My Golden Retriever growls at us when one of us leaves the house and says bye.
She will even growl if we say it to our other goldie when we leave.

We dont talk to her now when leaving the house and she seems better.
She does not like people to approch her when we are out ....if people come to her quite fast she will growl and smile at them,warning them off.
She is not a dog that plays well,if she thinks you want to play she backs off and growls again.
We have had her from 8weeks of age and she is nearly 3 now and all our goldies are treated the same and we have not had this before.

We are not worried by this but just dont know why she is like it.She is the sweetest dog otherwise.
Any suggestions please.

Are you sure she's growling and not just 'humphling' ?  Some dogs 'talk' a lot and to folks outwith the family it can appear to be a growl when it isn't - OTOH if it's genuinely a growl then it's a warning so best you be sure in your own mind which it is before trying to overcome it :)

The reason I query this is you mention

>if people come to her quite fast she will growl and smile at them,warning them off.

'smiling' is a submissive gesture - bearing teeth is quite the opposite.  I can only guess here as IMO a 'threat' by way of a growl would not be accompanied by a 'submissive gesture' i.e. a 'smile' as both responses are at odds with one another so, in this scenario if you feel she is warning people off then I'd take it you believe she is bearing her teeth in an aggressive display - not smiling ..... therefore the vocal noise is indeed a growl

IME it's important that body language is read correctly before knowing how best to proceed.  It could be that the noises she makes towards yourself and family are 'talking' which at one point (perhaps as an insecure pup/junior) was a mild warning and has now simply become a habit that you've allowed to continue for so long that it's become ingrained - that being the case it's probably not a cause for concern.  Whereas when she is being vocal with fast approaching strangers she may indeed be telling them to keep away and following this up with a secondary alarm for them to heed by showing her teeth as a threat.

As this picture (in as far as I am understanding it LOL) is very confusing, I would not want to advise here unless you can be more specific about what you believe her intent to be and that means you being very certain about what is and/or isn't a sign of her being *threatening* towards anyone - close or unknown to her

Perhaps you can give it some more thought and then elaborate on what different types of scenarios she responds with a behaviour which is either threatening, fearful or playful and how those she is displaying her vocal abilities and dentistry react - such as ignore, back off, try to cajole her etc :)

regards Teri

Hi Teri Thank you for your response.
Oh yes she does mean it,she does not humphling it is a real growl,and its my mistake saying smiling,she does bear her teeth,and i think it is fear,but she has ha no reason to be fearful as everybody in the house loves her to bits.
She never growls at our other goldie,in fact she lets her do anything to her and ive never had a cross word between them,they totally love each other..and both girls.
When we got her as a pup the breeder told us she was the greedy pup in the litter,and we dont go near her when she feeds because again she growls....and i think she would bite if pressured when feeding.
She is always like this in doors...but when out off the lead she is a different dog...plays...has fun...but  when going in the back of the car she gives that serious look again...dont touch me.

>and its my mistake saying smiling,she does bear her teeth

Some dogs do smile - a genuine smile.

From what you say now, it appears this dog most certainly has issues which ought to be professionally addressed - you should not be in fear of her biting you when she is feeding - in fact you should not be afraid of her biting you IN ANY circumstances!  This is not a pup that has yet to learn manners, develop trust and respect for it's human family etc - this is an adult dog which from this latest info has failed to learn any of these basics and that, sorry to be blunt, is almost certainly down to how you've raised the dog thus far.

The fact she is now almost three years and this behaviour has been ongoing since pupyhood I'd recommend you get the professional intervention of a reputable behaviourist to assess whether these aggressive displays are the result of poor manners, anxiety, inappropriate though unintentioned reward by your family and - vitally - what the main catalysts are for this unacceptable behaviour.

> She is always like this in doors...but when out off the lead she is a different dog...plays...has fun...but when going in the back of the car she gives that serious look again...dont touch me

That's because indoors she's calling the shots whether through anxiety, over protectiveness or a combo of reasons that you've not picked up on - outdoors and off lead she's in no position to be controlled at all and what she doesn't like or fears she can avoid unlike when on lead or at home.

Sometimes we are too close to a problem to see it for what it is - a home visit and 1-2-1 time spent with a behaviorist who can fully observe multiple situations with the dog and interactions inside and outside of the home is IMO the best way forward here.  Advising on aggression problems over the web is irresponsible as only by accurate visual assessment and thorough examination of history can a plan be put in place which is specific to your dog's very individual requirements.

best wishes, Teri

Hi Teri
Thanks for your excellent information. Yes i think you are right,i am partly to blaim for not correrting her from the beginning,when she first started it from a pup. she has always been spoilt,but the strange thing is she is so well behaved in all other ways,very loving and quiet.

Iwill get a behaviorist to take a look at her,and see what they say.
Thanks again Teri

Goldie,

Your breeder said she was the greediest pup in the litter, if that meant butting other pups out of the way to get the food, that may be a tiny clue. It'll be interesting to hear what a behaviourist says because from the little you've said her behaviour sounds like attempts at control by a high ranking dog and it only sounds as though she does this on pack territory ie house and car!

Hi Freelancerukuk

If our cats walk into the room indoors,she lowers her head and turns away and her tail will go stiff,but when she meets the same cats out in the garden....she will go to them and wag her tail fast and whimper pleased to see them.
She is an odd dog in doors.
But as i say she shows no aggession to our other Goldie at all indoors or out...its quite the opposite...other Goldie takes everything off her and she allows it...she is very submissive to her.

goldie,
Well, bang goes that theory then. I won't speculate further but please tell us what the behaviourist says as it sounds an interesting one.

We have a 2 1/2 year old golden who growls, at least we used to think it was growling but we have come to realise it is his way of complaining, there is no nastiness there, (just a low pitched grrrr or grunt)  I don't like that and I'm not happy and I'm just letting you know, I think maybe this is what your girl is doing when you leave she is telling you she is not happy :)

Then there are the play growls or grunts, which again are different, but his play growls can sound quite fierce to people who don't know him :)
However he does play really well with all dogs and doesn't growl when people approach him.

Thanks Perry for reply.
She does growl if theres something she is not happy with...and she means it,but she has two sides to her,a very loving golden and a grumpy golden.
My brother in law comes to visit us regular and she just does not like him one bit, he is quite loud in his aproach to her and she growls and backs away from him,then when he calms down and ignores her,she will go to him gently and see him.
I have noticed if people give her eye contact...thats when she growls and bears teeth sometimes.

I feel like im running her down,but thats the last thing i want to do,she is a real sweetie for all her little funny ways,and we love her to bits.
we have been told recently she has HD so we are concentrating on that as well at moment having treatment,but she does not like the nurse very much either.

Thanks for all replys.

If she has HD this could really affect her temperament - a bit like someone crotchety due to painful arthritis.

Lindsay
x

Hi Lindsay
Yes that has been considered as well,but she has always been like this since about 12months old. The HD may have always been there...but unknown to us untill recently...so it is possible its made her crotchety.