Yes, you read that right. Growling is, in fact, a very good thing! Much like barking, whining, and other vocalizations, growling is one of the many ways our dogs are able to verbally communicate their emotions. Contrary to popular belief your dog isn't growling just to be “naughty” or to be dominant. Generally speaking, when a dog is growling (not to be confused with growling during play) they are typically expressing some type of discomfort. Often they are simply trying to tell you that something is wrong, and are asking for you to mediate on their behalf. Some examples of what feelings can cause a growl include:
Pain
Stress
Anxiety
Feeling overwhelmed
Needing space
Feeling tired
Wanting to be left alone
Think about when you are feeling any of these things and how you may respond to the people around you. Maybe you don’t growl, but our verbal language allows us to express tone and volume in partnership with our words, all of which give a better indication of the emotions underneath. So it’s important for us to remember that, while our dogs can’t speak English, they are already speaking a full language of their own, and growling is a crucial and necessary part of that.
Think of a stop light. The yellow light shining up above acts as a warning to indicate that the flow of traffic is about to change. When you approach an intersection and that light turns yellow, it is giving you the opportunity to slow down and evaluate the environment (and the context surrounding it) in order to make your next decision before that light turns red. When a dog growls, that is your yellow light. A growl gives you the opportunity to slow down, stop, reassess the situation and the environment surrounding it, and make adjustments in an effort to keep everyone involved safe and comfortable.
This is why it is so important that you do not correct or punish any growling that occurs. Punishing a dog when they growl does nothing to resolve the emotions being felt underneath, instead it likely just adds more stress and fear on top of it. It also teaches the dog that growling is ineffective, and thus they will need to find another way to communicate how they still feel. This can mean anything from simply walking away, to a serious bite.
Think about our stop light again, if you take away the yellow light at that intersection you'll likely wind up with a lot of accidents that could've been prevented had everyone still had their warning. To put it simply, growls absolutely need to be taken seriously, but suppressing it can be even worse.
It can be scary if your dog is growling, especially if you're not sure why. We're here to help! If your dog is growling:
Stop what you’re doing and evaluate the situation and your environment.
Determine and make note of any possible triggers.
Remove any others that may be bothering your dog (other pets, children, a guest).
Carefully guide your dog to a safe, quiet space to give them a chance to calm down. Giving them a self soothing exercise like frozen Kong can work wonders!
Rule out any pain by consulting with your vet.
Remember these triggers for next time, and try to implement a different management technique in order to prevent the situation that caused the growling to occur again. Maybe this means practicing place work, or only feeding meals/treats in a crate.
Keep in mind any other body language cues that oftentimes precludes a growl like lip licking, yawning and looking away.
Reach out to a professional trainer for help! We can work with you in determining triggers and come up with a plan to help make sure everyone feels safe and comfortable.
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