# Our nice Golden shocked us



## heather1017 (Jan 21, 2008)

Our two year old golden "henry" attacked our 18 year old daughter while she was trying to get something to eat. She had a plate on the kitchen counter, left the room for a minute and when she returned his paws were on the counter, she told him to stop it and he began to bite her legs, one wound required 10 stitches. We are very shocked. Henry is well mannered and very gentle. He has had training before and is good about minding. Has this ever happended to anyone else, any suggestions?


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## TheHooch (May 9, 2007)

My thought would be to get him to the vet/ Something must be hurting him for him to go after a family member in a way to requiree stitches.


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## TheHooch (May 9, 2007)

Ohhhh and welcome to the forum!!!


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## Kzwicker (Aug 14, 2007)

Welcome to the fourm, I have no ideas for you.. I am pretty new to this kind of stuff.. I hope you can get it figured out. That sounds pretty scary!


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## Carsonsdaddy (Nov 1, 2006)

I would agree with Hooch. Sounds like a vet trip is in order....they can lash out like that if there is something medically "wrong".


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## Celeigh (Nov 29, 2007)

Oh my goodness! That must be so distressing for you and your family. Has he ever showed any kind of similar aggression at any other time or situation? 

The closest experience I've had with a golden was years ago when I was a kid and bent down to pet our golden while he was eating (I hadn't been told not to and he was so "sweet"). Anyhow, he bit me pretty badly on the kneecap, breaking the skin, but no stitches required. That was the only food-protective golden I've had out of 4. In addition to the vet, I woud consider contacting a trainer ASAP to work on this issue. Best of luck and welcome to the forum. Wish it was under happier circumstances!


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## gold'nchocolate (May 31, 2005)

Welcome to the forum!

I would see the vet just to rule out things like Lyme disease or a thyroid conditon, both of which can cause a change in behavior. Has he always been protective around food?


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## FlyingQuizini (Oct 24, 2006)

So sorry that happened! Scary stuff.

Like the others said, please do a full vet check on the dog - including a complete thyrod panel, and not just the usual inhouse T4 that most vets run. Has he ever shown any tendencies to guard food before?

Full vet check and consult a professional trainer, preferably one who uses reward-based training methods, as I firmly believe that correction-based methods backfire, especially in cases of aggression.


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## Ardeagold (Feb 26, 2007)

This is like deja vu. The exact same post ....... from about 3 months ago on the Newf forum. 

I'd also look at his health. And, talk to your daughter about the exact chain of events. Perhaps you can find something that would have been the trigger? Did she bump him....slide him....touch him? If so, where? Check that area first, for pain.

I'm sorry this happened, and if he checks out clear for Thyroid Issues (you need a FULL PANEL not an in-office test. Have it sent out), Lyme, and any other possible illness (even Hip Dysplasia, Elbow Dysplasia, etc), then I'd get a behaviorist involved. Not just a trainer.

Remember.....pain could be the trigger if he's not well. So do go the health route first. A behaviorist/trainer can't do anything for a dog in pain, or one who's ill.

Best of luck and please keep us updated.


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## beargroomer (Jan 2, 2008)

omg! so sorry that happened! hope your daughter is doing ok. hopefully the vet will be able to help you find out what was bothering henry.


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## LibertyME (Jan 6, 2007)

Heather...first welcome....second Im so sorry...it is heartbreaking and scary to deal wtih a dog that has bitten...

I live with a dog with a dog with similar resource guarding issues....while she has not inflicted as much damage....she has punctured....and it is scary...

She has had a complete throid panel...and it came back normal.

For her the triggeres are stolen food (from the counter or garbage), yelling and fast motion toward her. We can take food from her mouth, her dish...can take toys from her wtih no issue....but food she has stolen is totally different...

Even after living with her for 6-7 years and knowing the rules...my then 17 year old did EXACTLY the same thing as your daughter and got nailed...

The rules in our family are:
If she steals it...let her have it...we will call the vet afterward if need be...
She is NEVER to be left alone with a child...If my 17 year old who understands her issues and has some measure of self-control can 'forget' - then there is now way a 6 or even a 10 year old can be expected act in a safe manner)


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## naderalmaleh (Dec 11, 2007)

about 2 weeks ago, Mia was eating her food and I sensed that she wanted more food and for some reason i reached to grab the bowl and she started growling at me but not looking me in the eye or anything, I am generally not scared of dogs whatsoever even in critical situations. So I shouted with a very firm voice "NO!" and grabbed the bowl when it still had food in it. Then put the food down again and told her to eat and when she started I again reached and held the bowl, slowly taking it away from her and telling her "It's ok I'll just add some more" repeatedly. It worked! Then I intentionally put less food in her bowl to be able to show her that it's ok. Now she's fine. She is not an aggressive puppy and never showed any signs of aggression whatsoever, instead she's a happy loving and fun puppy. And also never been protective around her food, but for future peace of mind I started doing this even after one simple time she bared her teeth. To be able to correct such behavior or any other behavior I think the correction must start immediately when any wrong behavior even if justified.

As for what happened with you Heather1017 I am so sorry to hear about your daughter and I hope she's doing better now. A vet check is advised, just for reassurance. Keep us posted with details.


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## Buddy Banana (Aug 11, 2007)

the closest thing I have had is my Golden who has seizures gets really aggressive when coming out of a fit (even a small one sometimes) - he has to be locked in a seperate room until he's back to normal as he looses vision, bangs into things, get's really confused and it results in aggression.

It's a really long shot but I have also heard that some dogs get blood sugar drops in the evening and can get very grumpy (was it the evening? when does he get fed..etc) also is there any chance he may have had a small seizure when she left the room because this would explain the stealing food and aggression.

You really need to talk to a vet and see if you can get a behaviourist if the problem continues. (I am currently training as a behaviourist but have not completed my aggression course yet so cannot give advice on how to physically handle your dog in this circumstance) you really could do with writting it in a diary and jot down any 'odd' behaviour which may help pinpoint the behaviour for your vet.

Good luck


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