# Golden Retriever bitch aggressive and unpredictable



## Bill W (Jun 8, 2012)

I have a golden retriever bitch who is 18 months old. Since she was spayed about 5 months ago she has been progressively becoming more aggressive to other dogs. Particularly with small dogs she will growl and bark at them and it is hard to hold her if on the lead. If another dog barks at her she loses it and becomes hyper, barking at any other dog she sees. Some dogs she barks at but others she doesn't although it is becoming progressively more often.

In the house she is normally calm but she will sometimes run madly into the lounge, bark continuously and refuse to sit or go out running around madly. If you walk out she will calm down. She does this in the garden as well and will bark madly and run around refusing to come to you which is very disturbing if the grandchildren are around. If she hears next doors dog bark she loses it again.

Any ideas on how to correct this behaviour. I have had two golden retriever (males) before and have never had this problem.


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## bethj (Feb 18, 2012)

Hi there i will be keeping an eye on this thread as we have a 2 year old golden female who has started to be agressive with our male dog. but she is great with children and any other dogs.
Do you do obidience training with her?


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## smokeybear (Oct 19, 2011)

Have you had your vet check her over, particularly her thyroid levels checked?


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## Bill W (Jun 8, 2012)

I took her to a dog training group about a year ago because she was particularly bad at recall but it didn't do much good. In fact it was there that she started to go a bit hyper by barking and jumping up whilst on the lead after which it took a while to calm her down.


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## Bill W (Jun 8, 2012)

Up to now the vet hasn't been particularly interested but I'm taking her again on Monday because I think she has blocked annal glands (scrapping around on her bottom a lot). She seems to suffer from this and I've had to have them emptied a few times. I'll ask about thyroid levels.


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## springerpete (Jun 24, 2010)

I have to agree with Smokeybear, I'd get my vet to check her over, This kind of behaviour is just not typical of a 'Goldie, I've had five over the years ( all dogs) and have never come across this problem


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## Owned By A Yellow Lab (May 16, 2012)

The barking at other dogs when on lead can be excitement and frustration at not being able to engage with the other dog. My Lab does it, yet off lead he is great with other dogs.

Assuming the vet gives your girl the all clear, you might want to look at what you're feeding; sometimes diet can be key. Also, how much exercise does your Golden get? My Lab occasionally gets over excited and goes zooming around the house but it tends only to be on the rare occasion that he hasn't had enough exercise and/or mental stimulation.

You mentioned it's sometimes hard to keep hold of the lead - have you considered a headcollar? A padded Dogmatic or padded Halti can be a real help and enables the owner to keep calm and in control, which then helps the dog to stay calmer. You could then train a 'watch me' command for when your girl sees other dogs and gets over excited. Practise it at first in very quiet conditions at home. If you'd like more details on this let me know - it's working well with my rather reactive Lab.

There are also various 'no pull' harnesses which attach at the front, which can be good with large, excitable dogs.


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## porchpotty (Aug 3, 2011)

Taking your dog to the vet and having him checked by a behaviorist could help. Dog training requires your participation even if you enroll him in a class or let an expert handle the training.


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## Bill W (Jun 8, 2012)

She is barking at other dogs on or off the lead, in fact off lead is worse, and I don't think it's exercise related in the house. She gets plenty of exercise every day and will do it before or after exercise but not in a predictable pattern.

I've used a Halti head harness on one of my previous Golden Retrievers. It works very well but after prolonged use it stained his face quite badly even with frequent washing (harness and dog) so I am reluctant to use it on this one. I do use a Halti training harness sometimes and I think it helps with pulling a little although my wife thinks it is totally useless.


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## Owned By A Yellow Lab (May 16, 2012)

Bill W said:


> *She is barking at other dogs on or off the lead, in fact off lead is worse, and I don't think it's exercise related in the house.* She gets plenty of exercise every day and will do it before or after exercise but not in a predictable pattern.
> 
> I've used a Halti head harness on one of my previous Golden Retrievers. It works very well but after prolonged use it stained his face quite badly even with frequent washing (harness and dog) so I am reluctant to use it on this one. I do use a Halti training harness sometimes and I think it helps with pulling a little although my wife thinks it is totally useless.


Sounds like she might be anxious or over-excited, or maybe nervous for some reason. I would definitely get her checked over by a vet, just to rule out any underlying physiological issue.


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## Glencuan (Jun 9, 2012)

Is there any Holoway blood in her pedigree,especially Corbiere?


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