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I'm puzzled by this sudden aggression. However, I believe it is one of two possible reasons, although it is hard to know for sure. First, he has been going to a dog park and has encountered dogs that play very rough. Unfortunately, I was not present to intervene and recall him on those occasions, so I'm wondering if he might be learning inappropriate behavior. The other possibility is that he was nipped at doggie daycare a week or so before the first incident of him showing aggression, so the timing leads me to believe it could be the cause. However, the staff does not know whether he instigated it or not. Still, I wonder if he may have been attacked and is now reactive to similar situations. I appreciate you cannot offer advice without observing him. Still, I was hoping to get your thoughts on the situation. Both your suspicions are very valid. Dog parks provide less structure than daycare and it is certainly possible for dogs to learn certain behaviors from other dogs, so he may have "picked up" some rougher play elements that may have "upset" other dogs in daycare. However, your other suspicion sounds even more convincing, considering how dogs may adopt an "the best defense is a good offense" attitude after being nipped, especially if the nip was carried out in a threatening manner (versus just being triggered accidentally by some rough play). Too bad that we are missing some important elements about what happened exactly to cause this dog to nip your dog in the first place. However, it is very possible that after this incident, he may be reacting defensively to protect himself from another nip. For instance, in the case of your golden attacking the dog that growled at him while a staff owner was petting this dog, he may have reacted upon hearing him growl in fear or getting another bite. If your golden was therefore nipped by the other dog in a threatening manner, consider that being attacked by another dog is an aversive experience that may lead to short-term and long-term consequences. Just seconds after the "attack," the affected dog may be shaky and jumpy as the adrenaline will be pumping. As the dog recuperates from this acute onset, there may be the onset of a negative conditioned emotional response associated with the place where the incident occurred and/or the presence of other dogs. There are ample stories of even service dogs who have proven their worth in being "bomb-proof dogs" over the years suffering the consequences of an encounter gone wrong and emotionally paying the price. It's as if an imaginary switch flips inside their head. Science calls it "single event learning." Undoing the damage is often quite a bumpy road. In this service dog story, a 30-second attack turned into two years of rehabilitation. A negative experience may therefore have an impact on how the dog reacts in the presence of other dogs. A history of an injury is not necessary for such aversive conditioning to take place. I have seen reactions range from avoidance behaviors (the dog no longer wants to play or interact with other dogs or does so very tentatively) to defensive behaviors (again, the dog feels threatened and uses the "offense is the best defense" strategy to maintain distance). There are then also several dogs sort of in between, where you really don't notice many problems readily, but at some point in the dog's future history of playing or interacting with other dogs, a new issue pops up out of nowhere (e.g., the dog starts growling during an interaction) in a dog who never exhibited this type of issues before. And should I pull him out of daycare for the time being? Staff are concerned but have not yet "banned" him and they have noted he is still welcome. However, considering this has occurred two weeks in a row, I'm concerned it will continue. Eventually, he or another dog will be hurt. Thank you for any insights you can provide. This is a good question. Firstly we may want to have a vet visit done just to ensure nothing medically is going on. What happened in the fight with the Rottweiler? Did he bite after he was pinned down? I see he ran away, but don't know what happened prior to that exactly, and if he did manage to bite too. How is your golden's over all bite inhibition? Has he left any marks on the dogs? Are there any dog trainers on staff at this daycare? Is this the daycare he has been going to since being a young puppy? Have they made any suggestions on what they can do to prevent future incidents? Like not petting other dogs in presence of other dogs? Do they by any chance happen to record play sessions so that videos of incidents like this can be watched afterward? Your concerns are very valid, as we don't want anymore fights to occur. Based on the info provided, it seems like the chances for repeated incidents are quite high so I would consider at least taking a break for now.

Hi there, I hope your goldens' TV training is progressing nicely! Please see my observations/tips/ideas in non-bold. My 20-month-old Golden Retriever has started fighting other dogs at doggie daycare. He is neutered and has been going to doggie daycare since he was about four months old. He has been well socialized since he was a puppy and, up until a few weeks ago, was known as the dog that got along with every dog, whether young, old, big, small, male, or female. Until recently, and only at doggie daycare, he has been the quintessential Golden Retriever - friendly towards all. A few weeks ago, the first incident was when he attacked a dog that growled at him while a staff owner was petting this dog (he wanted pets too). Then, last week, he attacked one of his best friends who he has played with for months without any issues. His friend (a Rottweiler), did pin him without doing any damage and he ran away frightened. Both altercations were observed and promptly addressed by staff who intervened, and he was separated and put into a timeout. It's always very upsetting when things like this happen, especially since your dog has a long track record of being super social, and I understand how shocking it may feel when dogs act this way out of the blue.