Our 2 year old Golden Retriever has developed serious aggression problems with our family. She has had a lot of training. These aggression problems came on very suddenly. What can I do?

Question

I have been reading your web site and everything else that I can find on aggressive dogs. Sassy just turned 2 and is a golden from very good show lines and also according to the breeder from good temperament lines. She has had some food aggression problems in the past that I have worked on with her since we had her. I thought we had it pretty much fixed. I took her to training at 10 weeks old because of this and we have enjoyed it and been in training ever since. She has passed her therapy dog test and is close to getting her CD. Just a little more work on heeling. I am just telling you this so you know that we have worked A LOT with her.

For the last month she has been having some serious aggression problems for no apparent reason. One morning I came down and was talking to her. Her tail was thumping and I went to rub her tummy. Now in the past, she could never get enough petting, but that morning she growled. I said NO GROWL to her and in a heartbeat she was up on all fours and growling and snarling and walking slowly towards me. I told her to sit and stay and thank goodness she did but she continued to snarl and growl. I put her in a down stay for a while until she started looking normal again. This type of thing happened several times. Once she put her head on my lap and I petted her and all of a sudden she growled. That time I said her name mostly out of shock, and she was instantly all wiggly and happy again. It is very strange.

We have gone to 3 vets now. One thinks it is hormones. She is getting spayed today. Another one said he had no clue and no training for this kind of dog. The third at least did some tests and is doing some research on this. She just called me and said she thinks from what she has been reading that our dog is owner Aggressive. But it seemed to come on so fast! We have an appointment at a behaviorist next week. But in the meantime I am at a loss as to what to do. How did she become owner aggressive? I have always known she was rather a dominant dog, so I took precautions. We eat first, she doesn't sleep with us, (although not in a kennel any longer), and I go through doorways first. She does now like to sleep in doorways or pathways. We tell her to move when we go through and she does. HELP! I love this dog, but we can't live like this. She has bitten me and almost gotten all the rest of the family. I also wonder what the expectations are for her becoming a nice dog again. If it were owner aggression would she do better in a home where the owner is a better trainer? Is it our fault? I know you probably can't answer all of these questions, but I am grasping at straws here.

Thank you for your time!
Jane

Accepted Answer

My guess is that this dog is mentally ill. Who knows the reason, but she is, maybe it's a brain chemical thing or a brain tumor. From what you have written you are doing everything right and still have these problems on a breed of dog that should not be aggressive to anything or anyone. The bottom line is that the dog has become a dangerous dog for no apparent reason. She has already bitten you and the only question is whom will she bite next?

Put this dog to sleep if neutering does not solve the problem. I am not a fan of putting dogs down as a solution to a problem; I always feel that solid training (on dogs and handlers - with handlers needing more than dogs) is the first step to solving problems. But from what you describe, training is not going to fix the problem. You also need to respect the vet who said they don't know the problem for this. That's an honest vet.