According to this blog post, the golden retriever is now the Number 4 biter in Canada. This should make anyone who has ever had a golden retriever extremely angry.
This blog seems to think that it’s upbringing that creates biters. That is true to a certain extent.
With goldens, though, it’s breeding.
Goldens are not historically biters. They just aren’t known for it. None of my dogs has bitten me, except out of play behavior as puppies. My last adult golden used to share her bones with the new puppy. The two dogs chewed opposite ends of the bone.
This breed should not be anywhere near the top biter list at all, and I blame bad breeding practices for it.
I blame most of this on breeding calmness in golden retrievers. Well, wait, how can breeding for calmness lead to aggression? Temple Grandin argues that breeding for calmness in goldens has made them more likely to develop seizure issues, because the fundamental brain chemistry of the dog is messed up. (Read about it here.) Grandin points out how hard it is to breed a dog that is both unafraid of people and unlikely to bite. Both of these temperament issues are a balancing act. If something gets out of sync, you’ll have a biting golden retriever on your hands.
My advice to prospective is simple. The behavior of goldens is not calm. It’s working gun dog that can be calm in the house, but it has a need for mental and physical exercise. If you won’t give the dog what it needs in those regards, don’t buy it. And stay away from any breeder who is selling you a “mellow” or “calm” dog. Those are the dogs that are going to attack someone. And I’ve never seen a field-type golden with anything like aggression problems.
Bruce Fogle mentions a European study of German long-hair lines in The Dog’s Mind. This is a breed that does not have a wide variation in appearance between field and working lines. It’s very uncommon outside of Germany, although its black and white relative, the Large Münsterländer, is somewhat better known outside of its homeland.
The study found that working long-hairs were far less likely to bite than those bred for show. (I’m quite shocked, considering how similar show and field long-hairs in appearance.) The authors of the study found that breeding for high trainability, which in old German dog training includes physical correction, and for low aggression with other dogs had actually resulted in better dogs as companions.
I wonder if some of these factors might be involved in turning the golden retriever into a savage beast.
If the golden gets a reputation as a biter, its days of super-popularity are over, but I don’t see this reputation appearing in popular dog culture. The American cocker has this reputation, and it’s now no longer a top registrations breed with the AKC.
And losing popularity wouldn’t be such a bad thing. I’m seriously not doing this in hopes of sabotaging the golden’s popularity. It just angers me that now this breed that I love so much now has aggression issues– the one issue that it never had before.
I grieves me to say it, but I have seen some nasty, aggressive Goldens — and they weren’t all created by their owners. I also see a lot of aggressive Labradors (probably, along with Jack Russells, the most common breed that come to me for aggression problems).
Factors I see in common with badly bred examples of both breeds are a strong lack of impulse control and – for want of a better term – an intense oral fixation. These are dogs with short fuses whose first impulse under intense emotion is to grab something in their mouths. And when they’re po’d, that something might be you.
IMO – extremes of any kind (physical or behavioral) should be avoided in breeding. I love my ‘all purpose’ generic farm collie. The only exceptional qualities he has are intelligence and loyalty.
I do think a lot people don’t understand that some young male retrievers get pushy, and although this is a trainable breed, it must be trained.
I think some of this biting may be related to the retrieving instinct, but for a retriever to maul what it’s retrieving, well, that’s a fault.
I agree with you on extremes. In retrievers, the other extreme is the wild male field type Labrador that can’t sit still for five seconds.
I had one of those old-type collies growing up. A good dog. Then I got one of those Lassie collies, and I’ve never had a desire to go back.
Our soon to be 10 year old golden has always had the oral fixation and will always grab anything he sees when he’s excited. However, he has never been aggressive toward man nor beast. He will share anything he has to eat or drink with his cat and the neighbor’s.
Would love to hear if any natural remedies are known to help with the partial seizures our poor boy has started having in the last couple of years.
My 7 months old pitbull puppy got attacked today by a adult pure breed golden retriever. The golden retreiver was not on the leash when it came close to my puppy. After the golden sniff my dog’s rear it jump and bit my puppy’s back. Traumatized my puppy started to cry and get off from underneath the golden retriever. The only time the golden let go of my dog was when the owner yelled no. She did apologized and said that she doesn’t when her dog gets agressive. My puppy was left with a hole of the golden’s tooth on his back. I don’t understand that you and likewise others believe that goldens are good dogs by nature and the way it is breed. That’s so not true because good dogs can be from any breed that receives good training. There is no such a thing of best genes because goldens are mix breeds. Seriously lady, you better watch out before your dog bites you.
My 7 months old pitbull puppy got attacked today by a adult pure breed golden retriever. The golden retreiver was not on the leash when it came close to my puppy. After the golden sniff my dog’s rear it jump and bit my puppy’s back. Traumatized my puppy started to cry and get off from underneath the golden retriever. The only time the golden let go of my dog was when the owner yelled no. She did apologized and said that she doesn’t KNOW when her dog gets agressive. My puppy was left with a hole FROM the golden’s tooth on his back. I don’t understand that PEOPLE LIKE you and believes that goldens are good dogs by nature and the way it is breed. That’s so not true because good dogs can be from any breed and that receives good training. There is no such a thing of best genes because goldens are mix breeds. Seriously lady, you better watch out before your dog bites you.
There are a lot of fellow dog bloggers in this little circle who have pit bulls and they all seem convinced that they are not aggressive or prone to bite. Such unpleasantries (like the entire reason for the breed to exist in the first place) have been “bred out.”
This is inane. So is Caveat’s stance that “breed is irrelevant.”
Dogs are nothing if not breed. The moral relativist, everything relativist, don’t profile, punish the deed, not the breed stuff is all hooey. People freaked out about the Bell Curve because they didn’t like the results… it HAD to be wrong. Who cares if it was right or wrong or flawed, objectivity went out the window and the agenda ruled the day.
I think the same is going on with the put bull community. They don’t like the facts, nor do they like how people are responding to them. I don’t believe in breed bans or BSL, nor more government interference in anything.
But I’m not going to take the next step “pit bulls are just like any other breed.”
This would be as inane as saying that border collies are just like any other breed.
You can’t substantiate that it’s upbringing alone… nor is there any reason to believe that ranking 4th in bites is a training bias. While there might be people who accentuate their tough dogs with tough “training” … there is no one who would get a Golden and then want to make it more aggressive.
No one wanted to make Cocker Spaniels more aggressive, but that’s exactly what happened when a certain color became overly inbred and a must-have. Funny that it’s the same color being exploited in Goldens.
Perhaps this fawn color in dogs is linked with an aggressive personality disorder.
It’s been proven to be linked to the color only in English cockers, but English cockers of all colors get an aggression syndrome. Springers get it, too, and they aren’t red. It’s actually a disorder called Avalanche of Rage syndrome. The dog just attacks for no reason. It can be the nicest dog one minute, and the nex minute, it attacks. It is known to have a genetic basis. The actual cause of it, besides the red color, is the genes that make that gait of a show English springer or English cocker are related to the genes that cause the Avalanche of Rage syndrome. This disorder exists in goldens but it’s not common enough to make them biters to that degree.
American cockers that become biters are really different from the Avalanche of Rage syndrome dogs. These dogs are just aggressive. This is what I think is happening to goldens. I think it’s breeding for calmness in goldens that is reducing their ability to produce hormones that make them unlikely to bite.
There are genetic reasons why dogs do what they do. Even the biggest critics of sociobiology, especially those who hate it when it’s applied to people, believe genes do play some role. I don’t know about the reliabilty or accuracy of the Bell Curve– we’re even less diverse than dogs are in terms of genes and genetically-based behaviors. The Bell Curve is actually good indicator about which ethnic group gets the best quality protein, because that has been linked to intelligence development. I know that genes have to have some role in my abilities, because on my mother’s side, we have many adults and children who are good at writing and humanities-based education. None of us knows each other very well, but when we get together, we’re pretty similar in what interests us and even what we like to read.
What you’re talking about is that dogs do differ. I can’t teach a golden retriever, even the most eager and drivey one, to herd as well as a border collie. It can learn to do it, but it’s not going to be the best dog for the job. Breed does make a difference, but very often dogs differ as much within a breed as between breeds. But a golden retriever is not a border collie, just as a dog isn’t an Arctic wolf, just as an Arctic wolf isn’t an Indian wolf. They are all wired differently, and the genes are very important for shaping them.
PETA calls the analysis I just gave you “Breedism.” Yet another reason not to pay attention to them.
[...] you that this dog’s owner got him because the dog was light-colored and “calm.” Breeding for calmness, as we have seen, messes with the brain chemistry of what are generally good tempered and biddable [...]
Hey Christopher, I don’t think breed is ‘irrelevant’ – I’ve always been a fan of purebred dogs and have owned everything from a Bullmastiff (first dog at age 4 when I finally wore my parents down) to a Standard Poodle, Lhasa Apso, Bearded Collie, Rottweiler – well, you get the idea.
What I do maintain is that breed does not mean the same as species. Dogs all have the same basic instincts – some are enhanced through selection especially in purpose-bred dogs. Behaviour is learned, not inherited. That’s what the science says to date.
Heritable qualities shape behaviour, no question.
However, what really bugs me is the advertising of breeds as if they were brands – they are not manufactured devices, they are living creatures and each one is unique.
Even if it were true that ‘pit bulls’, for example (heh) were a ‘breed’ in the real sense, it would not be possible to ‘breed’ them to fight with dogs and not humans, as you’ll often hear. Are some dogs more fearful, intense, reactive, pushy by nature? Sure. However, I believe that the nature is the raw material and that the early handling and training are much more important in the long term.
Generalizations about breeds such as those seen in media reports do a disservice to the public at large and to novice dog owners. Anyway, the vast majority of pet dogs are mutts and most conformation-bred dogs have lost their original skills so it’s really tough to predict behaviour based on breed or perceived breed.
Funny though, that most dogs, are kind, reliable and trustworthy critters – just as dogs should be.
This is my view on Pit Bulls, not anyone else’s: the vast majority of pit bulls are safe dogs. There are lines that have a bit of aggression in them. Actually, I’m more worrid about golden retriever temperament issues than those of pit bulls, because all responsible owners of pit bulls do what they can make sure their dogs are good natured and tractable. Why? Because if one of these dogs even bites someone, the media have a circus. If goldens bite someone or even kill someone, you never hear about it. However, golden owners think that their dogs are angels and many casual owners don’t do enough with them.
However, there are genetics to dog aggression, or rather the tendency to show it. For example, golden retrievers have a tendency to show food possession. I highly supect there are some genetics to it. Pit bulls do have a tendency not to show submissive signals when confronted with other dogs.
The main reason why I oppose BSL for pit bulls is 1. There are lots of supposedly nice breeds that bite. 2. Tf it’s to stop dog fighters, then dog fighters will get one of the really hyper-aggressive breeds from one of the countries that have legal dogfighting. And there are dozens of those that aren’t picked up in any BSL. 3. If you want to stop dog agression, then put a ban on all dogs that have bitten someone, regardless of breed.
It`s not according to any Blogger,it`s according to the CHIRPP as stated by the OVMA at the hearings into Bill 132(a.k.a ‘Pit Bull’ ban)
http://www.ontla.on.ca/committee-proceedings/transcripts/files_html/2005-01-24_M009.htm#P672_181318
[quote]An argument is sometimes made that, while all dogs bite, only a few breeds cause serious injury when they attack. Again, this hypothesis does not withstand scrutiny. A study by the Canadian hospitals injury reporting and prevention program examined the dog breeds involved in attacks that were serious enough that the victim sought medical attention at one of eight reporting hospitals. The study revealed that 50 different types of purebreds and 33 types of crossbreeds had been involved in the attacks,
*** the most common breeds being German shepherds, cocker spaniels, Rottweilers and golden retrievers.[/quote]
CHIRPP
http://www.phac-aspc.gc.ca/injury-bles/chirpp/pdf/CHIRPP_INJURY_BRIEF_DOG_BITE_update.pdf
In the US, goldens are now the number three biter.
Thank you for sharing this.
I hope this ticks some people off.
I am a recent victim of a golden attack, actually, my dog is. This is the second golden to attack him. My dog has never had a problem with any other dogs. He is a 25 lb mixed breed dog and on two diff occasions two totally diff goldens have attacked him (un-provoked). It is terrifying and viscious when they attack. I always liked goldens, but after this most recent incident, I will NEVER trust a golden. You just cant trust a dog based on its good looks! (Side note: all the pitbulls we have encountered have been super friendly).
It’s very sad that goldens are degenerating.
Thank you.. you took the words out of my mouth. Pitbulls are not the most aggressive dogs, but the most powerful dogs. Dalmatians are fruit cakes also.
[...] Now, their temperaments have become far less reliable than they once were. [...]
Reading over all of this information is both disturbing- but not at all shocking.
I feel that it is in the breeding that this stems from,
a great example I’d refer to is the Cocker Spaniel too. A great dog that everyone loved as it gained popularity in registration, but as it peaked it lost that because of the massive amount of wrongful breeders who take advantage of the popularity. It is a trend, and it will continue to happen. This is the same with toy breeds also, we’ll probably see a similiar trend with Chihuahua’s/Poms/Shih-tzu’s in the future.
Unfortunately it is the breeding, and more often than not- inbreeding. You would not believe how many people I knew in the eastern us ten years ago who told me after they had had a cocker for 3 years that the breeder told them that the dam and sire were brother and sister.
There is alot that new dog owners never look at, and we can only hope it will change. Unfortunately many of us see our beloved breeds and dogs scrutinized poorly because of all of this.
My 13 week Staffy puppy was mauled by a Golden retriever. They are wolves in sheeps clothing. Horrible dogs.
I love golden retrievers, but they are being gradually destroyed.
We recently bought a FEMALE golden retriever puppy from a well known breeder in our area. I took her to obedience training when she had her shots..this was her first experience with other dogs. The other puppies were all playing off leash so I took her off her leash. She immediately jumped on top of another dog, growled and tried to bite it. The problem is not getting better.
We are working with a trainer to take her to the dog park (without going in..just walking around the fence so she can smell other dogs). My trainer wants me to take her to doggie daycare but my vet (who was also my breeder) won’t let her go there as she is a liability! (Thanks for the help people!)
She is great with people (though a 7 month old puppy with lots of energy) but she is not nice with other dogs. I have heard too that our puppy is not the first puppy from this breeder to have these issues.
You pay so much for a high bred golden and this is what you get? Sigh.
It’s really unfortnate what goldens are becoming.
I have a wonderful Golden Retriever named Lilly. She is pleasant, fun, calm, obedient until another dog or person comes into the picture. She is fine with anyone in our family or friends but as soon as a repair man comes over or children are going for a walk she goes into a complete frenzy. Her hair on her back stands up, she growls, she barks and it is not right.If another dog comes in the area she does the same, she will even lunge at them to attack. I really dont know what to do with her when she does that. You would never think she would be aggressive ever if you knew her. My sister was the one we got her from, she has the mother and father at her house and neither Buddy or Sandy are aggressive or unruly around people or animals.When we bring her to my sisters she isnt mean to her animals but she “humps’ her animals… What does that mean???? I could use some advice. Thanks
It sounds to me like she’s a bit insecure. The humping behavior can be a sing of “dominance.”
I think she could stand some intense socialization with other dogs.
Also whenever someone comes to the house, you can have them give her a treat so that she learns to associate them with good things.
My dog used to be nervous around new people, and she used to be scared of deer. But she’s gradually gotten over it.
Hello I read that in the blog you don’t think training has as much to do with it as breeding but I have my own theory on the golden’s plight.
See golden’s have always had some popularity. They were great as working gun dogs and also gained recognition as good family dogs but I believe this only became a problem when it started to get wildly popular. When the breed started to get extremely popular for being an “angel dog” many less dog-savvy kinds of owners began to take interest in them. Many of these people believe that a golden is the perfect dog to get when you have just settled down and had your first child and have no time to put into training a puppy. They believe that their poor golden will magically blossom into the perfect family dog after being left out back chained all day with no training and socialization. Yes it is true, goldens are the number one idiot dog. Well actually second to pit bulls(poor pit bulls have to deal with those wannabe tough guy owners). Golden retrievers are the dog people get when they want an easy A. When they have no experience whatsoever or no time to put in they will get a stereotypically recommended dog like a lab or a golden. And the reason why more idiots are owning goldens? their damn popularity. The typical “oh you want a family dog get yourself a golden you can’t go wrong”. They think they don’t have to train or socialize or exercise their poor goldie.
So to sum up, breeding does play a part but every fault can’t be blamed on bad breeding. I think the rising golden retriever bites are more just a reflection on the rising amount of idiots who own them and don’t put any real care into them.
It’s not that the goldens are becoming anything else than dogs with potential to be wonderful pets and companions.It’s just that people don’t know what the hell they’re doing.
i have a three year old golden i had him since he was three months and he dose not show of being aggressive he did bite one of my family members when they were picking him up im guessing they pick him up in the wrong spot witch cause him to bite. but someone was telling me once i dog bite in get the taste of human blood it will start attacking.
i have a 6 month golden. he is the most beautifull and nicest dog in the world. he wuldn;t bight a fly. he likes to play with kids and smaller dogs and he isn’t afraid of anything. i don;t know what shit u’re breeding in the us :( too bad.
I’ve had a great field type Golden for about 6 years now. Best dog we have ever had – never shown a hint of aggression and he lives to please us. We love him, everyone loves him (he,s much more popular – and better known – in the neighborhood than I am).
It’s tragic to hear of aggressive trends in this breed. Goldens are too popular and you are right, the breed is being destroyed.
I’ve had some thoughts on your earlier comments on pit bulls: I think one of the major problems with this breed is the fact that, due to it’s current reputation, this breed attracts many owners who want the super aggression and who are themselves people that most of us don’t want for neighbors. The genetic component of the problem worsens as well as these people breed for what they want. Add to this the physical power of the breed. Damage from an attack is usually very serious
These are valid problems that cause valid fears in the majority of the public. Pit bull defenders can be right about 90% of their argument, but it is not enough to overcome these facts.
If you’ve got yourself an aggressive Golden it’s most likely happened by accident. You are probably not the owner who encourages the aggression or uses it for some kind of social statement – thereby endangering others. You will, at least, keep others safe from him.
That is probably not the case if you have an aggressive pit bull.
I certainly agree with this.
But I think goldens are suffering from a reverse of the pit bull problem. People think they are so gentle that they don’t bother to breed for temperament or socialize the animals.
There is another trend in pit bulls that will be their salvation. In my area, they are becoming the yuppie dog. Lots of middle class professional people want them.
And that will lead to breeding for the absolute best temperament in those dogs.
Well what else can be said? Popularity is a dog’s worst enemy.
I’ve never personally owned a Golden Retreiver, but I will say the most friendly I’ve met were bred down from working lines, had a job, and were also a part of the family.
Actually, that goes for about every dog I’ve ever met.
A lot of problems aren’t just breeding though. People who aren’t ready for a dog often go for a Golden Retreiver (or a lab.)
I think a mistake many people make is they think dogs only become aggressive if abused or made mean. But if you don’t properly train and socialize your dog, teach them their boundairies and that biting or otherwise attacking a human adult or child is not acceptable, then they can become aggressive dogs. I’ve met more than a few dogs who were either spoiled or spent their lives on a chain that became aggressive in such a manner.
As far as it goes, the ‘pit-bull’ isn’t the first “Oh my Gawd! Who would want such a dangerous dog!? Come on Sweety, we don’t pet Those kinds of dogs.”
Husky as well as other sled dogs, Doberman, Rottweiler, Great Dane, Newfoundland, blood hounds, Saint Bernards, German Shepherds, Shar Pei, Mastiffs, Chow Chow and many other breeds have been hit by this kind of crap before. In Italy they actually banned 90+ breeds (they’ve recently taken that down in favor of placing blame on the owner.)
I think people often forget the media is baised. What they report often has to do with ratings.
August 18, 2007 – A Labrador mix attacked a 70-year-old man sending him to the hospital in critical condition. Police officers arrived at the scene and the dog was shot after charging the officers. This incident was reported in one article and only in the local paper.
August 21, 2007 – A 59-year-old woman was attacked in her home by two Pit bulls and was hospitalized with severe injuries.but survived.This attack was reported in over two hundred and thirty articles in national and international newspapers, as well as major television news networks, including CNN, MSNBC and FOX.
I don’t know the rules of this post, so instead of posting the website I’ll send anyone who is interested in that towards the National Canine Research Council.
a male Golden (the attacker) is my neighbors dog and extremely well taken care of, My male Pomeranian (the victim) was on a leash being walked by my 16 yr old daughter threw our yard, these are both old dogs mine almost 10 and theirs 7 , so anyway the golden was left out of the fenced yard to run around with its owner in their front yard. when it decided to sneak in my back yard attack and grabbed and shook my Pomeranian viciously. almost killing him and would not stop, my daughter screaming as loud as she could for help caused the owner to look that direction the owner was even shocked that he literally had to jump on top of his dog and hit him in order to get him to drop my dog, cause he wouldn’t listen when the owner was yelling at him to drop him,, the golden caused extensive damage to my dogs ribs and hip and although my dog is alive he now to this day suffers when its rainy or cold outside , limping and hurting, but he is fine on a warm day or if i wrap him in a blanket when he is hurting, he also has pain medication left over so if its real bad i give him a little piece of one, the neighbor did drive me to the vet with my dog and also paid the vet bill (although soon after paying the bill they stopped talking to us,and i really thought it was ignorant since my dog was in its own yard on a leash and theirs was just left to run free so they have no right to get mad at us and should be thankful because i could have sued them but didn’t but anyway they have since sold their house and moved) I believe they got mad because i suggested to them to be careful about their new baby that was due any day (because if the golden who according to them never showed any aggression ever,) just out of the blue attacked my little dog it may attack a strange crying baby,,,they were very defensive and didn’t want to hear that,
any way why is this such a surprise to everyone that a golden can show aggression like this? and did anyone ever have a golden that was aggressive?,,
,I mean this dog had my dog and was trying hard to kill him so i find it hard to believe that this dog has never showed any signs of aggression, ..i am glad they moved as i have smaller children
i live in a country where the culture of dogs is not that familiar, and i did lots of research and tried to choose a breeder as good as i can, and i got a golden, but it all went in vain , first the breeder was not responsible at all he sold me the female 5 weeks old and claimed she is nearly 8, anyways after i knew he is a very bad breeder and i doubt the father and mother i saw are her parents here we got no birth certificates or anything to prove it , any ways she is now 8 i enrolled her in a puppy class given my an expat lady in my area, i took 2 month off to stay with her and train her well, socialize her and try my best, the problem ppl here take it so lights, they think i am over doing it, one opinion i got was like dont worry my labradors are 11 month and they still bite , i was kind of shocked , how come not to worry 11 month OMG and he just find it so ok, as long as it doesn’t cause a serious injury , they breeders, vets ,trainers most of them know nothing of positive training , they advised me to hit back , growl, no idea of crate training or what so ever, at the start i took with some advice and i just found it escalated the problem, then i realized so far it is our fault, mine , the breeder, the vet, and i started my search , she bites and nips hard she can hurt the skin i got all my arm marked , she is improving now with all the intensified attention that ppl here think it is too much but i now i know that is how every puppy should be brought up, with problems or not, maybe if it was the case , that wouldn’t be here situation now with responsible breeders and owners, anyway, i know she got this aggression and dominance in her and all i can do is do my best and pray , otherwise i cant give her back to the breeder as he disappeared, and if i gave her up no one will know how to deal with her and she will just suffer, i love her so much and i have hope me and her will make it……… any advice for training her and correcting her behavior especially the bitting , and dont tell me to take her to a dog behaviorist we dont have these stuff here i barely found this trainer lady and i am trying my best with all means… thanks a million
My son & daugher in law have a golden, the golden has attacked 2 of my shepherds, and growls at all the rest. I think it’s only a matter of time, before she goes at the others, she used to shove her head in my males mouth, If he ever clamped down and shook her – he could of broke her neck, when she attacked my 10 yr old female – I thought she was fighting for dominance, she was 6 mtns. my old dog won’t even go outside now, without an esort, and she never takes her eyes off that golden. recently she (golden ) attacked my 3 yr old female – all these females are spayed. I think the Golden is a victim of interbreeding, she can be very smart and can be lovely dog – but definitely missing some brain cells, I don’t think she should be around other dogs. I’m getting very frustrated with her attacking the bigger dogs. If a Shepherd behaved this way, Can you imagine??? She was purchased at a market, so she could of come from a puppy mill. You don’t know. It’s too bad, because it’s turning me away from this breed, I’m about to tell them to not bring her around anymore. I worry about what she’ll be like when they have children. she may live another 10 yrs. I know there are Wonderful careful breeders out there who take great care in there lines, but others who just pick a male or female and think they have a purebred, not taking into consideration the ghost dogs.
I was viciously attacked by my beautiful and dear 2 and 1/2 year old golden, I have injuries in my hands, arm and cheek – I could not believe it!! – this is our third golden we never had this experience in the past with the other two, this one is seemed so nice and is so much loved, gorgeous pure breed, as I read the posts Im inclined to believe that is the behavior and not the breed – I have to take other kind of methods to train and discipline him, is frightening though – thanks for this page I see im not the only one in pain
I’m sorry to say this cct but if your dog attacked you for no reason then you have no other option than to put it to sleep.
Goldies are very strong powerful dogs, I would dread to think what one would do to a small child. It’s not worth the risk, and I don’t think any training will pacify a dog that has such violent tendencies.
I think it could curb them significantly, but I think you could never trust such an animal.
People have no idea how strong golden retrievers are.
Normally, they are so docile that people don’t understand them.
I dont think you are alone cct , and it is such a pity coz these are our pets and they are supposed to give us delight not pain, i dont expect things to be easy, but at least when u do what u got to do , it will be going on the right track, the condition of my puppy is getting worse, i got all these mark on my hands and arms and some are pretty bad for a puppy i tried all the ways, the trainer told me and i read in books, i am doing my best and for the region i am in that does not mean only difficult to find or get but also very expensive , and u know what i just wanna her to be ok , but it seems it will never happen , i am really wondering were it went wrong what am i doing not right, i believe as mentioned before breeders just get a male and female and breed them and they think they did well, i cant give her up , no one will take her and treat her better, i believe i got to wait keep doing my best till she improves or she bites seriously and then it will be me, coz i make sure she wont hurt others or herself, and then i think i will put her down, i really pray we dont go this far and she will improve , coz she is really dear to me and in spite of all her fuss at the end i see it is only an animal it is never their fault , anyways goodluck with u all, and pray for me
our 2/1/2 year old male is great…most of the time. however several times he’s show very aggressive behavior towards some of our family. when my wife scolded him for chewing on the rug last night he came at her viciously. it’s happened before when he didn’t want to give up a chicken breast he had gotten in the kitchen. we’re at our wits end. he’s loveable, but the aggression is unpredictable and unnerving. please let me hear from those with advice. will neutering help?
PJM – that’s scary!! you should contact your breeder & a professional dog trainer for advice – do not hesitate, it will only get worse. call your vet – have it neutered, that behaviour should not be allowed to continue. is it only food aggressive, what if it comes after a child for food, or thinks a child is going to take food away from it. I’ve been told that a learned behaviour comes as quickly as the dog doing the behaviour 3 times and getting away with it. People should not buy from backyard breeders, research the breed & breeders, make sure that the parents, grandparents, great grandparents are not too closely related, when you buy from a someone at work, a neighbour, or a friend of a friend, without papers – you have no idea what you’re getting. In the meantime, get a squirt bottle mix 1/2 & 1/2 vinegar & water, and everytime he does something you don’t like, give him a shot in the mouth, EVERYTIME!! he’s not the boss – you are.
Thanks SST. He’s not really aggressive with normal food. I can take his bowl while he’s eating and he’s OK with it. He was chewing on a rug when he was told to stop and got snarly and frightening. I’m ready to get hom neutered IF it will defintely help. Unfortunately, I have not heard definitely one way or the other even from Vets as to whether it will decrease his aggression. He has AKC papers. Thanks for any further advice.
If your dog is at all aggressive, he should not be bred to any other dog. AKC papers don’t automatically mean you should be breeding. Neutering can definitely help aggression issues and, if your dog is aggressive, you don’t want that to continue in the bloodline.
Age will help, there are some things that they seem to outgrow, My son’s golden – was spayed, she hasn’t attacked my GSD since, but does get snarly with the other dogs, difference is they’re bigger and will put her in her place, she’s smart enough to know if she fought – they’d win, much bigger weight difference, however, the damage is done with my GSD, she will never trust this golden, she will only go outside, with an escort and never takes her eye off the Golden. The only person she was aggressive to that I seen was my son’s wife, she isn’t a strong person and sucks up the golden when someone else makes her do as she’s told, so the dog has no respect for her, The golden is the alpa in that relationship. Good luck. no matter what breed – you need to be alpa.
When I was a kid my family use to have a Golden Retriever. He was a great dog but did nip me once when I was feeding him. I live in a neighbour hood with lots of dogs and while the majority of Golden’s are fantastic dogs their are a few that I do not approach. I think there are a few factors to why Golden’s seem to be getting more aggressive (they are the number 3 biter down here in NZ with Labrador’s at 1 and Collies at 2), I feel that due to their popularity they are being breeded by some purely for money rather then temperament. I often see them at local pet stores and any breeder that lets their puppies be sold to anyone is not breeding in the interest of the breed, they are doing it for money. By far though I think a dogs upbringing is what dictates how it will behave, bring a child up in a horrible home and you often get a horrible adult at the end of it, the same is true with dogs. The way dogs are treated now is different to then what it was 30 years ago, back then dogs came into contact with lots of people whereas now many dogs are confined to a back yard or chained up for most of their lives. This is know to cause aggression and many dog bites come from chained up or tightly confined dogs.
A few people are discussing “pitbulls” here and I though I would add that my current dog now, a pure Staffordshire Bull Terrier, (classed by some as a pitbull type dog) she is the most gentle dog my family have owned, she will let you pick her up and hold her upside down, share her dinner with out cats without so much as a growl (she came from a pack of 7) in fact I have never heard her growl at me even if i go near her food or take a toy out of her mouth. Although breeding does slightly dictate a dog behaviour I feel that any breed is capable of being a great dog and any breed is capable of being a vicious monster.
I just adopted a 15-month old purebred Golden Retriever from my local pound. Although I’ve only had the dog a few weeks, I can already tell that she is the kindest, gentlest, and most intelligent dog I have ever known. She gets along with everybody and every living creature that I have introduced her to including 2 babies, 3 toddlers, several older children, a 150 pound great dane, a 3 pound chihuahua, several cats, and a pet rat. I have fallen in love with this breed and sincerely hope that the breed is not degenerating as is being reported here. How sad that would be for this great breed of dog!
I have an 11 week old male golden and he is really rough and nippy. Because of his big size (he’s already 25lbs) he really hurts us – especially the kids. My youngest who is only 3 years old is terrified of him! I don’t know what to do. I keep chastising him when he bites but he just keeps doing it. It’s getting to the point where the kids just avoid him out of fear. We got him as a family dog. Is this just normal puppy behaviour or is there something wrong?
He’s just play-biting.
For a mouthy dog like a retriever, this is normal.
I had one nearly split my ear as a chiild, so this isn’t a laughing matter.
The best method that works is the “Yelp and shun” method:
http://dogs.about.com/cs/basictraining/f/biting_nipping.htm
I am quite shocked to hear that so many of you are having problems with your goldies.. we have had this breed for many many years and never had one bit of trouble from them (apart from socks disappearing at a great rate of knots!!) the dog we have now is from a rescue centre so we took a bit of a chance as we do not know his background or breeding history but after 3 years with us he is turning into one of the most loyal dogs we have had, he is excellent with other dogs and will run away if a dog so much as barks at him, he will try and hump some dogs (dominance) but if they tell him off he backs off and they end up having a good game of chase.. he is lovely with children and adults who cant resist coming up to him and stroking him and he is very well behaved at home. He loves to go to agility and is well behaved there, a few barks when he first arrives to let everyone know he is there and to show his excitement is about the extent of this boys barking.. training must play a big part in bringing dogs up, as will the dogs diet and exercise routines..dont buy from puppyfarms and i wish you all luck..these are definately the best types of dogs to have..if you know how to look after them properly.
hi everyone, not sure why everyone is talking badly about goldens, like someone said before, not sure what you guys are breeding in us ect. im in australia and i own a 9 month old golden. she is very energetic and does bite at time but only play biting, she is great with my cat, chicken and birds she is also fantastic with other children and dogs. my neighbor as a 9 years old labrador and they both love playing together in the yard, i have taken her to puppy school and with my luck all the dogs were so small comparing them to mine and she was great with them too. i really think you guys should talk to the people who you got your goldens from as it could be maybe inbreeding or something like that, goldens are awesome to have and ofcourse almost every dog goes through the puppy stage of play biting, this is because of puppies being removed from the litter too early as they learn that biting hurts by playing with their siblings, i got my puppy at about 7 weeks old which i later found out that waiting at least 9-10 weeks is waaay better because they learn from playing and from their own mother. i can see how a problem can occur if they are removed from the litter earlier, a golden removed from the parent at 6 weeks which many breeders do that, can cause problems since it still needs a mother.
I should note that I have a golden. That’s my dog in the header of this blog, and she is very much like your dog. Very docile.
The problem is that people 1. assume that because they are goldens they don’t need to be socialized and trained and 2. people aren’t breeding for the proper temperament.
It’s a shame that this breed could have anything like a reputation for aggression.
They shouldn’t be aggressive.
We just put down our 4 1/2 year old golden retriever three days ago.
She was our third golden, the other two having absolutely no problems, wonderful, gentle family pets each for 13 years.
Gracie was purchased at a breeder we found online, after our second golden died in 1996. She was an adorable 13 week old puppy, but was very skittish, afraid of movement and noise. With the help of a trainer, we worked on her problems from 6 months old until the present, with mixed results.
We contacted the breeder only once, after we had the dog for 2 weeks and we noticed these problems. He was no help, and told us that she was the runt of the litter but she would be OK. We thought these behaviors were not significant and we could train her out of them.
At about 8 months she displayed aggressiveness towards other dogs, even bit a rottweiler in the ear; she had no fear.
At 1 1/2 years she bit us for the first time. It came out of nowhere, but was just a quick incident and we wrote it off. But she continued to bite on occasion. Sometimes it was food based aggression, other times it was like she snapped instantly and changed from a lovable sweet dog into a vicious attack dog.
We continued to work with our trainer, and have been very careful with Gracie for 3 years, but still, unpredictably, she would attack seemingly at random times. After the last attack on Christmas Day, when Gracie attacked me as I tried to pick up her leash from next to her, and nearly bit my ear off, we decided to put her down. It was the most difficult and heartbreaking decision we have ever made.
This aggressive behavior was NOT a result of her upbringing and training deficiencies. I am convinced this was a breeding problem. Of course the breeder vehemently disagrees.
Advice: If you get a puppy from a breeder, alert him of your problems with your puppy, no matter how small or insignificant. Do not think that you can train this aggressive behavior out of your dog. Consult a GOOD dog behaviorist immediately and have your pet evaluated.
Be safe.
Hi,
It is good to hear that I am not the only who thought getting a Golden Retriever would be the perfect family dog. My 3 kids saved their money for a year to purchase our darling puppy, Magnolia. We got her at 9 weeks, she was very smart and easy to potty train. At her first vet appointment she growled at the vet while she was doing a simple temperament screaning. The vet immediately sent us to an excellent trainer to do a more thorough evaluation and the trainer said that we needed to return the dog to the breeder, that with young kids she couldn’t be trusted not to bite as she was already doing freeze guarding and growling at too young an age. We were so sad to bring her back, the breeder gave us half our money back and the rest if she sells her to someone else. I just assumed that a Golden Retriever would be a sure bet family dog. Now I am leery to get any dog.
It’s so sad to see a dog breed go from loveable to “National Demon Breed”. As a young Pit Bull lover I know how many of you feel about a dog breed suddenly being labeled as evil or dangerous. I own two Miniature Pinscher named Tsunami and Hannibal(not after Hannibal Lector, my dog is named after General Hannibal the Roman conqueror.) and they are sweet little dogs. Sadly my mother read that Min Pin’s don’t make good first dogs, these are my first dogs and I am only 15 years old(going on 16 June 10th). We got Tsunami, affectionately called Big Buddha, and Hannibal, affectionately called Skinny Rat two months after our long haired Chihuahua Orion died 19 days before his 19th birthday. Tsunami and Hannibal have played with Pit Bulls, Boxers, Jack Russell Terriers and a few other dogs without incident, except for trying to hump other dogs. The amazing thing about these two psychotic Min Pins is that they are both runts, and here they are almost 5 years old. We did have a bad Golden Retriever experience, we stayed at our local hotel and the next morning me and my dad took the pups out to do their business. We crossed the parking lot and heading towards the grassy area where many people would let their dogs relieve themselves. We got over there and a woman had her Golden Retriever on a leash, the dog turned and looked at my two pups and began to snarl and bark at them in a non-friendly manner. The owner apologized and said he dog didn’t like puppies very much, she added a few more apologizes before heading back to her room. What is so shocking is that the dog was a female, female dogs are supposed to be loving an nurturing towards puppies not wanting to rip them apart. The main cause for this are backyard breeders and people who focus more looks then they do temperament. Also when people breed their dogs they should look into the dog’s bloodline and check to see if any of the dogs were sound in health and temperament. I suggested this idea to a few people of at cravendesires blog but of course they just shouted me down and called me immature, yet these are the same people who use cuss words and name calling on a daily basis. The main problem in the Pit Bull type dogs are there old fighting genetics, humans bred that trait into them now we can breed it out of them. Sadly this will not stop people from abusing them but it will make them unsuitable as a fighting dog. After all what dog fighters wants a dog that would just try to lick the competition to death? Another downside is that dog fighters will just switch to another breed of dog. If Russia can find a way to domesticate foxes we can find a way to breed out aggression traits in certain dog breeds like Pit Bulls. It just makes sense. With that said I hope people will see that it really is the human and not the dog. Traits are bred into dogs by humans, some of us may cause the problem but we can fix it for the better. For both humans, dogs and other animals
P.S.
Whatever you do, do not go to cravendesires blog. They wouldn’t listen to anyone if you paid them a large sum of money.
Now you know how Pitbull owners feel! Now they’re going to BAN GOLDREN RETRIEVERS!
I got a golden retriever as my new dog after researching which would be the “easiest” dog to get with a small child. I had never owned golden’s before, and was a bit leery. But I can see why Golden Retrievers have the rep they do as sweet, loving, hyper family dogs. I didn’t have to train mine to not do a lot of things I normally have to go through with a new puppy.
This puppy, at 7 weeks old, never once put his teeth on me or my 3 year old. I expected a lot of play biting and teething, I’ve owned puppies of various breeds for years and most are the same – puppy teeth, puppy biting, no sense. Not this dog. If he was playing with a toy, and accidentaly got one of us, his bite was like butter, even with needle puppy teeth they didn’t leave a mark. His mouth is super supple now that he is an adult. He is an idiot, hyper, tons of energy, but super sweet and loving – exactly what I imagined a golden to be. He hits EVERY stereotype of a golden I have ever seen. I know I am super lucky, but it definitely wasn’t good breeding, except for the fact that this lady would never breed a dog that growled or bit or had temperament problems because the dogs lived in the house with her and her kids.
I got this golden from a backyard breeder, mainly because all of the AKC breeders in my area are snobby, only interested in money, and have dogs that do not have a great temperament but are !!AKC!! and look GREAT so are perfectly fine, they’ve won awards and cost $1800, so of course they are healthy and sweet… anyway, while I wasn’t thrilled with how often this backyard breeder lady bred her dogs, she bred them the same amount as an AKC breeder can, and these dogs were in her house as pets instead of in a kennel in her basement or backyard, (like almost all the AKC breeders I went to were.)
It is hard work finding people who breed ethically. I never did find one for the goldens, in my area they are either high priced with temperament problems, or puppy mills, or backyard breeders that go from almost puppy mills to good dog owners who breed their pets. I just had to visit several until I found parent dogs that I liked in a living situation I liked.
While I met and played with the father and the mother, as well as her other dogs, I was only allowed to VIEW the mother of the AKC breeders, look at pictures of her in shows, but that’s about it. So I paid someone less than half the cost of a registered AKC dog, who treats their dogs better, and has to care about temperament because they live with their dogs. Do I get a bunch of crap for it from every AKC breeder and rescue operator I know? You bet. Do I regret it? No.
I am against puppy mills, and I was against all backyard breeders, but after being involved with AKC breeders for this breed and many other breeds over the past 20 years – now I am just against people who own and breed more dogs than they can keep as pets. I think there is many many AKC breeders who are just as bad as puppy mill, and I have my own eyes as witnesses to that, the only difference between them is one shows and sells with a contract, and the other doesn’t. I know there is many AKC breeders not like this, I am good friends with quite a few. But there is just as many who are. Every breed has examples of dogs ruined by un-ethical breeders just out for money. They breed dogs with physical health problems that they hide, and have no qualms about breeding a dog that looks good that doesn’t fit the personality profile they are supposed to be looking for. As long as people are willing to pay over a thousand dollars for a purebred puppy, there will be people destroying the breed for money.
In a perfect world, the AKC would not allow it’s breeders to breed dogs that are only taken out of its cage to go to a show and look pretty. I want to see an AKC that forces breeders to DEMONSTRATE temperament and ability. Every dog shown should be required to prove the parents health and temperament before allowing its puppies to be registered as AKC. For the amount of money they sell for, they won’t loose out on that much profit. And I laugh every time I hear an AKC breeder say they don’t make money breeding. That’s the first warning sign that I don’t want to buy from them, because they obviously are not honest. I know exactly how much it costs to raise a puppy for 8 weeks before you sell it for several thousand dollars. Including care for the pregnancy, vet checks, stud fee, etc.
My 3 year old Golden Retriever is the biggest most gentle dog around my family, friends, anyone who I invite INTO my home he is in love with.
But… Outside of the house, he will more then likey bark and lunge at any other dog, he hates kids on bikes, scooters, skateboards anything with wheels really… and will again bark and lunge towards them. (im lucky I can hold on to his lead half the time) .. i dont know if he is being vicous or if he is just excited (im to scared to find out)
forgot to mention.. his is ONLY on lead behaviour.. off lead again he couldnt care less…
I usually just put him into a sit stay position until the dog or kid goes past.. and feed him treats for giving me attention.. this works ONLY if i see the kid or dog before hand.. once he goes into crazy mode i just have to pull him away.. and a 30kg dog.. isnt that easy to pull away :)
I took him to puppy classes, socialised him as much as i possiblly could (he was top of the class for obedience and social behaviour) but.. i had one incident when he was about 1 1/2 where he was attacked by a border collie when we were out on a walk.. ever since then.. he goes into DEFENCE mode…
The thing with the kids.. is i am only guessing.. is that we used to live near a skate park… and ocassionly when i used to go to the shops i would tie him up out the front (only for a minute or so) and i am thinking mabye a kid accidently ran over his tail or something?? this i all I can think of…
Its really strange and disapointing .. Its sad how the smallest thing (and im guessing my reation to it) has changed him so much.
Now when i take him out for a walk i have to take him either at night.. or around in the areas where contstuction is going on at the moment (so no people are around)
When im on my walks he is always at a heal.. (apart from his lunging moments which i am trying to fix)
If any one has any ideas on what i can do with him im up for suggestions.. please!! I love my beautiful boy and dont want him to be like this.. :(
By the way he is fine around other dogs that come into his home and other kids that come into his home.. i even rid my bike around the backyard and he couldnt care less….
Please help…
I have had him since 8 weeks and he is from a reputable breeder. :)
After reading some of the retriever horror stories above I am almost ashamed to mention the problems I have with mine since they seem to pale in comparison. Brady is now 3 years old and I have chalked up his misbehavior to the fact that he is young but my housemate who has had dogs all her life (this is really my first one ) is ready to get rid of him because he will not let anyone who visits us alone. He jumps on them, makes this sickening whining sound (which he also does to us when we come home from work or wherever ), he has to grab something for oral satisfaction, he constantly sticks his nose in the waste basket to grab something he shouldn’t be eating. It just goes on and on and as much as I love the quiet moments (there are a few of those ), there are times when I too have had enough. She is stricter with him and constantly belittles me for not being tough enough with him, but after reading many of the other comments, I am thinking his behavior might also be a breeding problem. About the only thing he doesn’t do ( and thank goodness for that ) is bite. I keep hoping he will outgrow this bad behavior but my housemate has her way I may never find out.
I have a 14 month old English Golden she weighs about 80 pounds which is alot. We got her from a breeder. We also have a rescue Golden of about 9 months of age.
My husband and i have always had large dogs. The 14 month old has already had to have hip surgery etc. The problem I am having with her is she is becoming more and more aggressive on our walks. She is large so she is scary to people. When she sees someone coming she perks up and does the whole jumping and barking act. She is wagging her tail at the time and smiling but people are afraid. Some people that are not will come up to her and then she turns her head as though she wants nothing to do with them. I am concerned and not sure what to take of her personality. When she walks with my husband she is a little better than with me. We have socialzed her like crazy. She loves the dog park and goes to doggie day care with no problem. It is just our walks and in the car if she sees someone on the street she goes crazy. A piece of me wonders if it is doggie day care causing the problems as when someone walks in all the dogs bark in turn the dogs get told to be quite or shot with a squirt gun. So she is then getting attention for her bad behavior. Mind you this Golden is highly intelligent she even contemplates things. She was in the movies for a short time before we got her. I just dont know what to do as she is trained and does listen to us but the barking at people and lunging is getting our of control. Although I do not believe she would bite as the people that come up to her she then ignores I have always been told never trust any dog 100%. Has anyone else had this problem. Oh and she is great with kids. She is all around a fantastic dog and the craziness on our walks and in our car is the main problem. For instance the other day I was picking up our other one from dog care and one of the dogs she normally plays with came out. She went crazy in the car to the point the owner of the other dog was a little afraid. She has know and plays with this dog for the past 6 months. Please help.
You should contact a certified animal behaviorist.
Perhaps your vet can get you in contact with one.
This is not an issue that one should try to correct on your own.
Hi, i live in japan right now, my husban is a AF so we live overseas, i got my golden retriever from a japanese pet store, he was 6 months hes 17 months right now and starting become kinda agressive, we have the older one who is a golden too both r male, the older is very nice and calm but the younger is very posesive and always want to take everything from he, we had problems with he cause he chewed my floor, wall, carpets etc but today when my daughter took both for a walk, he saw other small dog and bite him and my daughter said he dont want let him go, the owner came to my home and yelled on me he said will bring his dog to the vet i really apologized but i dont know what to do, he have his vaccines but i dont know why he is so possesive and start to be aggresive now
I have had 3 golden retrievers and never have experienced any aggression issues! The only time I have seen them growl is when they play fight (except for when the postman comes- but that is more to do with the letter box than him!) Only explanation I can think of is the breeding. We have all ours from a small, established ethical breeder who would never breed for a quick buck and normally only has a litter available ever 3-4 years! She is AKC accredited and while they were not exactly cheap- I would never be happy buying into the cruel ‘puppy farms’. I am so heartbroken (and shocked!) to hear of the problems that people are having with their golden retrievers. Mine are the sweetest, most gentle dogs in the world. My current one, Teddy, knows when the children are unwell and won’t leave their side for days until they are feeling better. Everyone in our small town knows him and he is ‘friends’ with all of the dogs and even protects some of them from other aggressive dogs by creating a barrier. He is so good with young puppies as well, letting them bite his years for hours without getting fed up. I remember once I went out swimming in the sea and he was on the beach with my husband and saw me and thought I was in danger/drowning and swam out (far out of his depth) to rescue me and dragged me back in (although I didn’t need to be!) which only further confirms to me how kind hearted and loyal they are.
I can honestly say I would never even consider getting another breed of dog unless it was a golden, and I really hope that the true goldens (hyper, loyal kind and sweet) will always remain as the majority and not be tarnished by the reputations that these poorly bred ones are creating.