Intermittent Aggression Problem

[lizzybeth727]

Originally Posted by phillo

that's good advice but i don't think it's puppies specifically, it's golden dogs, retrievers but puppies more so. he took down an adult golden in the woods the other day, maybe 2 x his size, scared the hell out of the golden's owner and the poor golden instantly went belly up and had done nothing i could see to provoke him, just like the other incidents.

Oh dear.... Remember this??

Originally Posted by lizzybeth727

It doesn't really matter why your dog acted the way he did, or why he hasn't done it again since then; what matters is that you are prepared to handle him if you see the behavior again, and have a plan to solve the problem.

If you are not prepared to react when he BEGINS to have an issue with another dog, DO NOT give him the opportunity to meet another dog. Just because it's been yellow dogs so far doesn't mean it will ALWAYS be yellow dogs, and the more chances he has to attack other dogs the stronger that behavior will become. He may start generalizing it to ALL other dogs. Plus, it's SO not fair to that other dog to get attacked by your dog.... what if your dog makes that other dog afraid of other dogs so that he starts doing the same behavior as your dog??

At this point, IMO, your dog should ALWAYS be on leash unless he's in your fenced property (if you have a fenced yard), and should NEVER be exposed to a place where there are potentially off-leash dogs. At least not until you can get a plan for what to do if you are faced with a dog your dog doesn't like, and are prepared for it.

[phillo]

Originally Posted by lizzybeth727

Oh dear.... Remember this??


If you are not prepared to react when he BEGINS to have an issue with another dog, DO NOT give him the opportunity to meet another dog. Just because it's been yellow dogs so far doesn't mean it will ALWAYS be yellow dogs, and the more chances he has to attack other dogs the stronger that behavior will become. He may start generalizing it to ALL other dogs. Plus, it's SO not fair to that other dog to get attacked by your dog.... what if your dog makes that other dog afraid of other dogs so that he starts doing the same behavior as your dog??

At this point, IMO, your dog should ALWAYS be on leash unless he's in your fenced property (if you have a fenced yard), and should NEVER be exposed to a place where there are potentially off-leash dogs. At least not until you can get a plan for what to do if you are faced with a dog your dog doesn't like, and are prepared for it.

yes, i get it and the situation i described, with the poor goldy, made me get it. i've started another post asking for trainers in boston and i'm going to consult with a pro.

i'm not a total jerk though and i've been consulting with other adults with more dog experience than me while this situation is unfolding. what has made this so perplexing is that i and my dog have interacted with hundreds of dogs, at least, and he has been great with 99% of the dogs we've met; puppies, big dogs, little dogs, aggressive dogs and submissive dogs, off leash and on... i work part time and i'm able to almost always have my dog with me. i've seen him in so many contexts, with so many dogs - and no problems.

after he tackled that adult goldy without provocation i realized i had to keep him leashed until this situation is resolved.