# My golden sudden attack



## timatayan (Dec 6, 2017)

We had our golden male since he was 3 month old. He's 1 year and a couple of days old now. He went through all the normal phases puppies go through and we even put him through positive training school for 2 month where we went everyday to see and to train with him. He used to have food aggression when he was younger, but we addressed that issue through positive training and since then he never acted in a slight negative way towards us being near his food. We are a big family, so like 11 people who are all very close with him, and who he trusts fully. BUTTTT, a week ago, our dog was staying home with my dad and my cousin who also live with us and who our dog "Shadow" knows really well and he loves them. He was sleeping outside on the balconey with my dad and uncle sitting with him, when my girl cousin went looking for him and when she went to the balconey she kneeled to go kiss his head, like we all always do and he loves this, but she didnt even get near him because my dad told her hes not in a good mood and then shadow woke up the moment she entered and when he started to growl she went to stand up, and like i said before, she didnt even get near him, and he suddenly attacked her full on. He got the upper hand because she was kneeling and was starting to stand up so he pushed her on her back and started attacking her full on. HE NEVER EVER ATTACKED ANYONE BEFORE!!! my dad and uncle pulled him off of her as fast as they could. She had many bites on her right arm, shoulder and leg. He even cut her head a bit, she got stitches there to make sure nothing gets infected. My parents don't know what to make of this. they are under stress like all of us. our dog since then has been acting amazingly like before, he knows he did something extreem, he can clearly feel the stress we are all under not knowing why he did this. we took him to play at his trainers dog park, and even his trainer was shocked and he said he didn't know why this happened. we still have to take him to the vet, but we did so a day exactly before this attack, and we did a full check on him and everything was good.We used to trust him with our lives, now we are very scared hell do something to anyone. Like today he again awaked from a deep sleep when my uncle entered from the balconey to go to bed, shadow was awoken and he started straight on growling at him, and when my uncle stood in shock and because of that he didnt utter anything, he went to attack, he even got 1 meter away when my uncle showted and my mom ordered shadow to go to his bed and he did in an instant. We are now more under stress than before because we don't know why this sudden thing is happening. we love him sooooo much and we want him to stay with us, but we want to know why this is happening because we cant and we dont want to live in fear our whole lives waiting for him to attack any moment! In addition, I have to say that most of us are thinking that he did this because he just became an adult two month ago and the first month was filled with non-stop humping to his old puppy bed, which we left for him because this is THE ONLY THING that he humps. The second month I only saw him do that maybe two or three times, and then this attack happened. My mom on the other hand, and to make things clear that shes his master, loves him to death, but she really believes he has gone insane! I dont know what to do and neither does anyone else. 
PLEASE HELP US BECAUSE WE LOVE HIM SOOOO MUCH AND WE WANT TO SOLVE THIS PROBLEM SO WE DONT HAVE TO THINK OF OTHER SOLUTIONS THAT WE DONT WANT BUT MIGHT BE FORCED TO DO FOR OUR OWN SAFTEY.


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## nolefan (Nov 6, 2009)

I am so sorry. The safety of humans always comes first. I am afraid that it doesn't sound like your dog can be trusted with people. There is not a safe way to live with a dog like this. I don't think this has a happy ending. I am very sorry.


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## kardut (May 25, 2017)

I agree with Nolefan that your safety and the safety of your family is paramount. One thing that jumps out at me, though, is that it sounds like both attacks happened when the dog was woken unexpectedly. I would definitely take him to the vet and get a thorough exam. 

You may also want to see if you can find a good animal behaviorist (not trainer, but a degreed behaviorist -- your vet may have some recommendations). He or she may be able to give you more insight into what's going on. My question would be what was happening behind closed doors at the board and train. We fostered a golden who had been sent to a board and train facility by his prior owner, and he developed quite a bit of anxiety-related aggression due to the methods used. Not saying there aren't some good ones out there, but there are an awful lot of bad ones...




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## Prism Goldens (May 27, 2011)

The waking piece is a crucial piece to tell the vet. Nonetheless, 
keeping track of the understanding level of 11 people w one dog who is not reliable (and this is absolutely not close to normal) is something you will need to realize isn't going to happen. Your mother cannot be the only person with control over him...before he draws blood and is not placeable please talk to your vet and find a behaviorist... and know that he could have neurological issues causing this or who knows what- but a 1 year old Golden should never, ever wake in this state of high alert/attack/fear. I only see either euthanasia or rehoming in his future to be honest.


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## Alaska7133 (May 26, 2011)

All the love in the world will not fix this situation. I'm very sorry. It's not about how much you love or don't love your dog. It's about safety of children.

I had a dog that attacked a small child, the little boy was only 5 years old and was doing nothing wrong. My dog bit this poor child across the face and left marks on both sides of his face. I decided that I did not want to take a chance with my dog again, children are too important to put the dog first. I took my dog to animal control. She was quarantined for 10 days and then destroyed. Later that summer we heard from another neighbor that she had also been bit. We made the right decision. Do not try and fix this yourself.


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## puddles everywhere (May 13, 2016)

I totally agree with the advice you have been given. For safety, you could have him sleep in a crate. At least if he wakes up cranky he can't attack anyone.

Something to consider for the future. It's always a good idea to train your own dog. This gives you time to learn about each other. It could be this was a major problem from the beginning but manageable with an experience handler and less family members. I'm so sorry as I know this is heartbreaking.


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## mylissyk (Feb 25, 2007)

This is a very serious situation. If his exam did not include a thryoid test, have a full thyroid panel run to see if he has low thyroid. If he does he needs medication, and it could explain the behavior. However, even if that is the problem, I don't see how you could ever trust him. 

I'm really sorry you are dealing with this, it is very sad.


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