Dogs use a variety of sounds to communicate with us. Understanding these sounds can help us to achieve a more harmonious relationship but also to ensure we stay safe. Growling is one of the vocalisations which dogs use to communicate, not only to us but also other dogs. Growling can be a concerning sound and can sometimes be misinterpreted or misunderstood. Some studies have showed that there was variable accuracy in people’s understanding of vocalisations, with experienced female dog owners fairing better.
If a growl is ignored and your dog is feeling fearful the situation could escalate to aggressive behaviour. It is therefore important to understand how dogs can use a growl to communicate to us. So, in what situation might your dog growl, and what could it mean?
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Fear
This is why most people would guess or assume that a dog is growling. Growling due to fear is often a warning. For example, if a dog is growling at a stranger approaching them and the person continues to try and get close the dog may further progress to aggression such as lunging or snapping. Growling because of fear is certainly important to heed, and ultimately to not ignore. It is also very important that you don’t train your dog not to growl in a situation it feels fearful. This is because a growl is often a warning and can alert you that your dog is uncomfortable. Without a warning a fearful dog may then react to a situation where they feel scared with aggressive behaviour, which would seem out of the blue.
Play
Dogs can use growling during playful times with other dogs or occasionally their owners. This type of growling might occur when a dog is playing tug of war. Such growling can be an expression of the fun they are having when playing. Growling might also form part of play such as chasing games or rough and tumble with a playmate. It’s important to be able to differentiate between your dog’s playful growl and a growl made because of fear so that the situation isn’t misread. Watching and taking note of your dog’s body language will also give you a clue that this is fun and games rather than heading towards a fight.
Pain
A dog might use growling to communicate pain, illness or discomfort. If an area of its body is injured and it is touched a natural response might be for the dog to growl. But if your dog is unwell or injured there is likely to be other signs or symptoms which would alert you to a problem such as lameness, lethargy, or decreased appetite. If your dog’s behaviour seems to be different or you think it could be unwell it is best to seek advice from your vet.
Territory
Some dogs become possessive over territory. And they will react with growling when they perceive it is in fear of or is being encroached upon. Situations such as people entering the house or coming close to the car for some will elicit a growl. Some situations involving territorial growling can be more problematic than others. For example if your dog is growling in response to you entering the same room as it or sitting next to it on the sofa, then the growling has potential to escalate. If you are concerned about your dog’s territorial growling seek advice from a qualified behaviourist.
Resource guarding
Some dogs become very possessive of resources such as food and toys. If the dog is worried about another dog or person approaching their food bowl, toy or other resource they might react with a growl. Depending on the situation resource guarding can be problematic; especially if the guarding and growling is directed towards you or other family members.
This is not an extensive list of situations where a growl might happen. Some dogs might rarely growl; but when they do it will form an important part of their communication with you or other dogs. However, if you feel your dog is growling frequently, you aren’t sure of the reason for the growling or you think your dog might have a health problem do seek urgent advice from a local vet. In such circumstances, if ill health has been ruled out by your vet it may well be prudent to get advice from a suitably qualified behaviourist.
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