# Help Please.......



## iwuollet (Feb 7, 2019)

This is Dallas and his brother Tucker


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## CAROLINA MOM (May 12, 2009)

*iwuollet*-I moved your posts into a thread of it's own so you would get more views.


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## iwuollet (Feb 7, 2019)

CAROLINA MOM said:


> *iwuollet*-I moved your posts into a thread of it's own so you would get more views.


Thank you!!


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## Lincgold (May 11, 2018)

Hello, your dogs are beautiful. I’m so sorry you are having difficulties with Dallas. I, too, have two male Goldens, Lincoln 10 yrs old, and Bear, 10 mos old. I’m sad that you have to “hide” in your own home. Have you considered getting a professional trainer to come to your home? I’m sure the neighbors would appreciate you getting a dog trainer to work with him. I can’t imagine why he’s behaving like that but am encouraged to hear that he stops once he is corrected. Please don’t give up. I’m sure the forum will come up with plenty of advice for you. Please keep us updated.


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## DblTrblGolden2 (Aug 22, 2018)

I have two males that I love. One is 8 and the other just turned a year old. My 8 year old has a very dominant personality, and is protective of me if I'm alone. He is extremely well trained, and has never bitten, or marked another person, but he's made it abundantly clear that given the wrong situation he would protect me. 

One thing I will say to you is it is perfectly acceptable to tell people it is NOT okay to pet the dogs. We go camping a lot and if I am walking Duke alone around a camp ground and a man approaches he will heal very closely to my side. I can notice an immediate difference in his body language. If the man starts to approach I normally move away, or I will simply accept their compliments on how beautiful he is and explain he is a little protective. When they start to get to close Duke will sit almost on my feet directly in front of me. This could be mistaken for wanting to be pet. That is not what it means, and it's my job as his owner to know that. He doesn't react this way with children, families, or women. It is a thing with him and I when a man approaches. I am still fully in control and that saves me, and him. He has never shown this behavior if any one else is with him, or handling him. I only take him out alone in public settings when I have to. If I was walking him and my husband was with me there would be absolutely no problem with anyone touching him. I take him to Disney World Fort Wilderness every year and with that many people as long as I respect his body language we are absolutely fine. 

Here's my pet peeve. People see a Golden and often don't respect their space. They rush toward them, or fall all over them. That is fine for most Golden's but there are a few that have boundaries. Duke is the opposite of your guy going from your description. He is the alpha male, and has that attitude. He has had professional training and it has done wonders. He's field trained, high strung, built like a freight train, and is the dog that will retrieve anything when hunting in the field. I am his mom. I have babied him since day one and I think that all that drive in the field is probably what also gives him that little edge in his personality. I live on a farm and have a business on my property. My dogs are very social, but I know Dukes limits. If a truck driver comes up I let my husband go out and speak to them if Duke is in the office. He only protects me.

I think you need professional training help before you have any other problems. I would never accept my dogs pulling away from me to go after someone. This is where your biggest problem is in my eyes. You need firm obedience training. If he's timid he may need a very motivational trainer, but still he needs firm obedience. If I say heal they do not pull from me. If I say sit they should sit. These things would stop what is happening to you. I would not take him back out in public until I could trust him. 

I also read that you have an electric fence. That is not good enough in your situation. You need a true barrier to protect your dog and your neighbors. A determined dog will run through an invisible fence. 

I have had a professional trainer do 4 dogs for me. Two Golden's and two labs for my son. He is a highly respected field trainer in our area and has done a great job with the ones he did. I sent him my newest puppy at 6 months old and it just didn't work out. My new guy has had a few health issues. It has made him timid, but high strung. He doesn't do things just to make you happy, he wants to be happy too. We've had to get a different trainer and we've had to change how we are training. Dogs personalities play a big role in how they receive training. 

I think you can find a way to make everything work. He may never be that Golden you want to take to a child's Birthday Party, but he can be a well behaved pet. It will just take a lot of work and commitment. I would consult a professional trainer as soon as possible. I'm not a fan of group training for any kind of real issue. You need individual training sessions.


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## Peri29 (Aug 5, 2017)

Have you had the thyroids checked, the adrenals?? You might even have to change his diet. 
I would do eveything not to give away Dallas and would work together with a dog behaviourist immediately which should have been done a long time ago. Not a basic trainer.


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## ceegee (Mar 26, 2015)

I second what the other posters have said about consulting a professional trainer or behaviourist. This is something that's going to get worse if you don't do something about it, and it's not the kind of problem that advice from the Internet is going to resolve. You need someone who will come to your home and watch your dog's behaviour, and give you the tools you need to deal with it. Your dog has bitten twice now, and that makes him vulnerable. I'd suggest that you have him wear a muzzle if you take him out in public. This is for his own protection: in most jurisdictions, a third bite would be a death sentence for him.



Also, it's perfectly ok to tell people they can't pet him. It's very risky to allow a child to hug this dog. You can simply tell them that he doesn't like being petted.



Last, as Dbltrbl said, your electronic fence isn't enough for this dog. It might keep him in (for now), but it won't keep other dogs or people or children out. For your dog's protection, you need a real fence.


Best of luck. I hope you find a solution.


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## Brodys Rockies (Jan 8, 2019)

ceegee said:


> I second what the other posters have said about consulting a professional trainer or behaviourist. This is something that's going to get worse if you don't do something about it, and it's not the kind of problem that advice from the Internet is going to resolve. You need someone who will come to your home and watch your dog's behaviour, and give you the tools you need to deal with it. Your dog has bitten twice now, and that makes him vulnerable. I'd suggest that you have him wear a muzzle if you take him out in public. This is for his own protection: in most jurisdictions, a third bite would be a death sentence for him.
> 
> 
> 
> ...


First, let me say that I have never had this experience with any of the dogs we have had in the last 43 years...That said, I quoted ceegee simply because if I were in your situation, I would definitely begin using a muzzle for the reasons mentioned. Likewise, since you already have an issue with biting, I also agree that an electric fence is a recipe for future issues. My concern is that if Dallas has a strong enough desire to go after someone or another dog, he could easily break through the electric fence. Goldens have a high threshold for pain, and while your electric fence has worked so far, all it will take is the next bite. For me, the risk would be too high. Likewise, as mentioned, an electric fence will never keep other dogs, people, children or predators out. 

I wish I could help you more. I read your post and felt terrible for you, your family and especially for Dallas, not to mention the kids he has had a bad experience with. Yikes! It's time to do all that is within your ability to address the problem. Hang in there, but start taking the suggested steps now. The legal fees you could encounter if someone decides to come after you could well outweigh the cost of in-home observation/training, a muzzle, and a real fence. Keep us posted on your progress.


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## mylissyk (Feb 25, 2007)

First, have a full physical done on Dallas, have a full thyroid panel run, not just the in house T4 your vet does at his clinic. 

Second, you need to find a board certified veterinary behaviorist to consult with, as well as a Certified Dog Behavior Consultant trainer and have that person come evaluate him and give you a training/management plan to work on. 

Third, if you have an electronic fence/underground fence as your containment for him, you must immediately have an actual solid fence built around your yard. You have absolutely no way to stop people, children, or other dogs from entering your yard while he is out there and him attacking them. 

With the help of the certified veterinary behaviorist, and the certified behavior trainer, you can develop a management and training program to help him behave better. But you need professional help - before he does serious injury to a child.


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## iwuollet (Feb 7, 2019)

thank you everybody for your advice and for the replies. As soon as we noticed the first incident with the kid that came in to our yard we made sure Dallas is always supervised when he is outside. He is out only for runs and when he does his business and late in the evening when people are mostly indoors. We stay in the back yard and play with him and our other dog. I contacted the trainer right away and she got back to me, unfortunately she was out of state and I end it up getting a call just yesterday and she advice me to send him to a behavioral vet at the U of M, which I contacted and they are set to call me and set up an appointment with them to evaluate him. Also I contacted a behavioral trainer and they will set up in home classes, but I need to get Dallas to the vet first for evaluation and also blood work and everything that is involved. This situation hurts me so much because we love Dallas so much and had tried our best to make things better on our own, thinking at some point he would get better. Dallas is very territorial and protective of us, specially myself, and we figured this was the reason of the incidents, since my other golden is the same, very protective but in a different way, he would never hurt anybody, as a matter of fact Tucker would let any stranger come in to the house and let them take everything!! 


We just want to give Dallas the best environment and try out best to keep him because he is not only our pet, he is family.


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## ceegee (Mar 26, 2015)

It sounds like you're doing everything you can. Let us know how things go! Good luck.


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## Peri29 (Aug 5, 2017)

Dear as I wrote before,please and please have his blood panel made for thyroids & adrenal.Most of the problems arise from these problems. How many dogs are labeled as "agressive,fearful,oc and people spend thousands of dollars on trainers without first making a reserach on the reason. I would also contact the breeder if they have encountered this problem beforehand.If they will tell you the truth I do not know. Maybe,he went through sth as a puppy. Or they were handled wrong. Sth the mother dog refuses a puppy which cause further problems


iwuollet said:


> thank you everybody for your advice and for the replies. As soon as we noticed the first incident with the kid that came in to our yard we made sure Dallas is always supervised when he is outside. He is out only for runs and when he does his business and late in the evening when people are mostly indoors. We stay in the back yard and play with him and our other dog. I contacted the trainer right away and she got back to me, unfortunately she was out of state and I end it up getting a call just yesterday and she advice me to send him to a behavioral vet at the U of M, which I contacted and they are set to call me and set up an appointment with them to evaluate him. Also I contacted a behavioral trainer and they will set up in home classes, but I need to get Dallas to the vet first for evaluation and also blood work and everything that is involved. This situation hurts me so much because we love Dallas so much and had tried our best to make things better on our own, thinking at some point he would get better. Dallas is very territorial and protective of us, specially myself, and we figured this was the reason of the incidents, since my other golden is the same, very protective but in a different way, he would never hurt anybody, as a matter of fact Tucker would let any stranger come in to the house and let them take everything!!
> 
> 
> We just want to give Dallas the best environment and try out best to keep him because he is not only our pet, he is family.


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## iwuollet (Feb 7, 2019)

Peri29 said:


> Dear as I wrote before,please and please have his blood panel made for thyroids & adrenal.Most of the problems arise from these problems. How many dogs are labeled as "agressive,fearful,oc and people spend thousands of dollars on trainers without first making a reserach on the reason. I would also contact the breeder if they have encountered this problem beforehand.If they will tell you the truth I do not know. Maybe,he went through sth as a puppy. Or they were handled wrong. Sth the mother dog refuses a puppy which cause further problems



I sure will, I have been writing down the critical things to discuss at the appointment that I'm trying to set up at the U of M vet behavioral clinic. Also contacted his vet who's a good friend too and I trust and ask if he's equipped to perform the testing need it to figure out if his thyroid is ok, or to send me to the right place. I been on the phone all day today trying to expedite things.


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## jomiel (Feb 15, 2019)

Sorry to hear about the situations with Dallas. I had a dog too who would bite out of anxiousness - it became a positive feedback loop for him because strangers would leave as soon as he bit them, so to his mind biting worked out. He even started getting aggressive to our friends who he's met quite a few times.

At first we tried to acclimate him to strangers, but he would just get so anxious, so we went the complete opposite direction - we dialed his "safe space" way back. If we have people over in the house, I put up a gate at the bottom of the stairs or put him in a room as far away from the noise as possible, and he gets frozen kongs. 

When we go out on walks, I will cross the street as soon as I see someone coming. If we cannot avoid them (there's people on the other side, it's unsafe to cross, or we get surprised by someone), we go up into the driveway or behind a car, so that there's a safe distance for him. I get his attention and we practice "watch me" with treats when I'm waiting for the people to pass. If people (or dogs with their owners) run up wanting to say hi, I tell them that he's not friendly. I tried really hard to keep the anxious threshold low and to give him a bubble. 

After a few months or a year of this, I think he started to understand that I'll always keep him safe. He became a bit less reactive. He will see the people or the dogs coming, allow me to hold him back or to the side, and then immediately look at me for treats. We kept practicing this on daily walks. After another year of this, he was much better at ignoring people and dogs without me holding him back or him needing for treats. However, we were still careful to not push him too hard. He much preferred walking in quiet places without other people. He would never become the friendly neighborhood dog, but he was the sweetest dog at home and was everything to us.


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## iwuollet (Feb 7, 2019)

jomiel said:


> Sorry to hear about the situations with Dallas. I had a dog too who would bite out of anxiousness - it became a positive feedback loop for him because strangers would leave as soon as he bit them, so to his mind biting worked out. He even started getting aggressive to our friends who he's met quite a few times.
> 
> At first we tried to acclimate him to strangers, but he would just get so anxious, so we went the complete opposite direction - we dialed his "safe space" way back. If we have people over in the house, I put up a gate at the bottom of the stairs or put him in a room as far away from the noise as possible, and he gets frozen kongs.
> 
> ...


Wow, is like you’re describing my Dallas! He is not very receptive to visitors and once he sees someone come inside the house he doesn’t growl but he for sure let them know that he’s bothered by their presence, but what he does is he hides under our dining table and as long as his face is under he is perfectly fine with everybody sitting and him being under the table, which we always say is his hiding place. He’s never act aggressive towards anybody while at home that tried to win him over with a treat, sometimes he would take it and others he just ignores them, but surprisingly he’s never react angry or tried to bite their hands. He is not sociable that I will say, so we just respect that and warn people that he’s that way. 

Dallas is also very obedient, I have to say he’s even more obedient than my oldest golden. He stays on his spot when is meal time, tries his best to be patient when his food is being handed and never ever complains if we take his food away, or my kids get close to his food, he just lets you do it. He waits for his treats, he doesn’t jump on people, on less he sees the leash, that gets him so excited, he can’t barely sit still and wait for our command to go outside. Also if he’s outside with us he sits by our side and never runs away, but will never lose and opportunity to play catch or hide and seek.

Dallas is unpredictable because one day he can be totally fine outside and doesn’t care if someone walks by with a dog, and other times he will just run after them but immediately stops because he knows the fence will hurt him. But he’s not ok with certain dogs and has tried to go after them, and end up growling-barking-biting them without causing major harm, just enough to scared the other dogs, is almost as if he’s warming them that is his yard, or if a dog gets close to us at the park, he reacts right away and goes under our legs and doesn’t leave us, same with people that talks to us. 

He’s never gotten in to a fight with our other dog, the biggest thing is he can’t be away from him because he gets anxious, but I have to mention that he definitely lets him know he’s the alpha and bullies him, he takes his toys away but never being aggressive, also he doesn’t like it if we cuddle with our other dog, right away he goes in our lap mind you he’s a big dog and demands you to only dedicate time to him, and my other dog lets him get away with that, luckily Tucker is patient and puts up with him. But like I said in one of my replies, we never allow him to get away with his behavior. He definitely knows I’m the boss and that there will be consequences for his bad behavior. When you get mad at him and discipline he always obeys. When he’s outside and we notice people walking by we make him sit and stay in one spot and talk to him about “being nice” he listens, he knows he can’t move, and when he’s walking and notices a dog we make sure to let him know that he stays by our side.

We have no issues with him not listening to a command, first time and he does it. I just don’t know what caused him to react to the two kids the way he did, and is so unfortunate because it only takes once for a dog to be labeled and this is definitely the case, and sadly end up worker because he did it again in less than a month. Also if my boys have friends over and take him out to play he will more than likely keep them busy and entertained because he’s very playful, more than my other golden who never leaves my side and prefers to be by me 24/7. 

I just hope there’s hope for him because we want to keep him. I am just anxiously waiting to get him check and evaluated, I am committed to do what it takes to give him the life that he deserves because I love him so much, and it doesn’t help that he’s so darn cute.


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## jomiel (Feb 15, 2019)

Yeah it's hard when the dog is looking cute like they're smiling, they're just people magnets! But I think it's good for other people to learn that they can't approach dogs without checking with the owner first if it's okay. 

He sounds so sweet otherwise, I really hope the behavioral vet evaluation works out!


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## iwuollet (Feb 7, 2019)

I’m feeling a little hopeful today. I was able to set up an appointment at the University of MN Vet clinic to meet with a Animal Behavior Counseling and Training therapist and veterinary. Dallas will go Tuesday May 28th to be evaluated and check by both specialists. They will help me figure out what’s going on with my pup. I had a very long phone conversation with her and she asked me so many questions, and also gave me some input, at least from what she can hear and told me that by the way things sound, Dallas doesn’t sound like a dog that appears to be aggressive because of his nature and thinks that his anxiety and shy personality is leading him to get anxious when he encounters unknown situations. She’s hoping some training and techniques will help, and also told me that this could very well the ya t that he’s transitioning from a young puppy to adulthood and is making him go though some changes. But he’s set to have testing done as well to see if this is a chemical imbalance or genetics. I just hope we can figure things out and give Dallas a chance to be the normal golden retriever that we hope he can be. So far he has been his normal shy puppy, enjoying life at home with his family, he’s just not going out without supervision, and is also enjoying going on runs with my husband with no problems. I pray that his appointment comes soon so we can have some answers. 


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk


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## DblTrblGolden2 (Aug 22, 2018)

iwuollet said:


> I’m feeling a little hopeful today. I was able to set up an appointment at the University of MN Vet clinic to meet with a Animal Behavior Counseling and Training therapist and veterinary. Dallas will go Tuesday May 28th to be evaluated and check by both specialists. They will help me figure out what’s going on with my pup. I had a very long phone conversation with her and she asked me so many questions, and also gave me some input, at least from what she can hear and told me that by the way things sound, Dallas doesn’t sound like a dog that appears to be aggressive because of his nature and thinks that his anxiety and shy personality is leading him to get anxious when he encounters unknown situations. She’s hoping some training and techniques will help, and also told me that this could very well the ya t that he’s transitioning from a young puppy to adulthood and is making him go though some changes. But he’s set to have testing done as well to see if this is a chemical imbalance or genetics. I just hope we can figure things out and give Dallas a chance to be the normal golden retriever that we hope he can be. So far he has been his normal shy puppy, enjoying life at home with his family, he’s just not going out without supervision, and is also enjoying going on runs with my husband with no problems. I pray that his appointment comes soon so we can have some answers.
> 
> 
> Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk


That's great news! I have no doubt you can make this all work out with some good help. Sounds like things are headed in the right direction. Keep us updated.


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## lloyddobler (Nov 30, 2014)

Hi Ingrid! I hope you had a good appointment yesterday! Please let us know how it went! 

I also sent you a DM regarding my experience. In that message I forgot to mention that my dog (Lloyd) was diagnosed as hyperthyroid very young. He was under 1 year. Getting him on the right medicine made a big difference for us. It didnt solve all the problems but it was a start in the right direction! He had unfortunately learned some behaviors that were difficult to undue and hes still an anxious dog overall, but being in the meds made him less reactive overall. We still arent able to approach other dogs on walks or go to the dog park, but after training and getting his health sorted out, we can now walk peacefully and he wont react to other dogs as long as he has enough space where he feels safe. 

I really hope you get some answers to help build a plan for your sweet boy!


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## jomiel (Feb 15, 2019)

How did the appointment go?


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## iwuollet (Feb 7, 2019)

Hello everybody, is a happy and a sunny Friday here in MN. The weather here the last month has been so crazy, we are so happy to see temperatures in the upper 70's and the sun. If you live in MN you know how rare that is  I took Dallas to see the behavioral specialist Tuesday and after a 2 hour ordeal (provably longer than that) she told us that Dallas is not an aggressive dog, that he also won't attack a dog or human to the point of considering a dog attack/bite. She examine Dallas, interact with him, made him do some things to watch his reaction and she told us that he is just a puppy transitioning to adulthood and that sometimes makes them have certain behaviors that can be misunderstood. We had to filled a very long questionnaire and basically he had 2 things our of the many listed. He nips as a reaction to an exciting interaction (in this case the 2 incidents with the kids) he was responding to the kid ringing the doorbell, he ran and chase him and end it up throwing him on the ground and nip him, but walk away as soon as my husband asked him to stop, and the second time with the little girl petting him, she walk away and Dallas react by nipping her, because she believes he wanted her to pet him and give him attention again. Unfortunately this is not ok, and while this is a sign of a dog trying to get attention, the parents rightfully so were upset about the incident and we understand that. The good news and the most important part is knowing that Dallas is not an aggressive dog that can potentially attack somebody. Also she said that he's protective and he's shy, and that turns in to stress and a bit of anxiety, but after he sniffs, interacts, and is well aware of the situation, he reacts very positive and understands that things are ok. She said that he is definitely the alpha and that's provably the reason why he doesn't like dogs walking by our front yard. Since he didn't had any red flags, she didn't feel it was important to have him see the vet at the U of M and said its perfectly fine to take Dallas back to our vet, to have them run some blood work. I will be asking for a complete thyroid panel, I already checked if they do that there. He's going next Tuesday. I am hoping that is all we have to do with my dog. I am so happy and confident that with more structure, we will end it up having the dog that my family always wanted, he is to us now but we want him to be ok with other people and to fit in our new house. Thank you all for your words and also advice, I have a notebook with all the questions that I took with me and is also going to be taken to the vet next week. Dallas is enjoying summer, we take him out and I feel like I don't have to hide him, even when we still supervise him, we always had, and I have learned to tell people when they stop me in our daily walks, that they can't pet him. Its actually nice because I'm not stressed about his reaction now, so we just go out for walks and concentrate on his exercise. 


I'm thankful things are improving, and I hope his thyroid is fine, which is the only thing not tester yet.


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