aggressive Golden retriever

psc

HI there
I have a one year old golden retriever who can be very aggressive at times.
he will growl at us for simple things as just trying to get him of the coach and If he has something he shouldn't have in his mouth and we try and retrieve it he'll growl and snap.
Just today my 14 year old daughter was trying to get a chocolate bar out of his mouth and he very aggressively growled and tried to bite her and scrapped her on the chest. We just don't no what to do with him, we love this dog so much so it would kill us to give him away.
Any opinions would be very much appreciated.

McChubbin

Is he a rescue dog by any chance?

psc

op here
No we got him at 8 weeks

McChubbin

Hmmm... Only thing I can think of at the top of my head would be Canine Distempter but it's doubtful as the condition is somewhat rare. My dog got very aggressive when she was suffering with a uterine infection so it's possible he might be suffering from some internal ailment or illness that causing him to act out of character.

Your best bet is to chat with a vet.

seamus

If this is something that the dog has always done, then you would be better off taking some form of obedience/training course. The dog has learned that if you try to take something and he growls, you'll back off. So he's going to keep growling. He thinks he's in charge

joyce2009

i agree with seamus,,,its sounds like you may have loved him too much and now he thinks hes in charge,,,i'd get a dog trainer involved and have him turned back into being your pet not your boss..:)

psc

op here
Yea I think I better look into getting a trainer, He can be quiet obedient when he wants to be. When we have a treat in store for him he will sit, lie down, roll over, wait, etc etc.
I also would like to add he has not been neutered yet, has anyone had experience with this helping the problem?
Thanks for the replies.

peasant

neutering may help to to dial down the severity of some behavioral issues, but generally speaking, neutering cannot replace/substitute training.

boomerang

First of all, he's not trying to dominate any one or be the alpha. He's resource guarding and this is a behaviour that can be worked on very successfully if you are prepared to put in the time and with the help of a good dog behaviourist. A vet wouldn't be any help to you as they don't have a background in training or behaviour. Where abouts do you live - I might be able to recommend a good behaviourist. Be warned that not all behaviourists are qualified or even know what they are doing and someone that throttles your dog with a choke chain when it growls is just going to make matters far, far, worse. As a starting point, here's a great little book to help you, also available on Amazon:

http://www.dogwise.com/ItemDetails.cfm?ID=DTB740

psc

I'm living in malahide Dublin, it makes sense what you are saying and of course we are willing to put as much time as needed.
Thanks for the book recommendation i will have a look at that.

boomerang

I would pop an email or make a phone call to the girls at Dog Training Ireland in Blanchardstown. I've been to their training classes and they were also of enormous help to me with my fear aggressive, difficult dog. They don't use any harsh methods.

TooManyDogs

Try Siobhan from Dublin Pet School, she's a behaviourist and will call out to your house to see exactly what is happening.

lrushe

Sounds like your dogs has hit his teenage years, this is usually when they try to start pushing their luck to see what they can get away with and if you haven't laid down any ground rules when he was younger it can come back to bite you (no pun intended) as he gets older. As others have suggested a trainer would be a great help to you and your dog and as he is still young and v.trainable. I found Dog Training Ireland to be great when training my Rottweiler, have a look at their website for their semi / private classes.

anniehoo

lrushe wrote: »

Sounds like your dogs has hit his teenage years, this is usually when they try to start pushing their luck to see what they can get away with .

I actually wouldnt agree with this. At a year old they should have enough manners on them at this stage not to be biting. Although theres a difference between full on agressive biting and half hearted "nipping"!

Retrievers were always classed as a placid breed but ive seen a trait in them over the last few years that is becoming more common ...like the cocker rage syndrome

This really can only be dealt with by a behaviourist who will give you much more encouraging advice than we can. All dogs are different and the rules of canine obedience training cant and shouldnt be applied to them all if theres an underlying genetic or medical issue at heart.

lrushe

anniehoo wrote: »

At a year old they should have enough manners on them at this stage not to be biting.

True they should have manners by this stage but if the foundations haven't been laid down as a young pup, now, at this age is when bad behaviour will manifest itself. It can also be the case that behaviour which was allowed as a small pup because it was cute or didn't seem that serious has eculated to a problem behaviour as a one year old.

anniehoo

lrushe wrote: »

It can also be the case that behaviour which was allowed as a small pup because it was cute or didn't seem that serious has eculated to a problem behaviour as a one year old.

Oh yeh of course!. But, i wouldnt accept that excuse from a 1+yr old dog (6-12mths maybe).

6-12mths is crucial imo in any dogs development and the foundations should be laid down then if they can. I dont believe the saying "you cant teach an old dog new tricks"..its just alot feckin harder thats all

lrushe

anniehoo wrote: »

Oh yeh of course!. But, i wouldnt accept that excuse from a 1+yr old dog (6-12mths maybe).

6-12mths is crucial imo in any dogs development and the foundations should be laid down then if they can. I dont believe the saying "you cant teach an old dog new tricks"..its just alot feckin harder thats all

Oh yes I do agree, I'm not making excuses for the behaviour just making suggests for why it may have occured. Under no circumstances should the behaviour the OP mentioned be tolerated, regardless of age

leddpipe

What colour retriever is it?
I have a white retriever, and we where told they can have tendencies towards aggression!
Hes a dote with people, but has the capacity foraggressio n towards dogs if they are aggressive with him!

Magenta

leddpipe wrote: »

What colour retriever is it?
I have a white retriever, and we where told they can have tendencies towards aggression!
Hes a dote with people, but has the capacity foraggressio n towards dogs if they are aggressive with him!

Firstly there is no such thing as a white retriever.
Second if another dog is aggressive to him then of course he is going to react.
Thirdly, whoever told you a retriever's coat colour determines it's temperament is talking through their you-know-what.
It's been proven in red Cockers but not in retrievers. If you could provide a link of any studies done on these "white retrievers" I'd appreciate it.

psc

op here
Thanks for the replies.
yea I didn't think think there was such a thing as a white retriever, he is white in color however.The idea of a behaviorist is good and were looking into that.
I would like to add that most of the time he's the best dog ever, he loves meeting new dogs and new people, I think he might think he's the boss however to-wards us and that needs to be changed.

leddpipe

Magenta wrote: »

Firstly there is no such thing as a white retriever.
Second if another dog is aggressive to him then of course he is going to react.
Thirdly, whoever told you a retriever's coat colour determines it's temperament is talking through their you-know-what.
It's been proven in red Cockers but not in retrievers. If you could provide a link of any studies done on these "white retrievers" I'd appreciate it.

My dog is a golden retriever, and he is white! That my friend, is a fact!

Also, you say a dogs coat doesn't determine its temperament, and then mention its been proven in red cockers!So your saying its restricted to one breed,and one breed only??

You no doubt, have links to studies to prove this?

I think your talking out your you know what!

seamus

leddpipe wrote: »

My dog is a golden retriever, and he is white! That my friend, is a fact!

Yes, but he's not a "White Retriever", he's a white Golden Retriever. I think that was the point.

Also, you say a dogs coat doesn't determine its temperament, and then mention its been proven in red cockers!So your saying its restricted to one breed,and one breed only??

A dog's coat doesn't determine its temperament, however it has been shown among many animals that animals with odd colouring are often treated differently by their siblings from an early age. This results in the animal possibly having predictable attributes in adulthood. Pure white horses and cats, for example are known for often being "bullied" by their siblings and peers, resulting in a quiet, submissive adult.

TooManyDogs

seamus wrote: »

A dog's coat doesn't determine its temperament

In general a dog's coat doesn't determine it's temperament but it is proven in dogs with red coats. When the pup is developing in the womb it's been proven that pups developing red coats have a much higher level of stress hormones present, this can result in them reacting much quicker and harsher to threats than dogs without this red pigmented coats.

peasant

seamus wrote: »

A dog's coat doesn't determine its temperament

No, but selective breeding determines a dog's coat ...and with it sometimes also its behaviour and its susceptability to illnesses and disorders.

This is how "cocker rage" in red cockers came about ...it was bred into them by accident.

peasant

TooManyDogs wrote: »

In general a dog's coat doesn't determine it's temperament but it is proven in dogs with red coats. When the pup is developing in the womb it's been proven that ...

would you have a source for that, just as a matter of interest ?

TooManyDogs

peasant wrote: »

would you have a source for that, just as a matter of interest ?

It was from a Channel 4 documentary series called 'Animals in the womb', and they had a canine program. It featured golden retrievers, chihuahuas, wolves and a 4th breed that I can't remember. The fact about coat sticks in my mind cos a very very experienced dog handler I know always maintained that red dogs were 'sharper' than other colour dogs but never had any proof as such beyond her 25 years of experience and handling 100's of dogs.
They also said that all dog coats are made up from only 3 pigments and mixes there of. It was a really interesting program.

Magenta

leddpipe wrote: »

My dog is a golden retriever, and he is white! That my friend, is a fact!

Firstly, I am not your friend, thank you very much.
Well then your dog is a poor example of the breed, because the breed standard states the colour should be between cream and golden. Hope you didn't pay too much money for the dog.

leddpipe wrote: »

Also, you say a dogs coat doesn't determine its temperament, and then mention its been proven in red cockers!So your saying its restricted to one breed,and one breed only??

No, I did not say that a dog's coat doesn't determine it's temperament. I did not generalise like that.
I specified the actual breeds- a Golden Retriever (or a "white" one :rolleyes:) and a Cocker Spaniel.
I said (and I quote from my post because you obviously didn't read it properly)

Magenta wrote:

It's been proven in red Cockers but not in retrievers.

leddpipe wrote: »

You no doubt, have links to studies to prove this?

Indeed I do.

http://dsc.discovery.com/news/2009/05/22/cocker-spaniel-aggressive.html

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/English_Cocker_Spaniel#cite_note-discov-17

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rage_syndrome#English_Cocker_Spaniels

I am still waiting for you to provide links to prove that coat colour in the Golden Retriever is linked to it's temperament.

leddpipe wrote: »

I think your talking out your you know what!

I think I listen to written proven evidence rather than what I am told by a random person.

peasant

Magenta wrote: »

Well then your dog is a poor example of the breed, because the breed standard states the colour should be between cream and golden. Hope you didn't pay too much money for the dog.

You're quite correct, according to the standard, a golden retriever is supposed to be golden, not white.

But goldies where in such high demand for some time that everybody bred them and in the frenzy the golden tinge got ever paler. There are quite a lot of white or nearly white goldens around now.

Do a google for white golden retriever and you'll find a whitegoldenretriever.net where somebody is trying to sell you "English Cream Golden Retrievers" ..i.e. white ones

Or maybe you'd prefer a Platinum Gold Golden Retriever ...or an English Platinum Cream Retriever :pac:

Only a matter of time and one of these "colours" (i.e. white) will be established as a new "breed"

That's how the "golden" golden retriever came about in the first place ...a variation of fashion and a few planned or unplanned accidedents.

leddpipe

Magenta wrote: »

poor example of the breed.....Hope you didn't pay too much money for the dog.

Hes not, in fact hes a PEATA working dog, and I paid the average price for a retriever

Magenta

leddpipe wrote: »

Hes not, in fact hes a PEATA working dog, and I paid the average price for a retriever

Any chance of some links to prove that his temperament is linked to his colour?

leddpipe

Magenta wrote: »

Any chance of some links to prove that his temperament is linked to his colour?

I never said I had any pet!