Out of character agression amongst dogs?

Question

I have a 2 year old golden retriever named Fika.

My wife and I got her at 8 weeks old from a reputable breeder. She has never had a bad experience and is honestly one of the sweetest dogs I've ever seen. She is incredibly affectionate to people. When we're at the dog park I've never met a comparable dog in the sense that my dog runs up to everybody to greet them and get pets and belly rubs. She's also always been very good with other dogs. Always passed her behavioral exams when getting boarded. I've never seen her act in a way that can't be characterized as cute and sweet to other dogs and people. We were very careful to socialize her well to other dogs from the moment our vet said we should get her socialized. I estimate she met at least over 100 dogs and 100 people by the time she was 5 months old. All good experiences.

However...

The other day she did something very out of character. My wife and I were eating dinner at the outdoor seating of a restaurant. There was a wall that my wife and I could see over but Fika could not. We could see a person riding a bike down the street and there was a doberman leashed to the bike and running with. The person rang a bell. This set Fika off. She started doing her guard dog bark. We calmed her down. This wasn't the thing that was particularly out of character. One thing that is interesting about this, is we've noticed Fika as a dog that has issues with bells. We installed a bell next to the door for her when she was a small puppy so she could ring it and go outside. She absolutely hated the bell though and tried to tear it off the wall and kill it so I uninstalled it.

Still at the restaraunt about 5 minutes later a person walked by on the sidewalk with a boxer. Our dog saw them coming and when they were about 4 feet away our sweet golden retriever lunged at the boxer, snarling and barking like she wanted to kill the boxer. The poor boxer looked taken back and scared. I felt bad for it and for the first time thought my dog was being a jerk. We think Fika was still sort of alert and in guard mode from when the bike rider rode past sounding their bell.

Both my wife and I had never seen Fika act like this like she did with the boxer before. Since then I've taken her to the park, shes been her usual self and played with other dogs and no issue. I wanted to ask here. Is this a sign of a problem that we need to keep an eye on and train out of her? Or is this reasonable for any dog given her state of arousal? Or any other thoughts?

thanks in advance

Answer 1

From what you write it sounds like you did everything right in her upbringing. There are also some situations you simply cannot train out of a dog.

To me it sounds like the combination of hearing the bicycle bell and not being able to see her surroundings put her on alert. The moment she saw a dog, she reacted poorly. If the wall wasn't here, she might have greeted the dog instead. If the wall was still there but no bell beforehand, she might have ignored the dog. But there's no way to know for sure. Her behavior in the dog park is proof that she does not express problematic behavior in "normal" situations.

However, if her reactions to anything that sounds like a bell is problematic, I suggest a desensitization training. Looking online for instructions, you're sure to find several good ones, like the Front of The Pack one or this one from The Spruce Pets.

In summary:

• You establish a very special treat that your dog likes very much. Once you know what she likes best, she only ever gets this special treat during desensitization training.
• While the dog is at your side, a second person rings a bell or plays a bell sound on their phone a good distance away, like in another room. You want to be a bit sneaky about it and surprise your dog, don't make her anticipate the bell.
• Immediately after the ring, give her the very special treat, but then act as if nothing ever happened and as if you didn't even hear the bell ringing.
• Start small, with only 1 - 2 repetitions a day. You don't want to overwhelm her. Give her several minutes after each bell ringing to calm down and process the event.

Answer 2

"Is this a sign of a problem that we need to keep an eye on and train out of her? Or is this reasonable for any dog given her state of arousal? Or any other thoughts?"

I am a pro dog walker of over a decade, and walk mostly off lead at a local dog park, where most of the dogs are good. I have walked goldens and mostly love their personality. but a few years into walking them, realised that there is a vast difference between hunting lines and show or pet lines.

The standard golden is goofy and affectionate, like labs, like vizslas. But with a hunting line, I could only walk them on lead near their own house. Their base hunting instincts were always ready to trigger. And of course you dont know how far back in generations you have a particular line of the breed.

But if your dog has been a fine ambassador for all these years, then it seems its something like happened to my own dog. A dominant hunting version of a cockapoo meant he was always up for a run and chase. The most social dog I have ever met or had, to other dogs, but not prey, and not to dogs that appeared out of no where and presented a potential threat to the pack. He was very pack aware, keeping them safe.

But dogs are of course smart and sentient. He out of character would bark incredibly excitedly when I was driving with him in the car, when he saw a postman on a bike. He recognised the saftey uniform and the sound of the bike. But at the shops if he saw the same guy and the bike was off, he had no interest.

He would leap out of the way of white fish and chip paper blowing around on the ground like it was a threat.

Suprises like a dog suddenly appearing can trigger a mix of fear and excitement, and they need to choose to run or fight in milliseconds. That adrenaline rush will stay with your dog during the whole time you are eating and transfer to the next dog.

Fortunately they showed no behavior change at the park. If your dog is great as usual at the park, all you need to do is keep them in close under the table when you are out dining at cafes. I have often found this is quite stressful for a lot of owners and dogs, because a lot of patrons might not have as social dogs as you have put the effort into having.

Good luck