It simply means they're having a great time. Your dog might even growl during a particularly pleasing cuddle or patting session. Many dogs growl talk to communicate contentment or as a greeting. These types of growls simply indicate happiness.
PLEASURE GROWLING IN DOGS
Pleasure growling is characterized by a low, affectionate growl that may be paired with a moan and can continue for longer. You can compare it to a cat's purr, meaning your dog emits happiness. Their body language makes it easy to tell that they feel comfortable.
The Growl: Dogs do growl while playing, but there are two ways to tell different growls apart. An aggressive growl will be accompanied by snarling and snapping, while a playful growl is just a sound, accompanied by relaxed body movements (no tension).
Play growling: Growling may occur during playful interactions among dogs or between a dog and the pet parent. The growling in this case does not indicate that the other dog or person should go away. It's just a part of normal play behavior.
Pleasure Growling
It is a softer, low-pitched growl with a longer sound string, almost like a cat's purr. This growl may come from a high-quality belly rub or ear scratch. It's like the long sigh people make when getting a massage or settling into a favorite chair at the end of a long day.
Pleasure and Affection
For example, when you pet your dog, they may make a long and deep-sounding growl that seems like they're talking to you, along with a body language that's loose and relaxed. They may also growl whenever you rub their belly, showing pleasure and contentment.
Pleasure growling
Although dogs don't exactly make audible sounds in the same way that cats purr when they are experience pleasure, you may have noticed your pet make a strange sort of purr-come-growl sound upon occasion. A pleasure growl sounds very low and rumbling, and may last much longer than other dog growls.
Here's how it works. Growling is an important form of canine communication. It can indicate different messages, though most commonly it means that your dog is feeling threatened, protective, or she is attempting to scare off an impending confrontation.
There are many explanations for why your dog may growl. Your pup may not act out of aggression, but they may be simply expressing themselves. There are all different kinds of growls. You may be able to tell more from your dog's body posture when they growl.
While you're working to determine the cause of the growling, don't ignore it or it's likely to get worse. Be careful around your dog until you figure out why it's growling. Additionally, you may want to help your dog modify its behavior until the situation is under control.
It is rather an innate response triggered by the dog's self-defense system. The dog may feel alarmed, and he may go into fight-or-flight mode, but since a hug restrains him, he may more likely go into fight mode and react aggressively by giving a warning growl.
A submissive grin looks different than smiling and baring of teeth and tends to resemble the human smile. But if your dog is aggressively baring his or her teeth, be careful. It might look like a smile, but is usually accompanied with raised neck or back fur, a stiff posture and growling.
In fact, in some cases, growling may indicate that your furry friend is merely engaging in playful behaviour! Dogs may growl during playtime to show their enthusiasm or excitement. If you observe that your dog is wagging its tail while growling, it's a good indication that they are enjoying themselves.
NCBI describes jealous behaviors in dogs as snapping, getting between the owner and object, pushing, barking, growling, whining, or otherwise negative behavior towards the object (a thing, person, or another dog) that they perceive as a threat.
Dog growling is a form of communication. Your dog is not able to tell you when it's unhappy or uncomfortable with words. Most dogs will first use their body language to communicate with you. If you are unable to pick up on the more subtle clues, it may growl to let you know how it feels.
There are multiple reasons that a dog may exhibit aggression toward family members. The most common causes include conflict aggression, fear-based, defensive aggression, status related aggression, possessive aggression, food guarding aggression and redirected aggression.
Every dog's personality is a bit different and every dog is a product of different circumstances that make them react in the ways which make them feel safe and in control. Growling is a common behavior in dogs, and isn't necessarily bad or aggressive, but it can be taken that way.
You will hear happy growls in situations where they are roughhousing with a playmate, when they're getting pet or scratched, or just excited to see someone. You can tell if it is a play growl during these instances based on their body language. It is generally a playful or excited growl if the dog is loose and wiggly.
If your dog growls when you pet them, they're likely saying “no.” It's important to respect their boundaries and stop. However, dogs can also growl out of fear, pain, or happiness. Happy growls typically sound different, and your dog will display other happy body language.
Guarding people, places and things is normal for dogs (and for most people!) and growling is a dog's way of giving a warning. The aggressive display may stop with a growl (especially if the perceived threat goes away) or it may be a precursor to snapping and biting.
Dogs begin to bark by 4–5 wk and growl shortly thereafter. The amount of vocalization and age of onset is affected by breed.
Dogs sometimes purr, too. This throaty, “brrr” sound is often called a “rumble” by trainers and usually signals happiness. These dog sounds are usually a cross between a low rumble, a loud purr, and a grumbly growl.
Distract them from their bad behavior. Yelp or call out if they're growling at you and step away from the situation. Remove them from the situation if they show signs of aggression. Let your puppy calm down in another room or their crate when they're overexcited.
Licking is a natural and instinctive behaviour to dogs. For them it's a way of grooming, bonding, and expressing themselves. Your dog may lick you to say they love you, to get your attention, to help soothe themselves if they're stressed, to show empathy or because you taste good to them!