Hi I hope somebody can help!!
I have a 2 1/2 Golden Retriver who is wonderful But does not like my neigbours dogs
I was speaking to her the other day and she said that I should not breed from him
because of this I was quite upset about this as he has a wonderful nature around
children (we have three) and around people and I would like to breed from him in the
furture.
Now I have to say that he is ok off the lead when females are around but when males
are around he can be aggssive but once he his put in his place by the other dog he then stops.
Do I listen to my neighbour who's dogs are not GR but mini Szns (sorry can not spell the name) or go with my thoughts that he is marking his own place in this world!!!!

I would not breed from him, enjoy him as he is. He does sound uncharacteristically bolshy toeards others of his own sex, which is not characteristic of goldie males, where even stud males live amicably together, and I am sure it is not something to be lost.

On the other hand it could be that if the sznauzers regularly taunt and challenge him, that this is a learned behaviour. You won;t be able to tell, and as Goldens are not a rare breed by any stretch of the imagination, with plenty of knowledgeable, and the other kind of breeders, then using a possibly questionable specimin for breeding would not be wise.

He is fine with males of his own breed and also at training classes.
Only when he is outside and on the lead is when he is at his worse!!!

You will have to weigh his good points against the bad, if he is such a good specimin that it would be a loss to GR's not to use him then you should ingnore his attude. But if he is just an a run of the mill dog, I know to you he is the best ever, then I would not breed from him anyway. Has he done well in the field or the show ring, if so speak to your fellow competitors and see what they think of his temperment, if they are happy go ahead. If he has not done well or if he is a pet I would not advise use at stud whether he likes other dogs or not. Jackie

Have you spoken to your vet? If you are seriously considering breeding, it would be reassuring for you to have a professional assessment of your dogs behaviour....i.e. is it a character flaw or a behavioural issue which could be dealt with by an animal behaviourist?
On a personal level, I would not consider buying a puppy if either parent had aggressive tendencies - not good in a family dog, and also would make showing difficult, as contact with other dogs is necessary.
In short, speak to your vet about breeding.

Welcome to the forum Chaplinn :-)

Personally, I would not use him. I have regular contact with four individual, 'bolshy' male GR and to be honest, I'm sick to death of having to move my dogs out of their way because the owners do not control them. There are many GRs out there that are bomb proof and I am not suggesting that you do not control your lad, just that maybe there are more suitable dogs to be used at stud. You may find the following link of some interest:

Breeding.

Good luck with whatever you decide :-)

I am training him for shows and I have taken him to a few where I have had GR
breeders look him over.They have all thought that he is a wonderful dog
with a lot of good points.
They have said that this maybe his way of protecting me.
Is the fact that he is great with the children and adults even cats the main thing!!

As you have started showing him you will see if anyone asks you if they can use him, but 2 1/2 years is rather old to start as a stud dog and he will have to do some winning first. To start with I would get all the usual health tests done and then let it be known to the breeders you meet at shows that you would like to use him at stud. Jackie

Golden Retrievers should NOT show ANY aggression to anything, you should not breed from him in case this tendancy is passed on. Any dog with a poor temperament according to its breed should be ruled out of any breeding program, to ensure the future of correct tempered dogs.
Just my opinion.
Dawn.

I agree with Dawn B. ANY sign of aggression/bolshiness/nerves however mild, in ANY dog - then I don't think it should be bred from either. Personally, I would get him neutered to start with, and then maintain a structured training program.

Where abouts do you live?
just wondering If you was near me as I have goldens.
As for stud work I would not advise it as BOTH parties {dog and bitch owners} should be responsible for any pups brought into the world PLUS you would need the usual health tests done hips and eyes, some breeders want elbows heart and other tests done first.
Enjoy him as a pet and I am glad he is great with the kids.
If you need any other advice please feel free to mail me.

Emma xxxx

When we lived in Pembrokeshire the Goldens had (most unfortunately) a dreadful reputation with the local vets, several having to be put down as being of uncertain temper. I must say that as far as I know these all came from puppy farms, but have heard that there are some other lines to be avoided at all costs.

A Golden's temperament should be second to none under any circumstances, and if there were the slightest 'if' I wouldn't take the risk, however good the animal appears.

Jo and the Casblaidd Flatcoats

hi all,

I lost my golden 6 months ago to a brain tumour, she was only two years old - her temperament was always dodgey, although I have two kids and she was always even tempered with them, I never trusted her with other children, and would always tell my own kids to be careful around her (they are careful around all dogs anyway). she would be unpredictable at times, she growled and showed her teeth on a few occasions to children, who on spotting a golden assumed they could just come over and pet her without asking me first. She showed her teeth for no reason and therefore I would never consider breeding her, although to look at she was beautiful, and had an excellent show pedigree. She became erratic in her behaviour at about six months old, and became nervous of things she new well, (hoover to name one). It broke my heart when I had to let her go, but I have wondered since, whether it was her breeding or her illness, (I don't know how long her tumor had been growing), that made her temperament the way it was, or something I had done in her upbringing that made her unpredictable, as much as I loved her you really had to be vigilant when out with her around strangers. :( julie

My Good friend is in Golden retreiver rescue the amount put down due to temperament problems is frightening,true as Jo says many of these are puppy farmer bred but not all by any means.
I would say definitly no ! do not breed from him if his temperament is suspect especially as he is a male he would have to be an absoloutly outstanding specimen of the breed and bombproof before i would consider using a male at stud.

Over the last few years or so Golden Rets' have changed considerably in my opinion. We board loads as you can imagine, as they are popular dogs, but I can HONESTLY say the temperaments on many of them give cause for great concern. They all display similar behaviour, one minute lovely, then in a flash ready to bite you, very unpredictable. It doesn't seem to matter about their background, upbringing or breeding but I do feel quite concerned about what was once a very trustworthy breed.
Dawn.

i am a veterinary nurse, you could try asking your vet about chemical castration this is an injection and only lasts for approx 6 weeks this would show if your dog is only being aggressive for hormonal reasons. i have done a course in animal behaviour and i used this method with a 2yr old border collie which worked brilliantly although i must say my first recomendation was to get the dog castrated but the owners were reluctent as they felt it would effect his work ( being a working sheepdog). It is not supposed to have any effect on the dogs fertility. it is quite a costly drug and it will only work as i say if he is being aggressive for hormonal reasons.

Thank you Natalie
I was hoping that there maybe a medical reason for his problem.
I will talk to the vet about this.
To all the people who have talked about puppy farms my dog is
not from one.
I have spoken to his breeder and she has said that this maybe him
warning other male dogs that this his is patch and maybe down to
his hormones.
I want to breed from him because he can offer the breed so much
not just in looks.
I have taken him to shows and he behaves great around other dogs
there so I think that It maybe down to him guarding his patch ie:the park and his own back garden,and hormones

Thanks again

Most likely guarding, I suppose, added to the fact that in his eyes he's probably the alpha male (I wonder how you treat him in the house - is he put firmly in his place by all of you?)
Still don't think a Golden should be a guarding breed except under exceptional circumstances (possibly coming to the rescue if you were mugged, I suppose).
Think you should list all his good points for your own benefit, maybe - just occurred to me he may be from working stock??? I have seen this in a few working Goldens - useful workers in their own right, but very territorial with their retrieves.

Jo and the Casblaidd Flatcoats

I wasnt implying he was from a puppy farm as you mentioned his breeder.
Good luck anyway

Chaplinn,

<<<<<< I want to breed from him because he can offer the breed so much not just in looks.>>>>>>

Is your dog a show or field champion? We had Goldens for nearly 20 years and during the time we were involved in the Golden show scene there was ABSOLUTELY NO WAY any reputable Golden breeder would have ever used a stud that displayed aggressive tendancies - no matter how small the tendancies were and NOT EVEN if they were show or field champions. Also, in those days, Goldens would never even "guard their patch". It was a standing joke among Golden owners that a Golden would lick a burglar to death :) and I heard of several break-ins where Goldens were "on guard" and obviously allowed the burglars to do as they liked. :) :)

I'm sorry if this sounds harsh but you asked for advice and not one reply to your post has suggested that using your dog would be a good idea yet you still think it would. I'm sure you love him very much and would love to have a "little him". I know it's hurtful if our dogs aren't the "perfect" specimins we like to think they are but it doesn't stop us loving them just as much as we always have but we need to remove our blinkers and objectively assess a dog if we want to breed from it. Remember any SLIGHT aggressive tendancy could potentially be a much LARGER :( tendancy in offspring. What if that happens? Could you be prepared to have the responsibility of possibly having to have 9-10 Goldens pts when they were maybe a couple of years old and being aggressive?

Please make sure there's no medical reason for his behaviour and then think about the consequences your actions may have.
Dot