Learn English – Polite alternative to the term “bitch” when referring to a female dog

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I'm writing an example of constructing logic, and I need to differentiate between an adult female dog, an adult male dog and a puppy and am searching for polite terms.

Unfortunately, the word "bitch" has impolite connotations, so I'd rather not use it, but I'm not sure of any other terms for a female dog. Likewise, I don't know of a gendered term for a a male dog, apart from 'dog'.

Given the linguistic baggage that the term 'bitch' has in non-specialist areas, is there an alternative, polite term for a 'female dog'?

For context: in the logic I'm describing, if the dog is young it is a 'puppy', otherwise if it's female it's a 'term X', or if it's male it is a 'term Y'.

Best Answer

I think the obvious answer (the one you already know!) is the best:

  • You can refer to a female dog as a female dog.
  • You can refer to a male dog as a male dog.

Of course, if you really need to specify that they're adults, you could do that:

  • An adult male dog could be referred to as an adult male.
  • An adult female dog could be referred to as an adult female.

In circles where bitch is commonly used, I think dog is the male counterpart, believe it or not. Those two words would be the right answer, I think, if you hadn't ruled them out.

(My apologies if you're looking for something more esoteric.)

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