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About Christine (Chris) Vassonei, APDT
Expertise

I have NO MEDICAL background. If your question pertains to a physical concern about your dog -- that is, you think your dog may be sick, whelping problems, trouble breathing, vomiting, diarrhea, excessive urination, excessive drinking, heavy drooling, unexplained physical symptoms of ANY kind, etc -- YOU NEED TO GET OFF THE COMPUTER AND CALL YOUR VET IMMEDIATELY. DO NOT WASTE TIME WAITING FOR AN EMAIL RESPONSE!!! Your dog could be having a medical crisis!
I answer questions pertaining to training of all kinds, behavior, grooming,etc. I am qualified to address questions regarding basic training issues; crate training, housebreaking, behavior management tools, basic obedience skills. You may be interested in visiting: http://bad-dog-good-dog.blogspot.com/ www.housecalls-dogtraining.com

Experience
I have owned the breed for 16 years. Have done conformation, obedience, and pet therapy training. Have been a member of the local breed club; I participate in breed rescue. Have done training in private and group situations.

Education/Credentials
Attended seminars presented by Dr. Patricia McDonnell, PhD, Lesley Nelson, and Cesar Milan.

You are here: Experts > Animals/Pets > Dog Breeds > Golden Retrievers > my dog is growling

Golden Retrievers - my dog is growling

Expert: Christine (Chris) Vassonei, APDT - 10/26/2009

Question
My 4 year old golden retriever is a very good dog. Lately she growls when anyone but typically my 13 year old son goes to pet her. She's wagging her tail while she's being petted and growling. What is going on? Today she started showing her teeth in the growl. Do you have any suggestions?
Thanks,
Andre

Answer
You may want to be sure nothing is hurting her by having your vet check her out.

It's pretty difficult for someone to diagnose what the situation is without being there to see her in action. It could be that she doesn't wish to be disturbed, but that's an attitude issue on her part.

If you're certain there is no medical reason for her behavior, you may want to implement some of the suggestions contained in the following documents:

http://www.marinhumanesociety.org/Behavior/Handouts/PEP.pdf
http://www.ddfl.org/behavior/nilif.pdf
http://www.ddfl.org/behavior/educated-dog.pdf

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