I have a 9 year old retriever mix, she is very protective and sometimes i think in pain due do a leg injury. I have a pet sitting business and i normally go to the cllients house, but sometimes i bring the dogs back to our house. How can i get our retriever to relax around them while they are at the house? She knows them, and it is not all the time that she is grouchy with them, but i would like her to relax and not be so crabby with them. She just growls at them when they come towards her, but she is fine with them outside in the yard, and if she is the one to go up to them.
I am sorry to hear about the situation with your pet, but from what you have described it seems to me that your pooch has changed her attitude towards the other dogs you bring home because of an age related change both on an emotional and a physical level. She most likely has arthritis and it will help if you get her checked out by your local vet and put on anti-inflammatory medications along with a change in diet to slow down the progression of the disease. I would recommend keeping her away from the other dogs as this will probably be best for her and the others.
You mentioned she is protective of you, this just means that you need to show her more dominance i.e. prove you are pack leader and that she must follow your command instead of being the one looking out for you. Please have a read through the alpha training section to gain more insight on this.
