It is essential to allow your Golden Retriever to socialize with people. Different breeds act differently around humans-some are passive while some are active. Golden Retrievers are generally friendly creatures and can mingle and socialize with humans. They love the attention and love being in the spotlight.
The closer a Golden Retriever is to members of the family, the more they are fond of them and are happy being around them. Golden Retrievers go well with children and are rarely in dislike with them. If in this case, it mostly happens because of the Golden’s breeding or it could be the Golden has been raised around adults and not around children and this will not make them so accustomed to infants.
Socializing & training your Labrador when it is at the age of 8 weeks and 8 months is the most appropriate time. This is where your Golden should meet more people-adults and infants alike. Of course, being shy at first is a norm but eventually, your Golden will start interacting with people once it knows it is safe and it won’t be harmed. Being secure is important to the Golden so you should be there around him when he meets new faces.
Your dog’s lineage also contributes to your dog’s friendliness with humans. If its parents are sociable and friendly with dogs and with humans, then your dog would be too. Just like humans- we take up the genes of our parents and we tend to have some similar characteristics with them. Puppies inherit similar traits from their parents so its is important to make sure the dogs given for breeding are compatible and share similar temperaments to ensure that the pups are born having similar traits.
In the case that your puppy was separated from its mother and siblings at the age of seven weeks, then the likelihood of the pup learning any social signals of dogs would not be present. Newly born pups learn some of the earliest survival and interaction skills from their parents. Seven week old pups brought to your home might be a little aggressive and passive. This is because they are scared and afraid of being in a new surrounding so as its new owner, it is up to you to make your pup feel at home and comfortable. It is up to you now to teach your pup social skills.
If the puppy has been injured in the early stages of its life, this can lead to a prolonged trauma for the puppy and will generally lead to passiveness and make it very hard for the puppy to come out of it. This experience can be daunting to a pup and can affect it even to adult years and the Golden Retriever might end up being afraid of humans or be aggressive. When bringing your pup home for the very first time, make the puppy feel welcomed and cared for as this can make the puppy feel assured and secure of its presence at your home.
Plenty of interaction with humans and other dogs of different breeds can increase your dog’s friendliness. This interaction should be done at the very early stages of its life as these skills will be carried to his adult age. If Golden’s are sheltered and not been exposed to interaction, then this will lead them to become shy as well as passive and who would want a dog like that. Golden Retrievers are man’s best friend and thus, interaction is needed.