You should never punish your dog for growling. Growling is an essential part of a dog's language. When dogs growl, they are trying to communicate their stress about something happening in their environment. That could be them guarding a toy, seeing a stranger, or even just excited to see someone they know.
Stop Moving
If you move or react too quickly or too soon, the motion can cause the dog to give in to prey drive and react without thinking. For example, if you reach down to pet a dog and they begin growling as you reach over, do not immediately retract your hand and jump back.
As long as they have not been punished for growling (and we'll talk more about that momentarily), dogs will usually issue a warning growl to humans or another dog if they are uncomfortable. It's important to understand that a warning is a good thing! Most dogs don't want to bite or fight.
While you're working to determine the cause of the growling, don't ignore it or it's likely to get worse. Be careful around your dog until you figure out why it's growling. Additionally, you may want to help your dog modify its behavior until the situation is under control.
Methods such as alpha rolls and physical corrections (via the leash and a choke chain or by smacking the dog on the nose or by shaking their scruffs) were often recommended as a way for humans to establish dominance over their dogs.
The most common reasons dogs growl are fear, possession aggression, territoriality, and pain. Some dogs also growl when playing. Play growling is often seen when two dogs are having a safe, healthy play session.
Dog growling is simply a method of communication – it's your dog trying to tell you something. Dogs growl to communicate lots of different things, from fear and aggression to encouraging play. That's why you need to understand the types of dog growl to interpret what the sound means.
Pleasure growling — Some dogs will growl affectionately when they are being petted or as a request for attention. Some people think it's a threat, but it's a sign of happiness. Threat growling — Often seen in dogs that are fearful, territorial or possessive, this growl tells a perceived threat to go away.
The play growl is at a higher pitch and comes in shorter bursts than a longer, aggressive growl. The only concern here may be the potential for escalation if playing gets too rough or the dog gets carried away with high energy.
The Growl: Dogs do growl while playing, but there are two ways to tell different growls apart. An aggressive growl will be accompanied by snarling and snapping, while a playful growl is just a sound, accompanied by relaxed body movements (no tension).
Dogs will also growl when they are feeling frightened or stressed out. Most of the time this is a warning before the dog reacts aggressively. Although a dog may not always snap or bite after growling from fear or stress, it is still always best to be cautious.
Step 1 - Squat down, facing sideways, so you are not facing the dog directly. Position yourself far enough away from the dog so he doesn't retreat or attack. As soon as you see him make a move or escalate his fear behavior, stop and squat down. You don't want him to feel like you are cornering or chasing him.
Slow things down and start when your puppy is calm and relaxed. Keep your puppy at a distance from strangers where they aren't yet growling, but are close enough for the puppy to see the stranger. While they are sitting calmly and not growling, praise and reward your puppy for their good behaviour.
Dogs will give a warning growl in situations involving things like resource guarding, stranger danger, feeling cornered, or feeling stressed. Dogs use these warning growls to communicate to you or another animal to “back off” because they are uncomfortable.
A low rumble can mean he heard something outside. A solid growl may mean, “I would like you to stop touching me, but I won't bite you,” and a snarl that shows all of his teeth might be his way of saying, “I really don't like that dog or person, and I may bite if given the opportunity.”
NCBI describes jealous behaviors in dogs as snapping, getting between the owner and object, pushing, barking, growling, whining, or otherwise negative behavior towards the object (a thing, person, or another dog) that they perceive as a threat.
Growling is part of normal canine communication. People usually think of a dog's growl as a warning or as a sign of defense. Often, growling means that the dog needs space or is uncomfortable. However, growling is a complex vocalization that also occurs in other situations.
Many trainers suggest that all growling is fear based, and for that reason, these dogs should not be corrected for growling because it's valuable communication. Not all dogs growl out of fear, but the majority do.
Growling is a low, guttural vocalization produced by animals as an aggressive warning but can also be found in other contexts such as playful behaviors or mating. Different animals will use growling in specific contexts as a form of communication.
This type of growl with a low volume and a deep, rumbling sound usually happens when a dog feels scared, possessive, or threatened. It is a warning growl that indicates their discomfort in a particular situation.
Your dog could be growling because they are frustrated or feel territorial. On the flip side, your pup could be feeling playful or affectionate. Their body language and facial expression can tell the “tail.” If your dog is being aggressive, there are things you can do to teach them good behavior.
Growling can seem aggressive, but it is simply one way that puppies and dogs communicate. They let you know if they're uncomfortable, afraid, or upset about a certain situation. Growling is also a warning. It is your puppy's way of saying that they might bite.
Best case scenario if you growl at your dog — you'll get his attention because you've made a novel noise. Worst case scenario – you'll get bitten in the face. I used another example to illustrate the fact that growling at your dog is not only silly, but dangerous advice.
And a growl is a wonderful gift. The growl itself is not an act of aggression, it is the only way the dog can make itself heard when all of his other signals have been ignored. If you punish a growl, you are disabling a really useful warning system.