When we think of a dog growling, lots of negative things come to mind. Sharp teeth, biting, fighting, aggression … something like that, right?
But here’s the thing: Dogs need to growl because that’s their way of telling you all is not right with their world.
Asking a dog not to growl — or worse, punishing him for it — is like someone telling you never to get angry or even a little bit annoyed. Ever.
That means, no getting ticked off at the driver who cuts you off; no yelling when you stub your toe; no feeling aggravated when you’ve been waiting in line or put on hold for 30 minutes; no shaking your head when one of your co-workers didn’t bother refilling the copier after using the last sheet of paper; no choice words coming out of your mouth when you come home to a sink full of dirty dishes.
It’s just not possible, is it?
And here’s the real danger: If you are never allowed to express those feelings of anger and annoyance, they’re going to build up, and they all might come tumbling out of you in a big, furious explosion one day.
So let’s get back to your dog.
If he can’t communicate to you that he’s uncomfortable with something, well … he might just skip right to the bite. Because in the end, he will feel he has to protect himself, and in all likelihood, that’s what he’s going to do.
Most dogs … wait, let me change that … the vast majority of dogs do not want to bite. Not you, not another dog. They want to give you a heads up when something isn’t sitting right with them. And so, along with multiple other signals (most of which we don’t pick up on), they growl.
Let them.
Here’s what noted trainer Pat Miller has to say about it: “It’s very common for dog owners to punish their dogs for growling. Unfortunately, this often suppresses the growl – eliminating his ability to warn us that he’s about to snap, literally and figuratively. On other occasions, punishing a growling, uncomfortable dog can induce him to escalate into full-on aggression.”
So what are you supposed to do when your dog growls? Here’s what Pat recommends:
- Stop whatever you’re doing. If you know he may bite very soon after he growls, move yourself to a safe place. Otherwise, wait until he relaxes (you’ll see it and hear it), and then move away from him, so you’re rewarding his calmer behavior.
- Consider what made him growl. Were you trying to get him to do something? Were you handling him? Was someone/something approaching him? Think of what possibly could have made him feel threatened or afraid.
- Set him up for success. Everyone has triggers — dogs and people. There are just certain things that upset us, even though they may not make sense to anyone else. If your dog growls at the vacuum cleaner, put him upstairs while you’re vacuuming downstairs, and vice versa. Then call a positive reinforcement trainer to help desensitize your dog to the vacuum cleaner. Does your dog react to strangers? If you’re having people over, give your dog a “safe” room or even a corner that’s his, so he doesn’t feel trapped. And make sure to tell your guests not to approach the dog. Again, call in a trainer to help you work with this behavior.
“Stressors are cumulative,” says Pat. “… he may growl at you today when you do something, but he didn’t growl last week when you did the exact same thing. The more stressors you can remove overall, the less likely he is to growl the next time you do whatever it was that elicited the growl this time.”
So am I saying you should jump in the air and shout, “Yippee!” the next time your dog growls? Of course not.
But I am telling you to treat that growl as an important means of communication. Your dog is telling you he’s uncomfortable.
Listen to him … and appreciate that he gave you a warning.
When have you heard your dog growl? Let us know in the comment section below.
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