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Please help!!

435 views 2 replies 3 participants last post by  Ada's Mom 
#1 ·
I need some advice, I own a 7 month old golden retriever pure champ line...

Great dog, only weeks away from getting his service dog jacket... So my wife and I figured we would get him a friend...


We went looking on craigslist for a golden retriever, found one near by. I had brought Van-Gogh with us to make sure they get along...

They seemed to do well (I was in a rush to get the dog)

I get home, I went to feed the new dog which looks to be about 4months old (owner of the dog said it was pure bread but the ears dont look the same, and their tail seems to not look the same and her hair seems to be super super short)

My wife thinks its part chow, part golden, def has the same face as our van-gogh....


My concerns I have are; the dog plays SUPER aggressive...Bites him while they play & growls alot...

We go to feed the new golden and she snapped at our Van Gogh so my wife went to go move the bowl and she snapped at her too :(!!!

Now were considering giving the dog back, do you think this is a habit that is easily to be fixed or is this a sign of a bad dog?
 
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#2 ·
I get home, I went to feed the new dog which looks to be about 4months old (owner of the dog said it was pure bread but the ears dont look the same, and their tail seems to not look the same and her hair seems to be super super short)

My wife thinks its part chow, part golden, def has the same face as our van-gogh....
Well, I hope she's not pure bread. <- Sorry, I couldn't resist teasing. :)

She could be purebred golden, but not well bred golden. There are a lot of purebred goldens out there who look odds and ends - basically they are what was bred into them.

My concerns I have are; the dog plays SUPER aggressive...Bites him while they play & growls alot...
Could be how she plays. Remember that dogs learn bite inhibition and control while playfighting with their littermates. And she could be very vocal. So this in itself wouldn't concern me. I would always be prepared to step in and seperate the dogs the instant you see either of them getting to be "too much".

We go to feed the new golden and she snapped at our Van Gogh so my wife went to go move the bowl and she snapped at her too :(!!!
Okay, I would handle this differently for the person than I would with the dog.

With the other dog, I would absolutely make sure there is no opportunity for them to jump into each other's food bowls. That's asking too much of the dogs. And it's just not fair.

With you and your wife, I would probably do a little training over time to build up her trust. Don't move too fast. The goal is to at least be in her space while she's eating without her flaking out.

Now were considering giving the dog back, do you think this is a habit that is easily to be fixed or is this a sign of a bad dog?
I do not think there is any easy button with training. And I believe she's not a "bad dog". She's an untrained one. Because she's only 4 months old, I'm thinking there's a better chance than none that you can fix this. But you need to work with a trainer who can help you get there. #1 rule - Don't set her up for failure.
 
#3 ·
The biting and vocals while playing isn't necessarily "bad". Dogs can sound/look mean when they are actually playing. If your dog is playing back or if your dog warns the pup to stop ( for example, by yiping if bit too hard or giving a growl/bark to let the pup know he's had enough) and the pup listens then I wouldnt worry. I would just pay attention to your older dogs body language and try to tell if he's ok with whats going on or not.

For the resource guarding issues, it can be worked on. As the other poster noted, asking them to deal with the other in their food is too much, but you can work on being allowed near the dogs food dish. I fixed this with Ada by associating me approaching her when she has a bone with me giving her a high value treat. When your dog is eating get as close as you can with out the pup growling and give it the high value treat and praise and then walk away. Rinse and repeat a few times each time the dog eats and you should be able to get closer and closer.
 
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