Growling: Growling is meant to avert aggression, not cause it

[Joanne ~ Spud*]

I've often commented here on DK when I see discussions about Growling.  I've even posted a video about different sounds dogs make to help new puppy owners understand that dogs have no voice. They communicate with guttural sounds.  A growl is not a cut and dry, one word, communication. It is not hate. 

They make sounds and these sounds are most likely to be play, excitement, disagreements, but not aggression. Often, others comment, " Growling is NOT ACCEPTABLE, under any circumstances"

I cringe when I see the absolute comments.

I was raised with the 'not acceptable' opinions too, but mine changed somewhat  over the years.  I've lightened a little.  I try to incorporate dog body language into sounds dogs make.  I'm no pro and it's tough.

Many of you know I lived with an aggressive doodle who never made a sound. It was all in her eyes and body language and those spoke powerful. 

I'm hoping I can get others to read an article and understand what I've been taught.

I'm seeing too many dogs given up at young ages because of just a simple miscommunication error.  Today was one of those  :(

I'm hoping that we don't overreact, correct the dog ( I see this a lot too~ the dog needs immediate correction).  I  was beginning to think I may be thinking wrong but this article affirms what I was taught:

Pay attention to the circumstances, dont react to the noise but react to behavior, is there danger involved?

If it continues and you see anger in your once pleasant dog, take him to the vet. If you have a young puppy, get to a trainer early on not when the problems begin. 

Understand the difference between Aggression and Communication.  If you dont know what's going on with your dog, find help!  

Otherwise, JUST LISTEN.  Your dog is speaking  :)   What is your dog saying?   Sometimes it's just all talk

Etc.  So, here is the article.  Enjoy

Why Growling is Good

A woman I sometimes chat with during my morning dog outings asked my opinion about an encounter she recently had. She’d been been walking her four-year-old mixed breed dog around a local park when she crossed paths with a man whose dog was off leash. As the owners walked toward each other on the narrow trail, the foot loose and fancy-free puppy ran up to the adult dog. With the usual lack of canine cluelessness that accompanies early dogdom, the pup leaped at the dog relentlessly in an attempt to initiate play. The woman’s dog, while not aggressive, did not want to be bothered. He growled. The puppy didn’t back off, and again tried to engage the older dog. The dog growled louder. The man made no attempt to put his dog on leash. The woman, feeling embarrassed that her dog had growled, ended up apologizing to the man and walking her dog away.

The adult dog’s hackles might not have been up during the encounter, but mine certainly were. The woman’s dog had done nothing wrong. She had nothing to apologize for! Growling is a perfectly acceptable canine warning. It’s a dog’s way of saying, “Hey, I don’t like that,” “Don’t come any closer!” or “Please stop what you’re doing.” Being on leash, the adult dog didn’t have the option to leave. He could certainly have snapped at the puppy, or worse. But instead, he gave an appropriate warning. That the puppy didn’t buy a vowel, get a clue, and understand what was being spelled out was a problem, so the dog growled louder. Hopefully that puppy will learn to back off when adult dogs warn him away, before his puppy license expires and an adult dog cleans his clock. And hopefully the man will learn to leash his dog when encountering others.

Understanding that a growl is a threat is hard-wired in humans, so it’s reasonable and even advantageous that we become upset when we hear one. But a growl from a dog is actually a good thing. I’m not suggesting that it’s a good thing for a dog to growl at his owner, but growling is a non-aggressive form of communication. Think about it. If someone kept shoving into you on line at the post office, you’d eventually say something like, “Excuse you!” But what if you didn’t have a way to warn the person that you were getting irritated? Eventually, you’d have to resort to either leaving, or physically getting your point across. Whether a dog is growling at another dog or a person, it’s simply a warning. If the dog wanted to attack, he would have. Growling is meant to avert aggression, not cause it. But people misunderstand, and punish dogs for growling. A dog then learns that growling leads to being punished and, unfortunately, once his early warning system has been removed, the dog is likely to begin biting with no warning. As a trainer, I’ve seen many dogs like that over the years and believe me, they’re no fun to rehabilitate.

If a dog is growling at you, whether the dog belongs to you or someone else, the best course of action at the moment is to defuse the situation. After all, the dog’s arousal level is already elevated. You don’t want to shout or worse, get physical, as those things could lead to a bite. Instead, glance down and to the side (this tells the dog you’re not a threat while allowing you to keep him in your peripheral vision) and back away slowly. Don’t turn your back on the dog if you can help it, as some dogs are more prone to attack from the rear. If the dog in question is your own, address the situation that caused the growling—for example, food guarding—at another time when your dog is calm, with the assistance of a professional trainer if necessary. Remember, growling is simply communication. If we take a moment to assess why a dog is growling instead of automatically taking the attitude that he’s behaving inappropriately, we will react appropriately ourselves.

http://wildewmn.wordpress.com/2013/10/22/why-growling-is-good/

[Rosemary (Ro) and Enzo]

I think there has got to be a midway point, between the "positive training"  theories and the more traditional. "old fashioned smack your dog on the nose with the newspaper" methods. 

A little common sense goes a long way!  I'm certainly not going to beat my dog, but she will not pull me, and act like a crazy whackadoodle, jumping and clawing at people either.  She will be corrected!

Unfortunately, ( and I'm probably opening up a can of worms here), people have used the same training methods with kids.

  I will never forget working in a bank one time as, Mgr., and a little boy( maybe 5) was literally tearing and hanging on our drapes.  I went over to him and quite nicely asked him to stop and tried  to re-direct him.  His mother was incensed and told him I was stifling his creativity!  She then allowed him to hang and swing on the drapes!  Not only did I want to smack the kid, but the mother too!  She was asked to leave the bank.

I just know that kid is probably robbing banks now!  :p

Same goes with puppies and young dogs.  I do understand, not every method works for every dog, but again....common sense!   JMHO.

[Jane, Guinness and Murphy]

I agree....common sense and a balanced approach.

[Adina P]

Purely Positive training works in theory, but I don't believe in it as a practical way to train a dog that lives in the real world. Whales and dolphins don't live in the real world. They are more or less captive...at least contained to the sea/a body of water. I'm not a fan of applying Skinner behaviorism to every realm of life because in a relationship there are dynamics that you don't find in rat models.

[Rosemary (Ro) and Enzo]

Great article and post! Thanks for posting!
Enzo " growls " at me all the time when we are playing. It's a low guttural type noise...and it is very clearly a " play type noise". I have only heard her give a warning growl once...@ 5 months, she did not like a guy who approached me on the street. For good reason too! People need to learn not all " growls" are alike!

[J and Riley (and Luna)]

Luna ALWAYS growls during play with us and with her best friends that she knows very well.  It's a very different growl than her "threat" growl.  The "play" growl is high pitched and usually gets higher pitched through its duration.  Her "threat" growl is very low-pitched and often goes DOWN in pitch as it progresses.

We know a dog (husky/border collie mix) who doesn't threaten at all with growls before she attacks (she has some dominance/aggression issues with other dominant dogs).  Her hackles go up, she postures and then she just snaps and starts the biting and snarling.. it's quite scary.  Growling =/= aggression.  That dog is VERY scary and I don't think I've ever heard her growl.

[F, Calla & Luca]

Maybe those play growls should not be lumped under growls but are merely one kind of vocalization. Luca has a whole repertoire, Calla hardly any. I know the sound Luca makes if he wants me to open his crate so he can get to his food in there, if he has lost something where he can't get it etc. He barks a certain bark if he wants to come in. A whole repertoire.

[Karen, Jasper and Jackdoodle]

I agree, growling while playing is an entirely different thing. 

[K and Racey]

I absolutely agree that it is about "knowing" your dogs growl. 

[Cyndi, The Boys & Callie]

Tank is like Luna, he has two very different growls one so high pitched it almost hurts the ears is his play bark. His serious bark is much, much deeper. There is no confusing the two. Beau and Sully only have one level but I can tell by how they act if it's play or warning. Saying "yes" can mean completely different things depending on the question. The same is true of dog communication. Very little is black or white.

[F, Calla & Luca]

Interesting article. Luckily this has not been an issue for me in terms of the dogs growling at me. I would have a lot of difficulty with that. I understand the premise but if I startle my dogs I don't want growling. On the other hand, it bothers me that Calla can be pretty skittish if I startle her, as if she fears I was planning to beat her. But I just reassure her and move on. She does not growl though.

[Karen, Jasper and Jackdoodle]

I do not believe that growling at an owner when startled or otherwise unhappy is a normal behavior for a dog, and to me would indicate a temperament issue that should be addressed with a qualified trainer. 

I would have a lot of difficulty with my dog growling at me when not playing too, F.

[Debb, Lucy & Oscar]

Lucy also growls during play, whether its with us, the 'adults', or with Oscar. Its a low, soft, constant type of growl that really is quite endearing. I have never heard Oscar growl. I agree with Karen that's its simply not acceptable for a dog to growl at it's owner because it doesn't like something and therefore, the offending action should be avoided . Again, Lucy can be a handful when grooming her legs and she'll often growl and even nip at me. That's when the muzzle comes out. Surprisingly, she's a perfect angel while she's wearing it :-)  The 'real' angel of the two, Oscar, never puts up any kind of fuss over anything I do to him. He's a groomer's dream.