What To Do If Your Dog Growls At You

Fortunately for us, due to the long domestication process that the dog has had, in general, it tends to see the human as a leader, and acquires a submissive role within our home. However, due to poor education processes, dogs tend to distort these roles a bit, especially when referring to objects that he understands as his own. So we leave you some recommendations on what to do if your dog growls at you.

Information to keep in mind if your dog growls at you

First of all, we must learn to differentiate the kinds of sounds that the dog makes. In many cases, especially people who are not familiar with our pet, they tend to misinterpret some of the barking or growling they make, understanding them as aggressive, when in reality they are just saying hello or being friendly. So first of all you must learn to interpret their body language and help the people who come to your home to stay relaxed in the presence of your pet, especially if it is of a large breed.

There is a popular adage that dogs smell fear , and it is not so much that they smell fear, only that they are very good at interpreting attitudes and moods, and if a person loses their leadership position to a canine, well, let’s say they will have more of a problem.

You should also bear in mind that the level of possessiveness varies greatly from one breed to another, for example Rottweilers are extremely loving and docile dogs with their owners, but they do not welcome strangers very well and are overprotective with children, so they require of a lot of socialization during his puppy stage (with other animals and with humans), in addition to daily activities in the open air because his excess of strength and energy can be problematic if he does not exercise properly.

Dogs growl for many reasons, and it is not okay to eliminate the growl, because this inhibits them from expressing that they can or will bite, making them susceptible to attack without warning. Situations such as illnesses, injuries that cause them pain or fear cause dogs to growl as a defense mechanism, and you must be aware when this occurs to correct the underlying problem, instead of paying attention only to the growl, which is the way in that he warns you that something is wrong.

However, there are situations in which for no reason you can allow your dog to growl at you or to growl at others (including other pets), especially when they are attitudes related to situations of possessiveness or a bid for leadership. In general, a dog that growls at his master is the result of a poor breeding process, he does not respect his master as a leader, therefore he challenges or tries to intimidate him.

When is eating

Many dogs tend to become possessive of food, so they do not allow anyone or anything near their food bowl, let alone you when they are eating.

When he is with his puppies

It is very likely that female dogs become overprotective with their puppies and do not allow other people or animals to approach, manipulate or consent to them, this is an instinctive reaction that allows you to protect your puppies from any danger, however it can be cause of any aggression.

When he’s playing

Some dogs tend to be very possessive, especially with objects like toys and balls, so they won’t let you touch “their stuff,” even when you try to play with them.

Growls at children or people outside the home

This is a dangerous attitude, although dogs feel that they must protect their home, which is why it is normal for them to bark at strangers and be suspicious of them, the growls should be presented only in case the stranger manifests a threatening attitude towards a member of the household or towards the pet, this risk increases with young children, who do not know how to interpret the dog’s body language and are invasive.

What to do in these cases

In general, what is usually done is to teach the dog from puppy its place within the social structure of your home. You must think that raising a dog is like raising a child, so being overly permissive and not correcting him when he misbehaves can cause him to develop behavior problems. For example stroking him while he eats, removing the plate or putting your hand in it, also spending a lot of time manipulating his toys or his bed.

If you adopted an adult dog or if yours already has these attitudes, you can correct them. First of all, you cannot show a weak posture before the dog, growls are used to intimidate, so you should not allow yourself to be scared, because you lose the role of authority, and if you do not correct it, it can lead to aggression.

As soon as the dog growls you must get his attention with something that makes noise, you can say loudly No! Showing you imposing, just as a pack leader would reprimand, dogs do not understand words, but they can understand the tone of your voice as well as recognize your face. You must give him time to get used to it, if a dog is possessive you should try to break that by being present.

Do not use violence with them, if the dog is excited he will most likely defend himself. You can use something that makes a loud noise (A friend fills cans with pellets and, when her dogs have bad behavior, she throws them on the ground while saying No! This method has been very effective with her pit bulls).

Whether they are playing (the game is as healthy for your pet as it is for you) your dog should know that growling is not allowed as a sign of possessiveness or territoriality, always keep in mind that when it comes to breeding, curbing attitudes is much easier to correct them.