Puppies can bring joy and excitement to people’s lives. Although your new puppy may be affectionate and friendly, not all puppies get along with unfamiliar people, pets, or situations.
As you socialize your puppy, they might be wary of unfamiliar people and things or confused by them. Puppies have different personalities. Their reactions can depend on the breed too.
To ensure that your puppy grows up to be a well-behaved dog, make sure they receive both training and socialization. As your puppy gets older and encounters new things, they might growl or bark. Growling is frequently a sign of fear in puppies rather than aggression.
Although growling can appear aggressive, it is merely one of the ways that dogs and puppies communicate. If they feel uneasy, afraid, or upset about a particular circumstance, they will let you know. Growling is also a warning. Your dog is signaling that they might bite you.
Growling is your puppy’s way of communicating to you that they don’t want to be in a particular situation and that they need your assistance. Your puppy won’t turn into a reactive dog if the situation is removed from it, and the underlying emotional issue is then addressed.
Training Your Puppy to Stop Growling
Punishing your puppy for growling is not effective. Up to 80% of dogs whose owners punish them are likely to exhibit aggressive behavior. Instead of punishing your puppy for misbehavior, praise it for good behavior. If you teach your puppy to value good behavior, both you and your puppy will benefit.
To stop your puppy from growling, try these training suggestions:
Teach loved ones and friends the best way to handle your puppy.
Avoid letting kids approach them or letting strangers threatenly stand over your puppy. The person approaching should turn sideways and kneel at your puppy’s level while holding out their arm for the animal to smell first. This is less stressful for your puppy. It also allows them to make the first move.
Training your puppy can be a slow process. Treating the underlying problem is preferable to dealing with merely surface-level issues. A well-behaved adult dog will result from using positive reinforcement and resolving issues as soon as they arise. Your dog will learn appropriate behavior and stop growling with the help of the training advice that follows:
There are many resources for finding an animal behaviorist and trainer if you are unable to train your puppy on your own.
Understanding your puppy’s body language will help you stop it from growling. This will get easier as your relationship grows. Puppies use growling to communicate. You should ascertain whether they are “happy” growling or “stress” growling.
Signs to look for include:
Your puppy may be vocal and growl when they’re playing. They might be silent and save their growling for anxious or fearful situations. As your puppy gets older, you’ll learn more about their personalities, but you shouldn’t put them in tense situations right away.
It’s best to divert your puppy’s attention and remove them from the situation if you have any doubts about the meaning of their growl. This is crucial if the growling occurs around unfamiliar dogs and young children.
Finally, permanently address the growling with a behavior modification program. Desensitization and counterconditioning techniques can alter your dog’s perception of the underlying problem that initially caused the growling. You must assist your dog in becoming accustomed to the situations that once stressed them out for both their sake and your own safety. These aren’t quick fixes, and a dog trainer or animal behaviorist might be necessary. However, if you control your dog’s environment while assisting them in becoming accustomed to their stressors, ideally they won’t ever need to stress growl again. But if they do, you’ll be prepared for it now.
While you might not be able to attend in-person training sessions during COVID-19, we are still available to assist virtually through the AKC GoodDog! Helpline. You can speak live to a trainer on the phone through this service, and they will provide you with unlimited, individualized guidance on anything from behavioral issues to CGC training to getting into dog sports.
Next, determine what specifically led to the growling. If you can remove that circumstance from your dog’s life for the time being, do so. For instance, avoid taking your dog to the dog park if other dogs stress them out. Stop giving your dog bones if they guard them, and so on.
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Sadly, when you correct your dog for growling, you also make the underlying problem worse. For instance, if you punish your dog for growling at another dog, the dog may assume that the other dog was to blame for your unfavorable behavior. Now your dog’s discomfort will be even stronger. After all, other dogs bring about your anger.
What to Do About Your Puppy Growling
Finding out what’s bothering your dog is the best way to prevent growling. It is much preferable to address the underlying problem than to discipline them for growling.
You can use the following three queries to identify the root of your dog’s growling:
Expose your puppy to all kinds of people and places. This is called socialization. It is a great way to stop your puppy from growling at people outside, other dogs, things inside, or sounds outside. You must let a timid or uncertain puppy take the initiative as they investigate novel situations. Don’t put too much stress on them.
FAQ
Should I correct my dog if he growls?
You can’t punish a dog (or a human) into feeling something. Growling is simply your dog’s attempt to communicate something significant to you, and you should pay attention and sincerely thank your dog for the candid feedback. Your dog will growl to get your attention and ask you to leave when you are doing something.
Do dogs understand growls?
Although a dog’s growl may appear the same to humans, a recent study demonstrates for the first time that dogs interpret growls as communicating meanings like “get away from my bone” or “back off.” “.
Does growling mean a dog is angry?
The top four causes of dog growling are fear, possession aggression, and pain. Some dogs also growl when playing. When two dogs are engaged in safe, healthy play, play growling is frequently observed. In this case, the growling does not necessarily indicate aggression.
Do dogs enjoy growling?
Growing with pleasure — Some dogs growl with pleasure when they are being petted or to get their attention. Some individuals perceive it as a danger, but it actually signals joy. Growling in response to perceived threats is a common behavior in fearful, possessive, or territorial dogs.