Puppy Behaviour

Question
QUESTION: I have a 4mth old golden retriever that has not shown any agressive behaviour toward humans or other dogs including puppies.  She has been very well socialized and is starting puppy classes this week.  She will play with my neighbours 2mth old black lab and sometimes the behaviour will become sorta agressive.  My same neighbour also has a 8-10yr old black lab that sorta protects the little pup.  Any idea why golden does this with a younger pup?? THanks

ANSWER: It's natural for dominant instincts to kick in right about now. It's not the age per say that's the cause. It's more who she feels would be the easy target, again going back to her instincts and hormones starting to kick in. Is she spayed yet or is this in the future for her? With this kind of reaction, I would definitely recommend it to avoid the possibility of instances with other dogs. It sounds like she's playing the alpha and I'm assuming that the lab isn't near strong enough to say otherwise.

To curb this, you need to babysit while they are playing and either step in and grab her and place her in quiet time or bring out the spray bottle. It's hard to give a full answer without seeing firsthand exactly how the play is going. Because some dogs just play rough. How does the lab handle it? I'm assuming it's your dog that starts it? Honestly, if the lab keeps coming back for more, it's fair game, though it's still not behavior I would tolerate.

I hope this answers your question. If not, feel free to do a follow up with me.

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QUESTION: We will have her spayed when she is 6mths or before.  She has played with other younger puppies for 3hr lengths of time and of course many other dogs and hasn't had a problem.  The lab is submissive and my dog is the one to start it after playing nicely for 5 or 10mins.  I haven't seen it firsthand either, as it happened when my daughter had her.  Is is possible that the lab is playing too rough and that my golden is just putting him in his place so to speak??  Just seems strange that my dog hasn't had a problem with other puppies or dogs.

Answer
Without seeing the play firsthand, it's impossible to say whether she's just putting him in his place or not. It's always possible, but if the lab is submissive, I kind of doubt it. I really believe that her hormones are starting to kick in and that's causing a behavior change in her. Which is why she has been good before. Hormones start to kick in anywhere from 4-6 months.

Here's one of two thoughts: The lab is being dominant and yours is putting it in its place. Or, because the lab is so submissive, yours is taking advantage of it and playing rough because she knows she can get away with it. Next time they play together, make sure to be there so you and watch and see what happens.