to just glance at a dog and know its sex is basically a superpower to me. I had someone comment like I was making a definitive statement about the human capacity to tell the sex of a dog at a distance.