[angellamaria]

I have an almost eight year old, very handsome golden. He is starting to show random acts of agression. Our boy is not fixed. Will fixing him help the agression? I never fixed him because I wanted to breed him...that no longer matters. He has always been very mild mannerd, never a growl from him unless it is during a tug of war. Now he is getting snarly about his food, and snappy. He is almost 8 years old, he still has a lot of puppy in him, pounces on his toys like a cat, zooming around the yard playing... and he FINALLY RTETRIEVES! he finally grasped the concept this week. Until now he has been a golden retreiter.

Long story short, he is a member of my family. I am looking for advice as to why his behaviour is changing and signs to be aware of that may lead to agression, is he getting old and crankey at times? Will fixing him help or it his behaviour patterns set in stone(so to speak). This is my first animal and I am learning everyday.onder:

 

[marbear]

I can't answer the question of will neutering help but do you think he's maybe having joint issues (or something else) where he has good days and bad days? Sure he might be active still but he's now a senior dog technically and maybe he's grumpy because the aches and pains of old ages are setting in.

 

[pkelley]

You might want to take him to the vet and have him medically checked out; my golden/lab/collie mix got snappy when she tore her ACL and then developed arthritis in the back rump area.

 

[Tess]

Sounds like a bit of grouchy Resource Guarding behavior coming up. I too, would recommend you take him to the vet for a thorough check up, including a THYROID test. (has he gained weight? how does his coat look? has he lost endurance?) Being grouchy is often associated with a change in health.

Being an intact male likely has absolutely nothing to do with this problem at this age.

 

[jpcrosby]

Definitely get him to a vet. It sounds like he might be having some pain. Let the vet know exactly what is going on. Good luck and let us know how it works out.

 

[angellamaria]

Thank you all for your advice. He is very fit and hasn't gained any weight. He has (to my knowledge) no joint pain, limping, or sorenes. We struggled for a while there with aural hematoma's, but since has been clear for the last 6 months.
I will consider all of your advice. THANK YOU!

 

[natenqen]

Dogs will not ever show they are having problems when it comes to pain. If a dog has joint pain, they will not show it because in the wild it means you are weak and usually will be picked on for it. So a dog not showing you signs of any pains might actually be in pain. Not saying he is, but you never know you know? So def do a check up just in case and to be on the safe side. ^_^

I am also hopeing you will not have him be bred to any dog. As I'm sure you've heard many of us say don't bring dogs into the world unless they are champions weather trial work or conformation. You know, breeding just because you have a purebred doesn't mean you should bred him. ^_^ (I hope I'm not being rude here. If I am sorry, I dont' mean to.)