Q. We have a lovely-natured approximately 2-year-old golden retriever cross that I found dumped in a quarry about 9 months ago. She had been mistreated and was very skinny but has settled in wonderfully and gets on fabulously with the cats and other dogs. She is fine with most adults but reacts by barking aggressively to certain males which I think is from something that happened to her when she was younger. However our worry is that she snaps at small children when they try to pat her. She goes for their hands or faces which is a concern, as although we try to discourage children from patting her, they can approach from behind. This happened in the pet shop the other day, when she started barking aggressively at a small girl who patted her. How can we stop/modify this behaviour or handle the situation? We do not have any children of our own.

A. It's a great thing you've done, taking on this dog, even though you do not know her past, you can be sure it wasn't nice. She will have memories of things that have happened, and could react in undesirable ways if she feels put under pressure again. The main thing now is not how she reacts in these situations - but how you react to her behaviour.

I'm sure that if you feel tense about things, you'll ask people not to approach her. But if she seems ok and you feel she's able to cope with their company, just ask them to stand near without giving her any attention. Only then, if she remains calm, can you ask them to rub her chest or under her chin. Never let them go in with their hand to stroke the top of her head or neck - this is a very vulnerable spot for dogs and she could feel under pressure and react very quickly. Don't feel under any pressure to keep her held tight so someone can give her a fuss. If she's not happy about the situation, give her the respect she deserves and take her away from the situation. Only when you have convinced her through your actions that you can be trusted as a leader and not put her in uncomfortable situations will she start to look to you for guidance in all scenarios. I strongly recommend you read Jan Fennell's books, The Dog Listener and The Practical Dog Listener. These will give you an insight into how she relates to things and also give you some great advice/tips on how to deal with unwanted behaviour.