Help, my dog is growling at me! Every owner wishes that his four-legged friend always stays nice and peaceful. Bad enough when he barks or growls at strangers, but his own two-legged friend who loves him? Humans tend to project their standards of behavior onto the dog, so they perceive growling as a rude attack. And it’s undoubtedly frustrating to be met with rejection from a loved one in your family. The growl is actually an expression of a dog’s natural social behavior, which should neither be prevented nor ignored. In this article, you will learn how to react correctly when your dog growls at you and the reasons for this behavior.
What is dog growling?
The dog growls at me, but why? Dogs use verbal expressions as a means of communication, and their repertoire includes growling, barking, and whining. With the growling sound, the dog indicates that he is in a threatening or unpleasant situation and would like to be left alone. Perhaps all the stroking and scratching is getting to be too much for him or he is overworked from long walks. Or he is afraid that someone would want to take his food away from him.
So the dog emits a noisy warning to show its counterpart the boundaries and defuse the conflict. He’s saying: Stop! Leave me alone or I’ll snap! Ignoring this warning can be dangerous because the dog may actually act on the threat. Dog owners should therefore be happy when their darling growls at them. Because whoever warns first before biting is a good-natured and peaceful being.
Why is my dog growling at me?
Dogs say with their growl: Stop, don’t come near me! This defensive attitude can have numerous causes, from fear to stress and overwhelm to pain.
Reasons for growling
The growling can have a variety of reasons. In any situation where a dog is afraid, unsafe, or finds the company of others annoying, it can respond with a verbal response.
Protection of property
One of the common causes is the will to defend one’s property. If the dog thinks that another four-legged friend or a human wants to dispute food, toys, bones or even the accustomed place to sleep, it reacts with an audible threatening gesture.
Dog growls at me because of stress
Stress caused by a restricted environment or a change of environment can also be a cause. Whether it’s a new pet or toddler, a family addition, a move, or even just a change of bedding, many dogs have trouble adjusting to change. And in such a tense situation, even the smallest of things that the dog would otherwise calmly take can encourage it to make threatening noises.
Discontent
Our animal companions are also often dissatisfied when they are given too few or too many physical challenges. A bored dog that often has to stay indoors and doesn’t get enough exercise can express its displeasure by growling or snapping. A dog can also become irritable and prone to frequent growling if they are not given enough space and is disturbed. The constant company can get on the nerves of some dogs, and every now and then a dog wants to retreat to a cozy and quiet place.
Dog growls at me for pain
But the pain from an illness or injury or trauma from the past can also be the trigger. If a dog has had bad experiences, it associates certain stimuli with it. For example, if a puppy has been hit by a car, it often reacts anxiously to approaching engine noise, even as an adult. A sick dog usually doesn’t want to let anyone get close to him but wants to deal with his pain on his own. That’s why he even responds to friendly people who want to pet him with a dismissive growl.
Dominance
Finally, jealousy or dominance can also be the cause. For example, if a four-legged friend is used to sleeping in bed with his human every night, he does not want to let a toddler or a puppy contest his deserved place.
If you want to determine the right cause from the many possible causes, you have to observe your dog carefully and ask yourself: In what situation does my dog growl at me? Are there similarities in behavior from which a specific trigger can be identified? Or is the dog generally irritable or frustrated and often growls in different situations?
What to do if the dog suddenly snaps?
When a dog snaps, whether it’s from fear, overwhelm or stress, it’s important to leave it alone. Moving towards him with hands outstretched is now all wrong and can lead to escalation. The correct response is to walk away and wait for the dog to calm down.
Can a dog growl or should it be forbidden?
In the past, many dog trainers believed that dogs should be deprived of growling at an early age. Most people also spontaneously tend to discourage their dog from doing what they perceive as annoying and incomprehensible rejection. Today, however, this view is considered wrong. Rather, a ban on growling can prove to be a fatal upbringing mistake and have exactly the opposite effect. Growling is a dog’s nature and is a useful defense mechanism. The dog is saying: Up to here and no further, leave me alone or I will fight back!
Banning or scolding a dog that is obviously in a tense situation will not help. Then he just feels more pressured and might snap. A growl is an important form of expression and the dog must be allowed to use this non-violent verbal form of expression to indicate its discomfort.
Consequences of a ban on growling
How does a dog react when forbidden to growl? As his discomfort persists, he may try to send other signals to his human to make himself understood. Or he tries in some way to avoid the conflict. However, if a dog is very trainable or particularly sensitive, it will respond to multiple bans on growling by reducing or stopping the growl. If he knows that his statements will result in punishment, he no longer dares to use his natural means of communication. Then the four-legged friend has hardly any adequate opportunities to express his emotions. For example, growling bans can escalate stressful situations. Because a dog that no longer has the opportunity to draw attention to its discomfort with a non-violent vocal signal will go straight to snapping or biting.
Dog signals before growling
If a dog feels overwhelmed, stressed, harassed, or pushed into a corner, it usually sends out small reassurance signals with its body language before the growl, which attentive dog owners can notice. These signs that indicate that the dog is now becoming uncomfortable include, for example:
- licking your own snout,
- blinking, squinting,
- yawning,
- smacking,
- turning the head away,
- sniff the ground,
- lay on your back
- walk in a wavy line or in a curve,
- turn away body,
- muzzle bumps and
- tail wagging.
With these polite signals that dogs send out to both other dogs and people, they want to let people know that a conflict is imminent. In the animal kingdom, dogs usually get an answer to this as well. The other dog can use similar soothing signals to explain that he is not interested in an argument and will go away peacefully. However, we humans often interpret the signals of our four-legged friends incorrectly or do not perceive them at all. Therefore we owe the dog the expected answer. This can lead to frustration in the dog, who cannot find a solution to the emerging problem in the situation. Anyone who observes their darling closely will be able to read their body language better and better over time and will recognize an impending conflict early on. The right response can often avoid an argument.
What do I do if my dog growls?
Instead of scolding or even punishing the dog, dog owners should withdraw in this situation and give their darling enough space and time to calm down. Precise observations can help to research the causes, and sources of conflict can then often be eliminated in advance.
My dog growls at me – how should I not react?
If the dog growls at you, it should never be called names or punished. This makes him even more frightened in the situation and ultimately he only knows how to help himself by snapping or biting. In addition, the growling fur nose does not tolerate any approach that it could perceive as increasing harassment. Approaching the dog can therefore prove to be a serious mistake. Fast, hectic actions can also further upset or confuse him. But ignoring the warning sound doesn’t promise any improvement either. In the long run, it is more helpful to determine the trigger and avoid conflict situations in the future.
What is the correct reaction to a dog growling?
First of all, the dog wants to be left alone, so the master or mistress should withdraw a little from him and give him enough space. If the human moves very calmly and relaxed, the animal will also calm down more quickly. A relaxed posture helps the dog not feel threatened or overwhelmed but instead gives up its tension on its own. Regular rituals can also help to distract your four-legged friend. For example, if he is asked to fetch a stick or follow commands such as sit or down, he concentrates on these tasks and initially forgets what triggered his displeasure. With all this, he should always be addressed in a friendly and calm manner, never loudly or demandingly. If, despite all your efforts, the situation cannot be relaxed and the dog continues to growl, it only helps in an emergency to walk away until it has calmed down on its own after a while.
Dog growls at me: root cause analysis through close observation
For the future, however, the causes of the growling should be researched. If a dog growls frequently and for no apparent reason, a health check can ensure that pain is not the culprit. In many cases, precise observations can be used to find out what is bothering the four-legged friend. Maybe he doesn’t like it when someone stands too close to him while he’s eating. Then it helps to leave him alone at mealtimes. Every dog has different preferences – some don’t like being petted in certain places, others don’t like being picked up, and still others feel harassed when people bend over them.
Does he mostly growl at strangers or children? Maybe he’s afraid of strangers and doesn’t like it when children play too wildly with him. Then it can be set up not to let strangers and children get too close to him. However, if the dog is bothered by every little thing and constantly finds something to complain about, it may have to learn that it has to accept certain circumstances. Even if dominance behavior is the reason for his growling, because the original four-legged friend is jealous of a new family member, he occasionally needs a friendly reminder to put up with the new addition.
How does a dog show trust?
Dogs know many ways of expressing themselves to show trust and love to their humans. They jump up on them, lick their faces and always fulfill their wishes, for example by returning the thrown stick. A dog that lies down to sleep next to its master or mistress is a really big sign of trust.
What helps prevent growling?
Depending on the reason why the dog growls, in some cases, it can be avoided in the first place. Is the four-legged friend afraid because he associates certain noises or objects with unpleasant experiences? Then it might be possible to avoid the situations. Or the dog will calm down over time if it is repeatedly carefully introduced to the trigger of the stressful situation.
A dog that has been burned on a hot pot is likely to growl whenever it sees a saucepan. In order to show him that not all pots pose a danger, the object of fear can be carefully brought closer to him. If he is allowed to sniff a cold pot one day and gently touch it with his paw the next day, after a while, he will react more calmly to cookware. Even if a dog is injured and therefore does not want to be touched, cautious approaches can show it that it does not have to be afraid of its human. Once the master or mistress has gently stroked his sick paw without it causing him any pain, he will probably give up his defensive stance.
