Don't allow the dog off leash.
Take her for long walks everyday.

Taking a dog for a walk, gives them mental stimulation and reinforces that you, on the end of the leash in control, is the leader.

She's protecting her property. Unless she bites a child or person I would consider her behavior aggressive only protective. Eventually dogs will know not to roam on your property.

Why couldn't you build a larger run for her?

It sad to hear you may want to get rid of her. I hope you don't resort to that. Trying to find a home for an older dog is difficult and traumatic on the animal as well.

The solution is extremely simple.

DO NOT ALLOW YOUR DOG TO ROAM FREELY.

It's unclear when you say that you are keeping her in a small kennel whether you are referring to a crate or a run. Both come in larger sizes. Purchase one.

Many dogs are territorial. when they are allowed to roam, they are effectively expanding their territory. You are responsible for your dog's actions at all times. Keep you dog contained or under your direct supervision at all times.

The other dogs have no training/control. Thay have formed a small pack---and your dog has become a member of that pack---folowing that pack's rules. Even Cesar's pack could regress with no control.

Solution, do not allow your dog access to those dogs. Short of 24 hour supervision, fencing/crating/containing inside the house is the only way to break that contact.

Do NOT try to medicate your dog----that would only get your dog hurt. It would become a victim instead of an aggressor.

Thanks for all your suggestions. At the moment her kennel is about 6 X 9 ft. Many modifications would have to be made to expand her kennel. It breaks my heart to put her up. She meets me at the end of our driveway every evening and sleeps by the backdoor. Personally, I don't see any enjoyment in having a dog if it's kept in a pen. But I don't want a dog I can't trust either, so I will either expand the fence or find a new home for her.

Dogs are domesticated animals, for their own protection, they need to be contained - just like cats, cows, goats etc. Fencing and containing your pet is not punishment, its quite the contrary.

what jpw said;
fencing protects your dog.

Dogs are wonderful, & Goldens may be the most wonderful;
please don't get rid of her for something that isn't her fault, just expand her fenced area.

I wish you the best.

BUT, if you're not home, you're not enjoying your dog anyway! Crates, kennels, runs, and yards are NOT permanent places that a dog lives in 120% of the time. They are safe places to confine your dog when you aren't home. When you're home and enjoying the dog, the dog is spending time with you.
Leaving a dog loose to enjoy itself when nobody is home is a good way to get a dog hit by a car, shot by an irritated farmer, killed by another dog, picked up by animal control, sued by a neighbor (and the list goes on and on and on).

I live in the country too. Trust me, I do not enjoy my enighbors (far flung though they may be) who think that country living gives them a license to let their nuisance dogs roam the countryside. My land is fenced - no one wants cattle and sheep wandering around either. The dogs aren't allowed where there is not adequate fencing to confine them on my own property. You don't have to give the dog away but you do need to accept responsible for containment, control and supervision of the dog.

If you are too busy to properly care for your dog IE:walking her three times a day for 15 minutes a day and taking her out on the weekends for long walks or play time in a local pond or lake, then your choice to find her a new home is probably best for you. I suggest you try and find a lab rescue organization instead of the humane society - right now they are the most overwhelmed with dogs due to so many people losing their homes and their jobs. Now - If you are dedicated to this dog and are willing to do what it takes to make the dog happy and healthy and balanced, and not have to worry about its behavior, then you need to do the exact opposite of what you are doing. Your dog is frustrated, bored and without direction. Leash walking - no sniffing around for the first 15 minutes, sniffing after 15 minutes as a reward. Basic training sit, stay, leave it, you going out the door first and taking control of your dogs behavior and not accepting unwanted behavior. Your dog has no pack leader - nobody in your home is taking up that position so now that she has reached maturity she is taking over and since she has attacked twice, she needs to be dealt with NOW, not in a day or a week.
Please be mindful when adopting a dog you are agreeing to care for that animal until its last day on earth, if you are not up to the task, you need to not get a dog. I think some hard questions are in order. You have some hard choices ahead of you - either give up the dog knkowing you are handing off a problem dog which could be uthanized or get off the pot and start intensive training. Either way - it is your choices which have created this situation as hard as that may be to hear and you have the ultimate responsibility for this dog and her health and well being. Good luck with whatever you choose.

I leave my dogs in the house when I'm not home.

It's pretty simple :) They're safe, and when I'm home we take leash walks or play in the yard. I don't have to worry about them getting into trouble, and they're happy and healthy.

I just have to ask. When you say sleeps by the back door, is that inside or outside? Is there a reason you can't keep your dog in the house when you aren't outside with her?

I don't know why people think its okay to let their animals roam. Dogs or cats. I know I do not need extra poop in my yard to clean up. My neighbor lets her dogs roam...I can't tell you how many times I have seen them in the street. Not to mention peoples pet cats that love to hang out in my yard and driving my dog crazy. Its dangerous, rude and completely irresponsible. If you hate having to lock up your dog then you need to get a fence. It also sounds like your dog is kept outdoors because you said "she likes to sleep by the backdoor", if you want to spend more time with her then train her to behave in the house, I agree that I don't like to see animals locked up, but when its for their own protection its best. My dog has free roam of the house and our fenced in backyard, but when we leave for an hour or more she has to be crated as we have only had her a couple months and she likes to chew. Eventually though she will no longer need the crate...I look forward to that day...I loved it when our old dog would meet us by the door when we came home. I miss that.

I am so angered by this situation on so many levels, but it's pretty much all been said so I won't go on about it.

I will say this - you are so lucky that it wasn't MY dog that was attacked by your dog. You would have been in court yesterday.

Not only is this careless and irresponsible treatment of your dog, but it is also a danger to other people and dogs. Responsible dog owners that walk their dog on a leash are at risk for an attack by your dog. And unfortunately it is not the fault of your dog - the fault lies with you.

I really wish people would do at least the bare minimum of research before getting a pet. If not for you, then for your pet and your community.

Careless and irresponsible I am not. It is because I care that I sought this site's advice. I know you think it is no excuse, but where I live no dogs are kept up. We are in the country and they all run freely. I can't tell you the number of strange dogs that have entered my yard and my dog has never barked at them much less attacked them. It's simply not her nature. The neighbor's dog ran out to the end of their yard barking at mine. I know he was protecting his territory. My dog defended herself. I talked to another neighbor who has 3 dogs and he couldn't believe she did this. I do understand where you all are coming from. This is the first incidence we have had with her. She's a wonderful dog. Keeping her in the house is not an option. As much I would love to, my husband does not like animals in the house. For now, she is in her small kennel and I let her out when I get home from work. She stays with me as long as I'm outside. It's dark when I get home so we walk in the dark. This spring I hope to build a fence large enough for her to exercise. I may not be the pet owner you think I should be, but I love my animals and I do take good care of them. This is the first problem we have had and I will do what I have to do.

The hardest part of winter for me is the lack of sunlight. I walk my dogs in the morning and again in the evening, so this time of year, that means we are walking in the dark both morn and night. I do hate that and our walks are shorter because of it... I can bundle up warm and walking helps keep me warm, I just don't like to walk very far in the dark.

One of my good friends husband said he wouldn't allow dogs in the house, but she wanted a pet. So they compromised, the dog was allowed in the house, but only allowed in one room, the family room. The kitchen, dining room, bedrooms were off-limits to the dog. Perhaps you and your hubs could come to some type of similar compromise...

she sounds like a good dog...but labs and retrievers really are "people" dependent dogs. They need to be with their people as much as possible.

The county is a terrible place to let dogs roam for oh so many reasons

They get shot by people

attacked by wild animals with all the resulting problems

Mate with wolves and coyotes to produce dangerous coydogs( coyote/dog cross) and wolfdogs ( wolf/dog cross)

get rabies

get some other awful disease

get hit by cars

form packs and kill livestock or wildlife

You need to take control this animal before something terrible happens to your dog, some ones child, some buddys pet.

People in the county have a totally different attitute towards animals, many people there shouldn't have pets IMHO, Fencifowl for instant just shoots cats that wonder, into his/her yard because idiots just think of never fixing there pets, I knew a man that lived in the county he shot cats before, and get this, he was a pca of mine!

You don't let them roam with other dogs like that as they become packs and will start attacking and killing.

We had that trouble here living so close to the reserves and their dogs roamed all over and we were told when we moved into keep our dogs inside at a night as the dogs would roam and force other dogs to go with them and they were killing sheep and some killed this goat and attacked this horse in this tiny area.
We had a lot of trouble, thankfully our dogs never met up with them but they never roamed off our property.

No, that is a huge mistake people make being out in the country, they feel they can let their dogs go loose, not so.

When we first moved out to the country in the last house, the dogs were roaming loose and the people got together and had a meeting about it and said fence your properties or tie up your dog or keep it inside when not home and outside with it.
A neighbours great dane roamed free constantly and it killed a neighbours tiny dog. Also another neighbours kitten in the garage. The parents were so upset having to tell their 4 kids that their kitten was killed, they said blood was everywhere in the garage. Awful

No, don't let your dog/s do that, keep them at home and inside when you aren't outside with it and fenced or leashed. You are responsible and do not want your dog to kill.

We had that trouble with one dog, made a huge mistake in allowing them to go free in one area and our springer spaniel was with my dad and killed this guys chickens and my dad paid for them. After that leashed they were.

It can happen so fast. Don't take chances, not worth it.

Keep your dog safe.

This is kind of easy. If your children ran into the street, or went off without your knowing, I hope you would consider supervising them and preventing them from such independence. Same with dogs, no moatter where you live.

"My dog runs with other dogs. How can I stop him?"

Keep him contained in a house or yard?

"Oh, no, we don't do that."

Can't help you, then. But be prepared for the consequences.

and for jail... if someone sues you in court over dead animals/damaged property, or worse of all hurt/dead kids.