# 5 Year Old Female Golden Biting



## BeauShel (May 20, 2007)

That sounds like resource guarding. I hope your dog is ok and isnt scared of her anymore. I wonder if she has done that before with other dogs? If she did, you friend should have said something. If this a new behavior for her dog, then I would tell her to get a full thyroid panel because aggression like that can be a side effect of low thyroid. 
Good luck and hope your girl is ok.


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## Finn's Fan (Dec 22, 2007)

That must've been very scary. It's not really very normal golden behavior, but your friend's dog may be a resource guarder. If female dogs get snarky, they generally tend to be more serious about it and inflict damage. I certainly wouldn't leave them unattended together, nor would I distribute high value treats or toys to them. Hope your old gold will heal well!


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## Jersey's Mom (Nov 25, 2007)

I'm so sorry your dog had to experience that... what a nightmare for you both. Though it may be awkward, you really need to talk about this with your friend and figure out what the story is. This dog may have shown more discreet signals in the past and went overboard in such a tight space, but nonetheless your friend should have said something before treats were dispensed. And if this truly is out of the blue, then she has my sympathies too... it can't be easy to see your dog act in that way.... and hopefully it is a simple medical issue that can be managed. In other words... I second BeauShel's advice... and in the meantime, no high value items (food, toys, etc) if her dog is around. I'll be hoping for a quick recovery for your girl!!

Julie and Jersey


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## evaree (May 30, 2009)

Thanks to all for your concern and advice. Yes, it was really scary to hear Eva screaming like that, as she is a dog who never cries about anything, even giving birth to 11 puppies.

The Vet made a good comment, when told the story, she said "a simple growl or gnashing her teeth would have sufficed". She called it food aggression. Apparently, she has done this before, over food, in the company of other dogs.

Eva is on antibiotics for a week, and is fine, except for 6 holes and tears in her ear. I literally had to pull the other dog off her. She wasn't content with a quick nip, she was viscious. It was horrible, and I'm the one still shaken, after witnessing this. 

I've known the 5 yr old since a puppy, and she is very sweet, which is why this was shocking. Also, they want to breed her with my male. Is this something I should reconsider, after this?


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## ReleaseTheHounds (Feb 12, 2009)

Terrible. Someone should do something about these vicious Pit b-- err, Golden Retrievers.


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## mylissyk (Feb 25, 2007)

evaree said:


> Thanks to all for your concern and advice. Yes, it was really scary to hear Eva screaming like that, as she is a dog who never cries about anything, even giving birth to 11 puppies.
> 
> The Vet made a good comment, when told the story, she said "a simple growl or gnashing her teeth would have sufficed". She called it food aggression. Apparently, she has done this before, over food, in the company of other dogs.
> 
> ...


If she is known to have severe food aggression, I would not want to breed that temperment into a litter of puppies. I am not a breeder, but that is my two cents worth. 

I'm sorry your girl got hurt.


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## FlyingQuizini (Oct 24, 2006)

Sorry to hear that happened. Scary for sure!

Sounds like you're doing a fair bit of breeding -- having already bred a litter out of your girl, and now potentially using your male. May I assume all dogs involved have proper clearances (hips, elbows, heart, thyroid) from qualified vets? Don't want to be a buzz kill, with all the dogs out there, I'd greatly like to encourage you and your friend to alter your dogs and not produce any more litters.


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## tippykayak (Oct 27, 2008)

evaree said:


> I've known the 5 yr old since a puppy, and she is very sweet, which is why this was shocking. Also, they want to breed her with my male. Is this something I should reconsider, after this?


Yes. Food aggression is one thing, but the multiple damaging bites are far, far over the top. The dog may have health issues or may have temperament problems.


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## Maggies mom (Jan 6, 2006)

Working with rescue I have seen this several times. I would agree food aggression. It could be due to a medical issue or not. We actually have a rescue right now that is working with a trainer. No medical issues, and loves and plays with every dog, but when it comes to its food with another dog around look out. (fine with humans and its food).


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## Jersey's Mom (Nov 25, 2007)

evaree said:


> I've known the 5 yr old since a puppy, and she is very sweet, which is why this was shocking. Also, they want to breed her with my male. Is this something I should reconsider, after this?


You would actually consider breeding a female with that kind of temperament? I honestly can't even fathom why this question would need to be asked. If you have a sincere interest in breeding, and a love for this breed, I highly recommend you join your local GR club or visit some shows... find yourself a responsible, reputable breeder as a mentor and learn what it takes to maintain the integrity of this breed. It's not just about putting together any two intact dogs you can find, regardless of whether one just tried to rip another's face off. I'm sorry if that sounds harsh... the advice is sincere... I'm just absolutlely floored at the prospect of knowingly passing on this type of aggression in any dog, nevermind a breed that so easily "markets" toward families with young children.

Julie and Jersey


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## tippykayak (Oct 27, 2008)

Wait, is this the same five-year-old bitch that you said you thought was pregnant in the other thread? Is she already pregnant?


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## evaree (May 30, 2009)

Thank you all again for all opinions and thoughts.

Tippykayak, yes this is the same dog I was asking about in the other forum. Ironically, we were at the Vets, for an x-ray and checkup, and no, she was not pregnant. My Eva was along for the ride when this altercation happened. The Vet who had done the x-ray, and now was tending to Eva, said, "maybe you should be glad there were no puppies". Everything happens for a reason.

All of our dogs, have sweet loving dispositions, and because of this incident, we will NOT mate our male with this dog.


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## tippykayak (Oct 27, 2008)

Phew! This is a good object lesson in how thorough you have to be before you breed a litter. The big four clearances are the absolute minimum for an ethical breeding, but there's a lot more that goes in. It's why you won't catch me breeding anytime soon. I think Comet is the greatest dog in the world, and he comes from incredible stock, but I simply would not take responsibility for the lives of the animals created unless I had the time, the money, and the expertise to absolutely maximize their chances for living happy, healthy lives.


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## Tanyac (Jun 18, 2008)

Firstly, I'm so sorry your girl got hurt, I hope she heals really quickly and has no lasting problems.

I may be sticking my neck out here, but I believe most food aggression is probably caused by owners lacking in knowledge of their dogs, not necessarily that the dog is viscious, as the OP said, the bitch is normally very good natured. Any two bitches together can mean disaster, put them in a confined space, offer high value treat, hey presto, a BIG problem!!!

Obviously there are other issues here such as possible poor breeding resulting in an unstable dog, or health issues, but I would say 9 times out of 10, food aggression is made worse by the owner not knowing how to or being bothered to address the behaviour in their own dog.


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