Stranger Danger

[Chompersss]

I have had my golden retriever/chow mix for 4 years and she is as sweet as the day I got her... to me that is! I have always been very over-protective of her because she is such a large dog (90 pounds), which has caused her to cling to me and my husband but dislike people she doesn't know. I have this fear that one day she will bite someone. Her hair stands up and sometimes she growls if a stranger or dog comes in or around our house, or she might even be ok with someone, but dislike them the next time they come over. I was thinking of getting her a muzzle so that she can interact with people and see that they aren't going to hurt her or her family. I understand that a lot of her reactions are a product of my insecurity around other people, but I don't want to lose my dog by not being too "safe". Help!!

[uberglamorous]

Hi Chompersss,

As you said, his attachment to you and your husband is causing problems, such as her fear of strangers. While the muzzle is a short-term solution, she should be properly trained because you can't expect her to be wearing one too frequently. The most obvious solution to this issue is by allowing her adequate opportunities to socialize with the other animals and owners in the neighborhood.

Of course, this won't be possible if she isn't first trained to take orders from you. Naturally, the next logical step would be to teach her the basic commands as well as obedience training as well. There are a number of ways to get this done. You can either refer to reputable books (which you can buy physically or online), or consult with an obedience school where you can enroll your pet at.

Also, a personal dog trainer can supervise and instruct you in the proper ways of keeping your dog in line. Either way, the main obejctive is to assert yourself as the head of the pack (rather than an equal that your pet doesn't necessarily respect).

Once your dog has learned to take orders from you, it will be much easier to expose her to other people and pets (through daily walks and the like) without fear of things getting out of hand. So basically, she'll need to first need to establish that you are the leader and after which point she can be gradually lose her fear of strangers.

I hope this information has helped you and get you going down the right path.