Golden Retriever Aggression Over Food

Question
QUESTION: I have three dogs, two older toy poodles and one 10 month old Golden Retriever.  My Golden Retriever is a good-natured, sweet, loving dog, except when it comes to food. She has violently attacked my two Poodles over food.  I always separate them at feeding time, but have made the mistake of giving them treats together.  She is never aggressive toward me or other members of the family, only my two little dogs. Last night I was in the process of taking her outside to eat her doggie treat(so as to separate them), but as I opened the door with treat in my hand, one of my poodles walked by and my Golden Retriever turned on her so violently I thought she would kill her. I have read that this type of behavior is not common in Goldens, but now I'm afraid that she will attack them over other things as well.  I don't know what to do to remedy this situation.  Any advice would be greatly appreciated.

ANSWER: Food aggression (and other trophying behaviors, such as guarding toys, etc.) is a difficult problem to assess without being able to observe the dog, evaluate temperament, etc.  In your situation, this is likely a fear driven behavior, although it might also be rank related; it's quite difficult to advise correction based upon your brief description.  You need to answer these questions and repost:
1.  When did this problem begin
2.  Can you associate it with any particular event
3.  Was it first demonstrated toward one of the Poodles and then toward the second, or both at once?
4.  Do you put the Golden outside to eat, or was it just that treat you spoke of? and where do the Poodles eat and get their treats
5.  What did you do when the Golden "turned on her so violently"
6.  How did the Golden respond to what you did?
7.  Does this dog have any training and, if so, what sort and by whom
8.  Is the Golden spayed?  If not, is she coming into season?
9.  Where do these dogs sleep?
10.  Is the golden crate trained?
11.  Has the Golden ever growled at a human?
Please answer same and repost.

---------- FOLLOW-UP ----------

QUESTION: The problem started 3 months ago when she was about 7 months old.  Prior to that time I had always fed the dogs together with no problem. Then one day she proceeded to eat all of her food and then go after the other dogs food, which turned into a huge fight.  Fortunately my husband and I were able to pull her off of our oldest Poodle before any real harm had been done.  She was punished and put outside but she didn't seem to understand that she had done anything wrong. Another incident occurred when my youngest child handed a french fry to one of our Poodles.  The Golden saw it and attacked.  Unfortunately before I could pull her off of my little dog she had punctured her above her eyelid.  She is extremely strong and didn't seem to be affected by the fact that I was pulling her by the neck and kneeing her in the side.  She did complete 4 weeks of basic obedience training by a certified dog trainer when she was 4 months old and she seemed to respond well, but food aggression wasn't really a problem at that time. The latest incident over the treats was the most violent attack in which she actually picked up my poodle and shook her violently.  My husband was not home during this attack and it took me and two of my children to break it up.  I grabbed her by the neck and knocked her feet out from under her while my daughter pulled my poodle free.  The poodle was bruised on the back of her neck, but no skin was broken.  My Golden is not spayed and is experiencing her first heat at this time. The two poodles sleep with me and my husband.  The Golden sleeps with my son.  None of my dogs are crate trained.  My Golden has NEVER growled or shown any aggression toward a human.

Answer
You have an extremely serious problem developing here, made even more complex by your inappropriate handling (which is not your fault) and the fact that you have young children in the home.  First, you should be feeding your dogs TWICE a day; your Golden appears to be far too hungry, as demonstrated by her behavior at a very young age (7 months).  Once a day feeding is VERY insufficient for most dogs, but especially a larger breed.  Second, your pack (two dogs is a pack, three definitely is) is totally out of control concerning behavior and rank placement.  Putting one dog OUT when it is attempting to acquire adequate nutrition only worsened the problem.  Third, you do not have any control over this situation and you have young children in the middle of it.  You need very serious education regarding a multiple dog household, something which I doubt you have the time for (and perhaps not even the interest, with a busy household and family.)  You certainly need the intervention of a certified applied animal behaviorist (NOT just a "dog trainer") and for this you need to call the veterinary college in your geographical area, or canvas local veterinarians, for referral to a Ph.D. or DVM.  However, given the seriousness of this developing situation (and the Golden IS NOT TO BLAME, however shaking the Poodle might have broken its neck and killed it), what you really should do is REHOME THE GOLDEN.  Look for Golden Retriever rescue in your area.  DO NOT take this dog to the municipal shelter; she will be killed and she is NOT TO BLAME and should not lose her life.  She is being mismanaged and your household is not appropriate (this is not your fault).  Golden Retriever rescue organizations are nationwide and they do transport from one to the other; you should be able to find someone who is willing to give this dog a second chance.  She is fundamentally a fine dog but is in the wrong home.  Do this NOW.  She is suffering and needs to be removed from your home.