Candy, you have my sympathy and please know that I really feel for you at the moment - this must be incredibly difficult for you.
From what has been said I find it hard to believe you will see any aggressive behaviour from Cooper. The two incidents seem to be food related and with one person and I think that a person trainer not a dog trainer is what is needed.
I think it is unrealistic for two intelligent people to imagine they will have the time or energy to sort out what they see as problems with the dog. The very fact that they have gone to a man famed for his quickness at training dogs shows that they are not ready to commit for a long haul with this dog. They need to understand why the incidents happened, that alone will take time and energy and then they can start to understand how to make sure it never happens again.
They do not sound like bad people to me - just ignorant of the time and energy needed to ensure that a dog is happy and healthy and even less aware of what can happen when a dog is not cared for ALL the time the way it deserves to be cared for.
I would think about offering them visits to see Cooper at your house before you go with the law and mention that they should of consulted you before passing the dog on to a third party.
As I said, I would not be at all surprised if no aggressive behaviour is seen but Golden's are as likely to be aggressive as any other dog - in fact it is the breed that most often tops the biting scale in this country. That is mainly because it is a popular breed of dog but it also shows that the are capable of aggression.
A genetic defect is also a possibility. Because the rest of the litter have not shown any aggression does not make it impossible - it may be a new mutation or a recessive trait or the first sign that the line is "overbred" leading to weak nerves.
I have certainly come across aggressive goldens many times - nine times out of ten it is owner error - and I am sure that it is with Cooper.
I am very keen to know how you get on and wish with all my heart that you can persuade them that they are not the right people and it is not the right time in their lives for Cooper.
Good luck, Candy, I am sure that Cooper needs only confident handling and some understanding and there will be no more problems.
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