Recently Started Dog Agression

[nanoki2]

Hello! I have a 3 year old Golden Retriever female. She was fabulous with other dogs up until a couple of months ago. Some details: She has 2 play buddies on her street she sees almost every day. (another retriever and a Shih Tzu both female). She had travelled around quite a bit but has been pretty home bound for 6 months because of my schedule. She is walked 2-3 times a day for an average exercise time of approximately 2 hours a day. She is not permitted to jump, pull on the leash, etc. She knows basic obedience and people always compliment on what a well behaved dog she is. The kicker is she actually is a tough little cookie who we've had to work very hard on since she was a pup to get her behaviour under control. I knew the first day we got her that we were going to have our hands full. She was not a submissive pup!

Over the past 6 months, she has had other dogs with issues attack her. She always came out on top but I think its started a pattern with her where she is the one starting the aggression when she meets a new dog. it usually doesn't last. I can get her under control but it makes other people nervous. We have returned to some basic training to ensure she knows whos the boss but any other tips someone can give would be greatly appreciated.

[mia]

Hi Nano,
I also have a three year old Golden and to read your post I am shocked. I have never seen an aggressive Golden. I have had Goldens forever and my kids also have them now, they are so loving and will rather lick you but never bite anyone or any other dog.

I have 2 tiny Yorkies and Holly will lay her head down on the floor to let them play with her face, it is so cute.

I hope someone will come on and tell you what to do. That is why this forum is so good, Thanks Sharda and Jude.

Good Luck,

Mia

[Sarah]

Hi nanoki2 You may have had your hands full when she was a puppy, it has nothing to do with what is happening now. You really pointed out the problem above when you said 'other dogs attacked her and now she does it to other dogs.

Your golden is not really aggressive, she is fearful. She acts before they attack her. The problem here is she doesn't think you will protect her, so she feels she has to do it first. You must gain her trust now, and the issue will be resolved.

[mia]

Great advice again, Sarah. I hope she works it out, I could not offer anything since I have never had that issue, but that sounds very logical the poor dog is fearful and will react. I am curious about where this takes place, on a leash or in a dog park where she is running loose. I will not take my dogs to a dag park, that is another issue I have opinions on. What do you have to say about them Sarah?

Mia

[Sarah]

Well I've never taken Buddy to a dog park, but I think if there was one near us and he could socialize with other dogs, I probably would take him.

When Buddy and I lived outside of Winnipeg, I use to babysit 2 Yorkies and sometimes a pitbull, so Buddy had playmates. When we moved to the country Buddy had horses and a german shepherd... [He preferred the horses]... He had no one but me after that, and he missed the company.

I think it's important that dogs do socialize, and we must remember that if there is a dog that is misbehaved its not because they choose to, it's because they don't have anyone to show them another way.

This golden needs to know that he/she is going to be protected all the time, and once that is known, the issue will be gone.

just my 6 cents!

[mia]

I agree that dogs need to be around other dogs and with my 6 they all have friends and also my kids come with their dogs, it can get very lively or maybe I should say more like a Zoo. We had 12 dogs here one weekend and the neighbor had 5 with his kids being home, but everyone got along just great. The reason I would not go to a park is because some people do not keep up on the shots and deworming or pick up after their dog does his thing. But I guess that is a personal preference.

When I started walking my Golden around the lake we have about a mile where there are big gravel trucks going to the pit, they are loud and I thought she would freak out but she just walked close to my leg and was fine. I always take treats and of course water with.


If the fearful one was mine I would keep her on a short leash close to me as we walk and encounter people and dogs and hopefully she will get the idea that she is safe and doesn't need to attack.


Good Luck Nano, keep up posted.

Mia

[Sarah]

So see Mia you have your own dog park ! lol

I agree with keeping the dog on a short leash, or even close to you. When I was in the city with Buddy, and someone was coming in the opposite direction, if they had a dog, i would stop, place Buddy behind me until they passed, sometimes I would even do that if they didn't have a dog. I kept in mind that there are people who are afraid of dogs and chose to be respectful.. Buddy was trained to walk on the left hand side of me, but there were occasions where I would make him walk on the right also. He had to learn to be flexible, trusting me all the way.

If there are multiple dogs who happen to be off leash, I would place the dog behind me, and use my feet to keep the other dogs away.. If you are firm enough with the dogs, they would go on their way. If the dogs are small I would certainly pick them up, and keep walking.

[nanoki2]

Thank you for your comments everyone. Just to give a bit more information, the attacks in question...both were off leash. I don't take her to dog parks because of personal beliefs on that issue but I take her to various locations and let her meet new dogs as much as possible. One place we go, their daughter often brings her dog "clients" so there could be 4 or 5 new dogs around.

I agree that its anxiety driven. She is not generally fearful but we have taken that into consideration. We do walk her on a short lease, close to my side. We have been exposing her to new environments and situations to overcome some anxiety. We are fine tuning her training and doing more alpha work. We are still exposing her to new dogs but in a very controlled way for now. She still a bit grumbly but its over in about 10 seconds.

Of course, we took her to hike in a local forest and what happened?? Someone else was walking 3 dogs, off leash, that they didn't have good control over and the 3 dogs came charging toward my dog growling agressively. I pulled my dog behind me, squared off my shoulders, put up my hand and very firmly bellowed "stop!" All 3 dogs stopped and I told them to go back and they went back to their owner. They still couldn't control them as the dogs were freaking out as we walked by but I had control over my dog and we kept marching forward. I'm hoping that the fact I protected her will help build her confidence in my abilities as the leader.

[Sarah]

What you did on your hike was actually the right thing to do. I don't know if you realize but that day you told your dog, that YOU will protect her from other dogs attacking her, which didn't happen in the beginning. GOOD WORK! Keep doing that, and your golden will for sure let go of her fear and anxiety.

[MaryAnn]

People who walk their dogs should not be talking on a cell-phone or chatting away.....They should be watching and learning their dog's body language instead.