Golden Retrievers: Feared or Loved?

**bella123** · 01-26-2006, 05:56 PM

I have 1 Goldens, Stewie was a year old, we had to put him down he had bone cancer, but he was the kindest dog. But we also have Charlie and he is 4 months. He is very sweet. Aside from getting him to go outside to pee, he is awesome.

**sandragonfly** · 01-26-2006, 06:18 PM

quoted by lv4dogs
You sound like me & yellow labs.

and for me, dobies.

not just me, it ripped crayola (my golden baby)'s ear once before.

but I never will fear them, only I fear the owners. the BEWARE OF DOG signs I see everywhere now is driving me nutty.. anonymous once quoted this -

no dog is born either vicious or friendly, but rather a blank slate that is moulded, for better or worse, by the owner.

therefore, BEWARE OF OWNER signs should be made!

anyway, to goldens, as you see I own a loving one, and wow, I've never heard or seen golden bites

but would never thought of it, about 90% of media used goldens for advertisings. I remember I saw facts somewhere why they did but only remember two reasons, most friendly/playful breed and a best family dog.

I love my goldie, like everybody else who met him & -died-

if ever seen a mean golden, will sadden me.

**BC_MoM** · 01-26-2006, 10:14 PM

The only reason, IMO, for a dog to bite is if it is

1) Not trained
2) Aggressive due to abuse
3) Provoked

So, really, ANY breed.. even LASSIE (yes, the famous Collie) would probably have bitten someone if she was provoked enough.

What do you guys think.. do all dogs have a breaking point?

**Tollers-n-Dobes** · 01-26-2006, 10:20 PM

Originally Posted by BC_MoM

The only reason, IMO, for a dog to bite is if it is
1) Not trained
2) Aggressive due to abuse
3) Provoked

That's not always the case. I believe bad breeding can cause behavioural issues that can result aggression and biting and in some cases, cannot be fixed. Of course, some people don't think this is possible so it's jsut my opinion. Yes, this can happen in every breed.

**BC_MoM** · 01-26-2006, 10:48 PM

Right. I forgot to mention that. Bad breeding, etc.. my best friends Dalmation literally went insane when she was 7 years old because of the poor breeding.

They had to send her to Rainbow Bridge.

**Glacier** · 01-27-2006, 12:24 AM

Originally Posted by BC_MoM

What do you guys think.. do all dogs have a breaking point?

Absolutely. Any dog, any breed, any temperment will bite in the wrong circumstances. There are just different thresholds. IMO, a large part of the point of early socialization is make that threshold as high as possible.

Most dogs will give you a sign that they are getting close to their personal breaking point. If you ignore that sign, the odds of a bite go up. I personally believe that most dogs don't want to bite. That biting is their absolute last resort and that they give us plenty of chances to avoid getting bit. However, a dog that truly wants to bite--will and there is little chance to avoid it. They are amazingly fast at that point.

Like Orangutango, I believe that some dogs are born messed up or end up so bad off that they can't be fixed. I think it's pretty rare. Maybe it's bad breeding--a trait picked up from the mom, maybe the female didn't get something she needed during pregnancy or maybe the dog was just miswired genetically, maybe they missed some vital socialization or just can't overcome their pasts, but something is wrong that can't be fixed.