Help! My Dog Growls!

Help! My Dog Growls! – A dog that growls is NOT a bad dog.

By Don Hanson, PCBC-A, BFRAP

< Updated 2024-08-08 >

< The link for this page –  https://forcefreepets.com/help-my-dog-growls/ >

A dog’s growl can be frightening, but that is its purpose—to make a threat to stop and back off. It’s a warning sign that the dog feels threatened, uncomfortable, or angry. It’s the dog’s way of negotiating a confrontation without biting. Understanding this can help you interpret your dog’s behavior more accurately and respond appropriately.

While a growl is usually associated with “aggression,” it is essential to understand that many things can cause a dog to growl. Pain or other medical issues can cause a dog to growl, as can fear. Fear arises for many reasons; a reminder of a previous negative experience, a perceived loss of a resource or space, expectations of punishment and associated pain, and protective maternal instincts can all cause a dog to react “aggressively.” Sexual competition, barrier frustration, low tolerance for frustration, differences in personalities between dogs, and genetics may also cause or contribute to aggressive behavior.

As a Professional Canine Behavior Consultant (PCBC-A), I deal with more aggressive dogs than the average person. Therefore, I appreciate it when a client’s dog growls, thus giving me a warning and, hence, an opportunity to change my behavior so I do not get bitten. For this reason, I advise all my clients and students that it is NEVER wise to punish a dog for growling. Even yelling “No” or looking at the dog crossly can constitute punishment. Dogs repeatedly punished for growling eventually may not give a warning and immediately escalate to biting.  A dog that has learned not to growl because they have been punished for growling is far more dangerous than one that will provide a warning growl before escalating to biting. A dog that no longer growls will also be much more difficult to rehabilitate. Punishing a growling dog can lead to more dangerous behavior and should be avoided at all costs.

When your dog growls, it’s crucial to remain calm. This will help you think clearly and respond appropriately. If you can identify what is causing your dog to growl, increase your distance from the perceived threat. Remember, do not, for any reason, punish your dog in any way, as this will likely make the situation much worse.

With safety foremost in mind, cheerfully encourage your dog to step close to you with as little fanfare and emotion as possible. If they are on a leash, get them to follow you as you back away from the perceived threat to a place where your dog will feel safe and secure. Your dog will pick up on your emotions, and if they sense you are upset, angry, or afraid, your dog will likely become more agitated.

Once you have ensured all parties’ safety, you need to determine what caused your dog to feel threatened and defensive in the first place. To keep you and your dog safe, you should make sure that your dog is on a short leash, no longer than 6 feet, in any similar situations in the future. Better yet, avoid those situations until you understand why your dog growled.

If your dog is growling frequently or growling is very out of character for your dog, immediately schedule a veterinary exam to rule out any physical causes such as pain or illness. If the growling and aggression are not due to medical reasons, it is time to consult with an accredited dog behavior consultant or a veterinary behaviorist. Growling is an emotional response and cannot be trained away, so you will need to work with a professional credentialed in more than dog training. The sooner you seek guidance, the better. Aggression rarely improves without intervention, and the more times it occurs, the more likely it is to reoccur and the longer it will take to resolve.

Obedience training alone is extremely unlikely to resolve an aggression issue. Training certain behaviors like “Look Away” may help manage your dog when they are reactive but will not change how your dog feels. Aggression is an emotional response, sometimes due to having no control over a situation. Sitting for you on cue does not afford the dog a sense of control and may increase their fear and the accompanying response. Imagine how you would feel if you were afraid of snakes and someone forced you to sit on the ground next to several snakes until you “got over it.” I think you’d agree that would only make you more reactive and afraid in the future.

To resolve aggression, we need to change the dog’s emotions, whether the aggression is triggered by fear, anger, or something else. This is typically accomplished through a program of behavior modification explicitly developed for your dog by an accredited behavior consultant or a veterinary behaviorist. If the latter, it may include the use of prescription medications.

Aggression will seldom go away on its own, and the longer you wait, the harder it is to resolve. Dogs grow into aggression, not out of it. If you are having concerns, the time to seek help is now.

 

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Don Hanson lives in Bangor, Maine, where he is the co-owner of the Green Acres Kennel Shop (greenacreskennel.com) and the founder of ForceFreePets.com, an online educational resource for people with dogs and cats. He is a Professional Canine Behavior Consultant (PCBC-A) accredited by the Pet Professional Accreditation Board (PPAB) and a Bach Foundation Registered Animal Practitioner (BFRAP). Don is a member of the Pet Professional Guild (PPG), serving on the Board of Directors and Steering Committee and chairing the Advocacy Division. He is also a founding director of Pet Advocacy International (PIAI). In addition, Don produces and co-hosts The Woof Meow Show podcast, available at http://bit.ly/WfMwPodcasts/, the Apple Podcast app, and this blog. The opinions in this article are those of Don Hanson.

© Donald J. Hanson, All Rights Reserved

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