aggressive golden retriever

Question
I have read your bio and will read and rate your response fairly within 3 days. We have a 4 year old golden retriever.  Have had her since 8 weeks old.  She had allways been an owly dog, ex. growls when she does not want to be touched.  She also tries do dominate humans and other dogs.  We have been able to manage this behavior so far.  No bites, we can take her food away ect.  However we have a 5 year old and am beocming concerned with the behavior.  We recently moved from a house where dog had a back yard and was let out quite frequently.  We moved into an apartment.  There is a dog park but dog does not get out as often.  She is becomming very growly.  She growls whenever we get near her even to be petted.  We have tried to pay more attention to her as we thought that may be the problem, however she is not receptive to it.  There are also other dogs in the building as she is very aggressive and even lunged towards one.  I am very worried that this behavior will lead to a bite.  How do we deal with aggresive behavior like this?  Any suggestions?  Barb

Answer

Hi Barbara,

The person you directed your message to declined to answer it, and it ended up in a "questions pool" where any of the experts in the category of dogs can opt to answer it. That is how I came to read your message.

First, you should have your dog examined by a veterinarian. Getting snappy about being petted could mean she's in pain, which wouldn't be too odd for a five year old Golden Reteriver. She may already be having some arthritis or hip dysplasia issues.

Once your dog gets a clean bill of health from your vet, your dog would probably benefit from more exercise, in the form of additional leashed walks or trips to the dog park. Exercise does more than condition a dog's body, it's also essential mental stimulation and it releases endorphins, which help to calm an irritable or stressed dog.

Your dog would benefit from having an evaluation from a qualified dog behaviorist. Your vet or local boarding kennel may be able to give you a referral for one. Professional help is the fastest way of reconditioning a dog's behavior (in addition to the extra exercise).

Your dog may indeed bite another dog, or even your child if this behavior escalates. Until you can get control over your dog's aggression, it would be best to take a defensive course of action, to protect your child, and the other dogs in your building. If you think for a minute that your dog might bite your child, then you should always be supervising dog when she's near your child. Do not leave them alone unsupervised. It wouldn't be a bad idea to get a muzzle. A basket style muzzle is the most humane, it allows a dog to pant and even drink water while it's worn. When walking your dog, when you see another dog immediately turn and walk in the other direction, to prevent an attack.

Best of luck,

Patti