Abhishek Agarwal asked: How your Golden Retriever reacts to and behaves with other people and animals depends on how well he was socialized. Socializing dogs means getting them used to adults, children, other dogs, cats, rabbits, and the world in general.
Fortunately, for owners of Golden Retrievers, nature has already done half the work. Goldens are friendly, smart, energetic dogs who love to please. They are normally patient and loving with children, though there are exceptions. Most Goldens are friendly to strangers and good with other animals. However, you may find a Golden who is only comfortable with one sex, with adults but not children, or good with other Goldens but not with other dogs or cats. Socialization depends not only on the breed of the dog but on his early experiences.
Three factors contribute to how well your dog will become socialized: his genetically-inherited characteristics, he experience with his mother and siblings, and his early life experience. Though some over-breeding may have created exceptions, most Goldens are genetically-prone to be open and friendly.
As a newborn, your puppy learned how to behave and react from copying its mother and littermates. In addition to genetic pre-disposition to certain behaviors, its mother’s example will help shape your Golden’s reactions to the world. For this reason, it’s important to make sure the breeder has selected animals with good, even temperaments for breeding. Of course, you can’t know about an adult’s past if you are adopting a rescue. But you can probably draw some pretty good conclusions by his behavior when you bring him home.
If your Golden Retriever puppy separated from his mother before age of seven weeks, he probably won’t have had the chance to learn many of the acceptable social signals and responses. He may tend to be nippy or aggressive toward strangers, men only, women only, or children. He may not tolerate other animals very well. And although he may show aggression towards people, he may be timid around other dogs because he has not learned what to expect or how to behave.
Some Golden Retriever who have been physically or mentally traumatized by abuse or a fearful event. This leaves an emotional scar, a memory that the dog can’t process and leave behind him. Most Goldens that have been traumatized carry the scar with them and require special attention throughout their lives. Their fear responses may be expressed as overt aggression or flight. While these situations are difficult to change, abundant love and careful discipline may help your Golden Retriever move beyond a traumatic event.
The best time to socialize your Golden Retriever is during his/her “adolescence” (from 8 weeks to 8 months). During this time, you should provide many opportunities for your Golden to be with other people and in different situations. Earlier than 8 weeks, your puppy is not capable of learning social skills. After 8 months, he may be too set in his ways to adjust rapidly to new situations. During that window of adolescence, you will have to offer plenty of reassurance and encourage your Golden to interact. He may be shy at first, but with loving encouragement and praise, he should become more adventurous.
Successful Golden Retriever socialization involves frequent contact and interaction with people (especially children), other dogs, and other animals in general. Your Golden will learn to feel comfortable with strangers as well as learn appropriate behaviors in social situations with other adults, children, and animals. As he ages, he’ll carry these positive experiences with him. Golden Retrievers who are not given lots of opportunities for social interactions early in life may be behavior problems down the road, so it’s very important that you take the right steps with your puppy to teach him how to behave in public. Your Golden Retriever will repay you with a lifetime of loving, happy companionship.
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