If you’ve ever had a bad experience with dogs, especially if you’ve had dog bites, you’re probably pretty wary around them right now. And that’s completely understandable; dogs can be very frightening when they growl or bark at you, especially if you’re not expecting it.
But the truth is that growling can mean many things. Some are unpleasant and dangerous, but many aren’t, and you can stop most of them with training and work on your part as the pet parent. So how do you know if your dog growling means it’s uncomfortable, unhappy, agitated, or aggressive?
Read on to learn more about your dog growling and how to understand or prevent it.
What Is A Dog Growling Or Snarl?
It is natural for dogs to growl to communicate with humans, other dogs, and animals. This deep rumbling sound they make from the throat may accompany other actions like barking, jumping, and tail wagging. You may want to give a dog some space if it barks and growls, which could be an aggressive sign.
Growling Dog Categories
The first thing we need to know about dogs growling is the cause. The types of growls dogs make include warning growls and play growls. Before you understand how to read dog growling, you must distinguish between these two types.
Luckily, there are pretty clear differences between them. They tend to be easy to spot if you are attentive and understand them.
Play Growls
Play growls are typical in dogs. They may be showing that they want to continue playing by growling, which is a sign they are having fun. Even though it’s challenging to pick up on subtle changes in dog growling, you can distinguish them from other, more hostile growls.
Although every dog is unique and has its vocal range, play growls have a higher pitch than other types of growling. They’ll be shorter as well. It’s important to note that two dogs often make growls when playing with each other because it helps them release energy.
Play growls may also indicate that your dog wants you to chase it for a game of fetch or tug-of-war. When your dog offers you its favorite toy in its mouth, it may also be making this type of vocalization.
Warning Growls
Dogs growl for many motives, but the most common is as a warning to other animals. This growl is deep and happens when a dog senses danger or jealousy. If you hear your dog making warning growls at something or someone, it’s crucial to check out what’s happening.
Most dogs growl to make a noise while feeling territorial or protective of their space. But if an aggressive dog sounds scary when making these noises, this may indicate that they are in danger or threatened by something nearby. Be sure to watch them so you can intervene if necessary.
You’ll want to consider all factors before deciding whether you need to protect your dog. For example, is it an aggressive dog? Does it react only to certain people? These factors will help determine the best course of action for both you and your pet dogs.
Potential Reason For Warning Growls
Dogs can be surprisingly communicative when growling. When dogs growl, it’s trying to communicate something with you, whether it’s a warning or the desire to be alone. But what are the reasons for growling? And how can you tell if it’s for you?
Possession Aggression
When a dog has anything valuable, like a beloved chew toy, it may become aggressive against people or other animals that approach the dog. Aggressive growling is a sign of this hostility.
If your dog is growling at you, it could be that it feels threatened or that it is telling you not to get too close. Aggressive behavior can stem from a lack of exercise, boredom, anxiety, or frustration.
Some ways you can reduce possessive aggression include:
- Instilling in pups a sense of responsibility for their food and belongings when they are young
- Supervise your dog so it cannot access any objects it might pick up and guard.
- It could be necessary to block off areas so it cannot access specific goods.
- Consider not providing Rawhide bones, pig’s ears, and prized goods during its initial training phase.
- Prevent your dog from straying, and stop it immediately if it tries to raid the trash or pick up inappropriate stuff. You can use a long leash fastened to a head collar to control it when going for walks or exercise.
Fear
Possibly one of the most common reasons for a dog’s aggressive growling is fear. Fear could be due to an unfamiliar person or animal or because they are unsure about what’s happening and are uncertain how to react.
A Fearful dog might also growl when in pain or if someone tries to put it in a situation that makes the canine uncomfortable. A certified professional dog trainer can help figure out if there is anything your pup finds intimidating.
Some ways natural ways to can reduce fear in your dog are;
- You can start by walking your dog on a leash, especially if they’re afraid of other people and dogs.
- Give it treats when your canine behaves so the pup knows it has earned them. Be consistent in what you do with your canine, but don’t punish it if it does something wrong!
- Keep the environment safe for your dog by keeping dangerous things away from it. Also, consider using safe toys like balls or kong instead of sticks or rawhides as rewards for good behavior.
- Take it out on walks regularly to a dog park and ensure that everyone who comes along with you is friendly towards the pup, too – never leave your canine alone in a room with strangers!
- Socializing your dog with dogs of all sizes, ages, and breeds will help it feel comfortable around other animals.
- Training is necessary because it teaches them how to behave around new people or situations.
Pain
The growls of an injured dog may be a sign that they are in pain. If you have done something to hurt your dog and they growl, it is important to react calmly so as not to exacerbate their condition. Several factors can cause your dog to experience pain.
The type and degree of the pain may have an impact. Some dogs experience acute discomfort, which is temporary and results from an accident or sickness. It can also be due to an underlying illness. Although, certain dogs may have persistent pain.
Here are some ways you can alleviate your dog’s pain:
- The essential thing you can do to reduce pain in dogs is to get them to the veterinarian immediately. The sooner you get them there, the better the odds of preventing serious problems.
- Ensure your dog is as comfortable as possible by providing enough space to stretch out and cool places to sleep.
- Keep track of the daily exercise your dog receives. Your dog needs workout drills like humans, and it will get healthier if it sweats daily!
- For open skin injuries, you can apply coconut oil. Coconut oil is a source of Lauric Acid, which has antimicrobial properties that help fight off infections on your dog’s skin and aid with arthritis.
- Give your dog plenty of water as dogs have a high thirst drive and can dehydrate if they don’t drink enough water.
Territoriality
When dogs growl, they are trying to tell you something. And while they can snarl for many reasons, it can be because they want to protect their territory. When your dog feels that other dogs are invading its space and threatening its safety, it may growl to scare off the intruder.
The likely targets of territorial violence are strangers and creatures your dog doesn’t know. Some ways you can prevent territorial aggression includes
- Early socialization and effective control
- When the puppy is young and learning social skills, Ensure that a variety of guests come over to visit the puppy.
- If your dog is territorially aggressive toward guests, you should confine it or restrict it for some time.
How Do You Discipline Aggressive Growling In A Dog?
An aggressive growl is scary, but hitting your dog or showing other signs of aggression will only make the behavior worse in the long run. Luckily, here are a few discipline strategies you can try to teach your dog to stop showing aggression.
Work On Communication
It’s necessary to understand why your dog growls before you discipline them. Is your dog feeling territorial and trying to protect its home? Is the pup frustrated because they can’t get what they want? Or is it scared?
Once you know the reason behind your dog’s growling, it will be much easier for you to determine how best to discipline your canine without hurting it. If your dog is protecting its home or other things, consider removing the item.
If it’s doing it out of frustration, try giving it something to chew on (like beef ribs). And if it is growling because it’s afraid of something that scares the pup (like thunder), then keep an eye on its behavior and stay with your dog until it calms down.
Practice Basic Commands
One of the best ways to keep your dog from growling is to spend time with them. Take them for walks, play with them and teach them basic commands. This way, it has something else on its mind besides growling.
Make sure to stay consistent so that the training sticks! If you are inconsistent, this will lead to confusion for both you and your pet dogs. They will not know what to expect from you or what’s happening.
Basic commands like sit, down and stay can also help build trust in you. Practicing these commands may help break it up and get their focus off of whatever is making them angry in the first place.
Reward Good Behavior
Rewarding good behavior is the best way to teach your dog what it should do to get what it wants. You can praise it in many ways, so find the one that works for you and your pup.
For example, If it jumps up on you when guests come over, give your pup its favorite toy instead of yelling at it. Ensure the pup gets something it likes every time, so the canine knows it’s worth it!
Also, timeouts will teach them not to repeat behaviors. Find a designated area where they don’t get anything but their punishment for about five minutes after doing something wrong. When they leave their timeout spot, ensure you lavish it with attention again.
Give Attention Sparingly
If your dog is growling, give them attention sparingly. Dogs often snarl at people or other dogs they don’t want to encounter. It conveys to them that it’s uncomfortable with the situation and would prefer it if they stepped back.
Giving them your attention while they exhibit this action can reinforce this behavior. It may growl the next time someone (or another dog) comes near them. It’s best to ignore the behavior and take steps to change their environment.
Use Consequences Wisely
Punishments are not always the best way to discipline your dog. It’s important to note that physical punishment can lead to aggression and anxiety in dogs, so it’s not advisable. But you can use other ways of disciplining your pet that doesn’t involve hitting them. Some punishments are:
Ignore The Behavior
Dogs often bark at one another out of boredom or when feeling territorial. If your dog is barking out of frustration, ensure it has enough exercise daily and give it rewards for positive behaviors.
Give Them Their Space
If your pup is growling because it doesn’t like sharing its space with another animal, try crate training.
Refuse To Give Them What They Want
If you notice your pup whining every time you leave the room and refuse to give the pup what it wants until it stops whining.
What Does It Signify When A Dog Growls But Wags Its Tail?
Do dogs growl and wag their tail at the same time? Perhaps it’s wagging its tail while snarling, as though it is happy to see you but wants to make sure you know not to come too close. This contradictory reaction may be one of the more confusing canine behaviors. But if you dig deeper, you can find a logical explanation for what’s happening.
Scent Marking
Dogs communicate by marking their territory, whether they are indoors or outside. When they urinate, they sketch their domain with pheromones. When they defecate, they leave behind a scent that communicates to other dogs that this is their territory.
These two behaviors can happen together or separately, depending on the dog and the situation. For example, if your dog is in a new environment and perceives danger, it may growl and wag its tail because it wants you to stay away from that territory.
Confident Or Fearful Dogs
Dogs who growl and wag their tail usually do so because they are fearful or insecure. These dogs may want to be friends but are uncertain how to approach you. You can help them feel more confident by making it clear that you want to play with them.
If your dog is nervous about meeting new people or dogs, try getting them involved in an activity where they have the opportunity to socialize. Be patient, as this may take time for your dog to warm up and become comfortable.
If you have an aggressive dog when approaching another animal, keep it on a leash until it has calmed down. Remember, if you teach your pet to respond well to treats as rewards, it will be easier for them to learn commands too!
Playful Dogs
Some people might call it an oxymoron, but the dog that growls while wagging its tail can be expressing itself to you. Usually, these dogs are recreating and want to engage in a game of chase or tug-of-war. The term for this type of behavior is called play growling.
Sometimes it’s even just an excited yip or bark! If your dog growls during playtime, do your best to maintain control of the situation to prevent things from getting too rough.
If your pup is aggressive while playing, break out some soothing music on your phone. You can also take it outside for fresh air and do other things to ensure it settles down again.
Feeling Secure
Dogs have many ways of showing their feelings. One way is through growling. They do this when they feel threatened or want to display dominance. When you know what your dog is trying to say, it can be easier to figure out what’s happening and how to make them feel better! If your pup starts to wag its tail and growl, it’s likely feeling very secure at that moment.
FAQ
Conclusion
We know that dogs are man’s best friend, and many pet parents would go to the ends of the earth for their furry friend. While this is true, we all know that dogs can act in a pretty strange way. One of these ways includes growling. While growling can sometimes be a sign of a dog who doesn’t like you, it is usually a sign of affection they are trying to show you. It is all too common for people to yell at their dogs when they growl, but this is not always the best way to react to this behavior.
Related topic: Dog panting: The reason behind it
*photo by kovbasniuk – depositphotos