Most pet owners are aware of the importance that social interaction plays in the development of their Golden Retriever. If you where to take the time to observe different breeds of dog, and how they interact with people, you would soon notice differences between each breed. Some dogs will simply glare at people, and then walk right by them, or they may choose to ignore them altogether. On the other end of the spectrum, some dogs don’t seem to ever get enough attention by the people around them, and just crave for more every chance they get.
The Golden Retriever breed is mostly a friendly dog, which will get comfortable with those around him quickly, and even more so with those he has chosen as friends. Some retrievers may show affection only towards others of the same gender. Retrievers in general like children and playing dog games with them. In some very rare occasions you will find that they relate better with adults, and this is mostly due to the way they where raised and the kind of surroundings they grew up in.
Developing social skills becomes more in important in the early stages of your puppy, between two and eight months. The pet owner should take on a special interests in probing the puppy with other people and other dogs. You will be surprised to see you puppy hide behind your legs during the first couple of encounters, and slowly begin to open up and develop social skills and attitudes that resemble a personality.
There is also some hereditary correlation between the puppy and his parents in relation to social skills. For some reason, Golden Retrievers that where good with people pass that on to their offspring. However, retrievers that were not so good at human interaction, inclined to be aggressive, or shy, will pass that on to their offspring as well. For this reason, it is important to be aware of all the aspects of the puppy’s parents at the time of breeding, or selecting your puppy from a litter. Temperament plays an important factor in terms of compatibility.
Puppies who were taken away from their mother before the age of two months, will not get much of a chance to develop any social skills, or scrape some off their mother or other puppies in the litter. As a result, retiring the pup from the litter may also have negative consequences on his behavior. They may develop aggressive tendencies towards people, while remaining shy and reclusive when meeting other dogs because of their underdeveloped social skills.
In some cases, a puppy that has suffered an injury or has been hurt at a young age might end up developing a trauma. These types of injuries or acts of violence can leave a scar which is pretty hard to leave behind, and most never actually overcome the memory of such incident. These dogs end up fearing most humans they come in contact with and with very aggressive and violent behavior patterns. Whenever you bring your puppy home for the first time, make sure you make an effort to make him feel welcome, provide a happy memory of his first few days at his new home.
Also, provide the means for social interaction with your dog, whether it is through family gatherings, joining dog school, or playing dog games at the park. These social exercises will ensure that your Golden Retriever grows up emotionally healthy and able to interact at any social gathering without any undesirable incidents.
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