Energy investment in the production of offspring is gender dependent in rodent populations. Females expend more energy than do males, thus males must engage in competition to be considered by females, giving females the opportunity to select the fittest male. Male rodents mate strategically in order to have the highest likelihood of reproductive success with the lowest possible energy investment. Non-pair bonding males assure reproductive success by preferentially mating with previously unmated females. Unfamiliar females typically wander from their home areas, after mating females tend to return to their home territory, thus males are not required to perform paternal care. They exhibit an “all-or-nothing” mating strategy with previously mated females by increasing their mating duration and preejaculatory intromissions. In contrast, females of pair bonded species prefer socially dominant males that do not exhibit aggressive grooming behaviors and exhibit affiliative behavior. In these species, males have the highest reproductive success when they form a strong pair bond. Pair bond strength is maintained by high affiliative behavior including vocalizations, avoiding aggressive behavior, and abstaining from extra-pair copulations. Thus, we propose that females of non-pair bonding species prefer males that display a dominant phenotype, while females of pair bonding species prefer males that are likely to offer paternal care, pair bond, and refrain from aggressive behavior. Pair bonding research in rodents can have significant translational value to human relationships. Modified paradigms are needed to ensure pair-bonding rodent research can be modeled in humans.