Golden Retriever (Detailed Introduction)

Golden Retrievers always appear so gentle and friendly to us. Generally, with their good temper, they rarely show signs of anger. But even the famously good-tempered Golden Retriever can get angry sometimes. Of course, these situations are relatively special. Usually, Golden Retrievers remain very kind and approachable. It is only under the following circumstances that we should pay more attention to our behavior to avoid provoking our "nice guy".

1. Reasons for Anger

Generally speaking, Golden Retrievers rarely get angry, but those in the nursing period are an exception. At this time, their alertness is very high. There is an example where a Golden Retriever gave birth to 12 "puppies" all lively and cute.

However, this "high-yield dog mom," only two years old, barked and rushed over when a stranger entered, and calmed down obediently after her owner, Ms. Chen, scolded her. "Usually very quiet and gentle, but since having the pups, her temper has become 'irritable,' very alert to strangers approaching," Ms. Chen said. Last week, the dog mom gave birth to 12 little puppies, whose fur colors were similar to their "mother," yellow with white—some darker, some lighter. They huddled together in a group, eyes not yet open, only making "chirping" sounds with their little mouths opening and closing, exceptionally cute.

For dogs at this stage, we should be understanding. After all, this is a form of protecting their young. Their fierceness or anger stems from sensing that strangers may harm their puppies, so such behavior should be empathized with under these special circumstances.

2. Signs of Anger

Dogs also have unique signs when angry. For example, their nose will lift, the upper lip will pull back exposing teeth, eyes wide and sharp. At this point, the dog's ears will straighten back diagonally, the mouth will bare teeth with a growling sound. Sometimes they may stomp their feet strongly. An angry dog’s body stiffens, fur stands on end, and tail raises straight or stiffly. They will keep some distance from you.

If you notice these expressions, you can tell the dog is angry. If the dog is just a little angry, the owner might comfort it. But if the dog is very angry, the owner should think of a way to soothe its mood and avoid impulsive attacks.

3. How to Soothe the Dog

1. First, maintain a crucial safe distance from the dog at this time. Every animal has an invisible safety zone. Dogs are sensitive to objects entering their area, so approach gradually.

2. When approaching the dog, if it barks wildly, stop and do not look at it. Slowly walk past the dog from behind until it stops being afraid. Do not reinforce this behavior by saying "good," as the dog may think you praise its barking.

3. Use body language. Lower your body height to reduce the threat to a fearful dog.

4. Avoid staring. Avoid eye contact with a fearful dog.

5. Approach slowly. Quietly approach a tense dog without sudden movements or loud speech. Move only after it has calmed down.

Usually, this is what strangers do. If you are the owner, you can distract the dog by using toys it likes and then gently stroke it to soothe its emotions.