Golden Retrievers: Feared or Loved?

[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

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]

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]

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]

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.