TulsaPets Magazine May 2021

40 TulsaPets • May/June 2021 TRAINING TIP Respect the Growl By Mary Green, CPDT-KA, CDBC, CNWI “T hank you so much for letting me know that you’re uncomfort- able.” That’s how we should interpret a growl. Respect for the growl as a clear form of communication would resolve much conflict in dog-to-dog and dog-to-human relationships. Why does my dog growl? To communicate a number of things, such as: • This is Mine. • You’re in my space. • Don’t come any closer. • I am afraid of you. • I don’t like what you are doing. • I am in pain. At a young age, puppies learn to respect a growl. Their momma will growl at them if they are being rude, pulling on her, nipping her, playing too roughly or bothering her while she is eating. They will usually display appeasement behaviors and stop what they are doing, at least momentarily. When they are playing with their littermates, they wrestle and growl in a playful manner. At times, when a puppy is tired of playing with its sibling or tired of rough play, that playful growl becomes more of a threat, which is evidenced by the retreat of the offender. The litter owner, or breeder, may hear a puppy growling in resistance to handling or some type of husbandry. Sometimes the puppy can be “jollied” out of growling as he or she becomes accustomed to touch and handling. So why is our response to a growl often to scold, chastise or punish? Isn’t growling one of their earliest strategies to take control of a situation? Dogs growl at humans, dogs and other animals—even inanimate objects. Growling is their way of saying they need space. At K9 Manners & More, we have life-sized stuffed dogs and a ceramic dog that often get growled at, and I’m sure they are not giving off any aggressive vibes. “This is mine” growling is common. Most dogs show some resource guarding behavior. In my house, if one dog finishes her food first and ap- proaches another dog while she is still eating, that dog will growl. Rightly so! The same goes with resources, such as favorite dog beds or napping spaces, proximity to humans, favorite toys, chew bones, etc. Most times, this growl resolves the conflict, and no fighting ensues. Where resource guarding behavior becomes dangerous is when dogs will not surrender an item to their owner or escalate to fighting with another dog in competition for a resource. If your dog growls because she has a treasure she doesn’t want to give up, see if you can make a trade or “jolly” her away from the item. If resource guarding has resulted in a bite to a hu- man or damage to another animal, you should seek the help of a qualified professional dog trainer. “You’re in my space, don’t come any closer, or I’m afraid of you” are generally growls that result from the dog being afraid. This happens more when the dog is on leash, confined or cornered. If fight-flight is a continu- um of behavioral responses, and we have eliminated “flight” as an option, the dog needs to do something to increase the space between herself and the target of her fear. Our response should be to create more space for her—backing up, turning away, moving the “target” farther away. It should not be to move forward, toward the target. Take your time. Some dogs have an initial out- burst, then decide that isn’t such a big deal and can regroup. Other dogs need systematic desensitization and counter-conditioning to be comfort- able in situations of social pressure or fear. “I don’t like what you are doing, or I am in pain” is another category of growl response. If your dog growls when you are doing basic grooming or medications, take a step back and slow down. We should all be able to brush or comb our dogs, clean their ears and trim their nails. It should not be a battle and should not be a situation where your dog will growl. Check out FearFreePets.com for tips on how to accomplish this without fear, anxiety and stress. Sometimes dogs growl because they don’t feel well or are in pain. We see this especially as dogs get older, have joint issues or a painful mouth. A vis- it with your veterinarian can help you determine whether their aggressive growling is masking a medical issue. And then, there is the playful growl. I have a dog who growls to get me to play with her. It’s a completely different growl than if she is resource guarding or afraid. She growls when playing with my other dogs, and they understand it’s not a menacing growl. I can tell this by their behavior. If you’re not sure if the growl is playful or not, assume it isn’t! But watch the reaction of the recipient. Sometimes when a dog growls at another dog, that dog doesn’t “get it.” Then the growling dog needs to do some- thing different and may lunge, pounce—or retreat. If your dog growls at a person, your first response might be to scold her. You may be tempted to force her into the situation and make her more uncomfortable. It’s possible to extinguish a growl without resolving the issue and forcing a dog to go straight to bite. That becomes a dangerous situation. The next time your dog growls, step back and assess what’s happening and act appropriately. Respect the growl; don’t punish it away.