Male on Male issues

you're actually considering breeding an aggressive golden retriever?? yowza.  Neuter him yesterday. Might cure your problem in one little snip.

how do I put this? I know his "agression" isn't really agression. He can get along with other males but has been hiden away from them for so long, he's never had a chance to meet them. I know if I introduced him to them one at a time he could calm down. my coysins who had him before me, kept him locked up. he never had a chance to meet other males.

Why would you breed an unsocialized dog? You should only breed to improve the breed of the dog. Its so sad because goldens nowdays are being overbred by irresponsible people.

Max maybe aggressive with males due to a lack of socialization, true enough. However, at 4yrs and not neutered - it will take a lot of work. He has established this behaviour over a long period of time. I would recommend you find a behaviouralist and at least have him assessed before you think about breeding.

Please get your dog neutered.  It is the first thing I would suggest in approaching your behavioral problem.  And there is no way you should be breeding a Golden with aggressesion issues.  Yes, the problem might stem from lack of socialization -- but it might also be a temperament flaw in the dog that could be passed along.  There is no way to know for sure.  That's why the only dogs who are bred should be excellent examples of the breed, with wonderful temperaments and excellent health.  That gives the puppies their very best chance at being happy, healthy, and well-adjusted.  I know that you love your dog, but he does not fall into that category.  (Most dogs don't, including mine.) 

I completely agree that this is not a dog you should think about breeding - but want to add that I think this is the case not only for all the reasons already stated, but also for Max's sake.  If he was poorly socialized and is not having a hard time with other male dogs - this may be in part because of their reactions to him.  I have see MANY male dogs treat an un-neutered male dog in an aggressive manner.  My male dog is a good example.  He is good with most dogs - he can play in the dog park; but I ask everyone who comes in with a dog that I don't know if the dog is a male and if he is fixed - because my normally nice dog turns into cujo around unneutered males. 
 
So - even if you don't take all the other things people said into consideration (and I think you should - breeding is really best left to a very select few who are only in it to better the breed and who have years and years of work with the breed behind them - and even then, there are very few dogs out there who should actually be bred), please take Max into consideration.  In order to help him overcome his issues and lack of socialization, you want to make it easier for him, not harder.  He will be in a better position to deal with other male dogs if he is neutered...

goldens aren't supposed to be aggressive. At all. No matter what. His lack of socialization isn't an excuse to contaminate the golden gene pool with any taint of aggression. Maybe if he were a champion in conformation, obedience, and field trials we might consider his other qualities to override the temperament defect, but well, he isn't, is he?
 
Also, you can't force/train a dog to be a happy dog parker. Very few dogs actually do well and totally love the dog park environment. Many dogs enjoy meeting a few select dog friends for play dates-- consider that as an option.

ORIGINAL: mudpuppy

goldens aren't supposed to be aggressive. At all. No matter what. His lack of socialization isn't an excuse to contaminate the golden gene pool with any taint of aggression. Maybe if he were a champion in conformation, obedience, and field trials we might consider his other qualities to override the temperament defect, but well, he isn't, is he?

 
I am not even sure those kinds of championships would overcome a temperament fault in a Golden.  The AKC breed standard has a temperament section that states:
 

Friendly, reliable, and trustworthy. Quarrelsomeness or hostility towards other dogs or people in normal situations, or an unwarranted show of timidity or nervousness, is not in keeping with Golden Retriever character.

 
I don't see how you could justify breeding a Golden when you knew that his temperament was "not in keeping with" the breed's character as defined in the breed standard.
 
Please neuter your dog. 
 

ORIGINAL: mudpuppy

goldens aren't supposed to be aggressive. At all. No matter what. His lack of socialization isn't an excuse to contaminate the golden gene pool with any taint of aggression. Maybe if he were a champion in conformation, obedience, and field trials we might consider his other qualities to override the temperament defect, but well, he isn't, is he?

Also, you can't force/train a dog to be a happy dog parker. Very few dogs actually do well and totally love the dog park environment. Many dogs enjoy meeting a few select dog friends for play dates-- consider that as an option.

 
I have to agree with MP on this one.  I brought up Xerxes in the dog park.  He's got a very select number of dogs that he's considered "pack."  Despite all the work with socialization I've done with him, (and yes he's intact) he doesn't back down from any challenge by another male.  It doesn't matter if the other male is 200 yards away, if Xerxes notices the eye contact, he'll posture. 
 
The other thing that doesn't help is that he took notes as a puppy and remembers every single dog that played too rough with him or intimidated him.  And he remembers them in an aggressive way.
 
So is he happy at the dog park?  Not particularly.  So we don't go unless there are one or two dogs there. 
 
Not all dogs are the picture perfect dog park dogs.  It's not a normal environment for them.  There are ways to get them gradually accustomed to the parks but it is very gradual and every single baby step is important.

Funny thing, my story is very similar to yours. I got my Max in January from a rescue. His previous owner had him chained to a doghouse in the back. They bred St. Bernards, and Max got picked on a lot by them. He had little to no socialization. He is neutered now, and he acts absolutely wonderfully with just about any dog. Except large unneutered males. He does not like them one bit. He turns into this vicious, maniacal beast. I have pretty much given in, and I REALLY doubt that he's going to change. I honestly don't care though. If he doesn't like unneutered males, then I'll just keep him away from them. Simple as that. I consider it part of my responsibilty to him, to keep him safe and away from all the "unpleasant doggies".

As for breeding your dog, PLEASE do not do it. There are WAYYYY too many goldens out there that need homes already. At my local rescue alone they have 19 adults and 7 puppies. And they constantly have more coming in. In a single month they usually have about 30 or so come in, while they adopt out about 20. And there are even more that have temperament, health, or build flaws/issues. Your dog is one of these dogs. You said it yourself. " My problem is Max dosen't do well with other male dogs." That is reason enough to neuter your dog. The Golden Retriever should not have a single ounce of aggression in them, I don't care who it is toward. But don't feel bad, my dog is flawed as well. That's why he is neutered. Do I care? Not in the least. So please, PLEASE do the responsible thing and have your dog neutered. PLEASE? It also might help some with the aggression.

my neutered dog doesn't get along with un-neutered males.... not a one.  Many of those dogs get agressive back, even if the owners think they are okay.  Just not a good situation.  Get your boy neutered and he will probably lose that. 

Even if your dog might have been a friendly dude had he been better socialized, IMO, you cannot take the chance that this is his basic temperament, and pass that along to a litter of pups.
Also, I know that most sensible dog owners would not want an intact, undersocialized male practicing his growling and lunging at their social dogs at the dog park.  This would certainly NOT be the place to work out his problems.
If this were my dog, I would neuter him, then set about desensitizing him to the presence of other dogs.  "Click to Calm" by Emma Parsons describes in some detail how she did it with her own dog-aggressive Golden.  You can get a copy at dogwise.com

I /definatly/ think you should get your dog neutered. He may be feeling that he has to be aggressive in order to be domiate to other male dogs, which may have to do with the fact that he is not fixed. Yes, you do want to breed him, but the best thing for Max would to be to fix his problem first of all.

After reading each reply I must say I feel attacked.
my question was what is a safe and non stressful way to introduce my dog to other males. nutering is NOT an option so I would appreciate people stop saying that.
his problem is he has not been socialized with other males.
 
Tiffy. If I was irrisponsible I would take my dog to the dog park any way, I would let him run around and get bitches preg. I would not take the time to sit and discuss with other dog people what the best way to fix my problem is. and if your read what I wrote correctly, you will see that breeding isn't a for sure thing yet. and if he is bred it with only be with another AKC registered dog.  If that is irrisponsible, then I would like to see the way you treat your dogs.