Why Does My Dog Growl?
By Susan Sharpe on Monday, November 7th, 2011 |
Canine Companion conducts dog training classes in Fort Wayne, Huntington and surrounding communities and behavior consulting nationwide. Along with their combined 30 years experience and endorsement by national organizations, the lead trainers are graduates of Purdue University’s DOGS! Program and have earned the title of Certified Pet Dog Trainer through the Association of Pet Dog Trainers.
Growling is a dog’s way of communicating he is uncomfortable with something. Dog owners should respect a dog’s growl as a form of communication. He is everyone, including you, he is afraid of someone or something. It's very common for dog owners to punish their dogs for growling. Punishing a dog for trying to communicate may suppress the growl, but it also eliminates his ability to warn you he's about to snap, literally and figuratively. On other occasions, punishing a growling dog can cause him to escalate into full-on aggression.
Fearful dogs learn growling makes “scary thing” go away. Dogs that are afraid of people growl and people back off. If nail trims are uncomfortable, the dog may growl and the person stops trimming their nails. So the growling is reinforcing because it made the scary situation go away.
Instead of punishing a growling dog you should stop whatever you are doing. Growling is his way of warning you if he continues to feel threatened, a bite may be his next line of defense. Stop whatever is threatening your dog, stay where you are. Once he relaxes, move away. Now you have reinforced the relaxed behavior rather than the growl.
Yelling at or punishing your dog for growling is not an effective way to deal with his growling. The dog may become more fearful of people because every time he tells them to go away, by growling, he’s verbally or physically punished. Punishing the dog for growling MAY get your dog to stop growling, but it doesn’t change his fear or anxiety (emotional response) about the situation. It only suppresses his growl. Instead of growling, he may decide to snap or bite all in an attempt to make what scares him go away and your punishment forced him to make that decision.
It’s better to work on changing your dog’s emotional response rather than changing his behavior. When the dog sees people he is uncomfortable with, gently toss a few tasty treats in his direction. You may need to begin this exercise with the person at a distance, but he will eventually associate “scary people” with the tasty tidbits and will anticipate the treats when he sees people. Scary things come with good treats – then they become much less scary!
You will need a lot of different people to give him lots of small, but great treats to change his emotional response, but committed and consistent eventually the dog will look for the treat when seeing people. This does not mean ever dog will love everybody, but it does mean your dog may learn to be genuinely excited and happy to interact with people or at least be manageable and look towards you for guidance and reinforcement for not reacting to whatever is causing him anxiety and fear. Be your dog’s advocate and never let anyone force him or herself on your fearful dog. A well-meaning person, who insists on feeding your dog directly from their hand, may approach too close, too fast and too soon and increase the dog’s fear. Gently tossing the treats at the dog’s feet is a good beginning, taking treats from someone’s hand may take time to achieve. So keep everyone safe.
Fearful dog’s can be dangerous; they may feel the need to bite if threatened. If your dog has growled, snapped or bitten, contact a professional dog trainer who uses positive reinforcement to help you set up a program to properly desensitize your dog to those people and things that he finds threatening.
Tip of the week: To help your dog overcome his fears use a variety of really tasty treats. Small bites of hot dogs, chicken, cheese and even cat food work great! Bark questions to: Canine Companion, 11652 North - 825 West, Huntington, IN 46750 or email info@caninecompanion.us
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