Growling is part of normal canine communication. People usually think of a dog's growl as a warning or as a sign of defense. Often, growling means that the dog needs space or is uncomfortable. However, growling is a complex vocalization that also occurs in other situations.
Dogs will give a warning growl in situations involving things like resource guarding, stranger danger, feeling cornered, or feeling stressed. Dogs use these warning growls to communicate to you or another animal to “back off” because they are uncomfortable.
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.
Stop whatever it is you're doing or the person/animal eliciting the growl is doing. If you know that your dog growls right before a bite, then move away and get safe. If you know the growl doesn't mean a bite is imminent, stop what you are doing.
Don't Punish Growling
It's either benign or a symptom of stress in your dog. If you punish your dog for growling, you will only inhibit growling. You won't have done anything to address the underlying issue. For example, punishing your dog for growling in the presence of other dogs will stop the growling.
You cannot punish an emotion out of a dog (or a human). Growling is just your dog's way of trying to tell you something important, and you should listen and genuinely thank your dog for the honest feedback. Growling is your dog's way of begging you to stop what you're doing and move away.
The most common reasons dogs growl are fear, possession aggression, territoriality, and pain. Some dogs also growl when playing. Play growling is often seen when two dogs are having a safe, healthy play session. In this case, the growling does not necessarily indicate aggression.
Pleasure growling — Some dogs will growl affectionately when they are being petted or as a request for attention. Some people think it's a threat, but it's a sign of happiness. Threat growling — Often seen in dogs that are fearful, territorial or possessive, this growl tells a perceived threat to go away.
A Growl is a Communication Effort
Most dogs don't want to bite or fight. The behaviors that signal pending aggression are intended first and foremost to warn away a threat. The dog who doesn't want to bite or fight tries his hardest to make you go away.
Why Do Dogs Growl? Growling is one way your dog communicates with you. It growls to let you know that it's afraid, in pain, or needs for you to back away from its possessions or territory. Often your first instinct is to run from a growling dog or to punish it for growling.
The most common causes include conflict aggression, fear-based, defensive aggression, status related aggression, possessive aggression, food guarding aggression and redirected aggression.
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).
A confident dog wanting you to move away will often deliver a low-pitched warning growl. His body will stiffen and the loose circular wag may become a stiff side-to-side motion. 2. A scared dog who really doesn't want to defend himself may make a high-pitched growl-bark to get you to move away from him.
Your dog may be showing possessive behavior if they do the following: Growling. Snapping. Whining.
Dogs begin to bark by 4–5 wk and growl shortly thereafter. The amount of vocalization and age of onset is affected by breed.
Many trainers suggest that all growling is fear based, and for that reason, these dogs should not be corrected for growling because it's valuable communication. Not all dogs growl out of fear, but the majority do.
Warning Growl
As long as they have not been punished for growling (and we'll talk more about that momentarily), dogs will usually issue a warning growl to humans or another dog if they are uncomfortable. It's important to understand that a warning is a good thing! Most dogs don't want to bite or fight.
Pleasure and Affection
It means that dog growling when petted is nothing to be concerned about and is often a tender expression of your dog's love towards you. When your dog exhibits an affectionate growl, you'll most likely realize that what they're feeling is far from aggression.
Most dogs assume a neutral or submissive role toward people, but some dogs will challenge their owners for dominance. A dominant dog may stare, bark, growl, snap, or even bite when you give him a command or ask him to give up a toy, treat, or resting place.
“If your dog whines, barks, paws at you, or nudges you to get affection, this means that they don't respect your personal space and they won't listen to you in other areas of training and leadership.” This one may be tricky for dog owners.
The safest and most effective way to treat an aggression problem is to implement behavior modification under the guidance of a qualified professional. Modifying a dog's behavior involves rewarding her for good behavior—so you'll likely be more successful if your dog enjoys praise, treats and toys.
Dog aggression can be related to fear, prey drive, socialization issues, and guarding territory, among other things. Most aggressive behavior in dogs stems from fear and anxiety, rather than the desire to hurt others. A certified animal behaviorist can help you safely deal with your dog's aggressive behavior.
If your dog has bitten someone, it's natural to question whether you can ever trust them again. The good news is that in many situations, a dog that's bitten can go on to live a long and happy life with no other incidents.