Some dogs growl more than others – and some rarely growl it at all. Every dog’s personality is a bit different and every dog is a product of different circumstances that make them react in the ways which make them feel safe and in control.
Growling is a common behavior in dogs, and isn’t necessarily bad or aggressive, but it can be taken that way.
The reality is, growling can indicate several things. Let’s take a look in order to determine if you should be concerned about your dog’s behavior.
Common Reasons Dogs Growl
- Aggression is one of the reasons a dog will growl at a person. If your dog’s background is unknown to you, they may have suffered abuse and/or aggression from other animals that factor into their responses. If they received harsh training of any kind, aggression could be somewhat of a learned response for them. The good news in circumstances like this is that with proper training and effort, aggressive behavior can be modified to reduce the incidents.
- Another reason your dog may growl at others is anxiety. Dogs show anxiety in a variety of ways; pacing, panting, ears back, barking, hiding and growling, and others. Some dogs feel anxious during severe weather and they are more sensitive to exhibit bad behavior as a result. Other causes can include things that might startle them, like loud or piercing noises such as fire alarms or car horns. In those instances, try to remove the stressor or remove the animal from the stressful situation to help alleviate their anxiety.
- Your dog may also growl if they are feeling defensive. Many breeds are very protective, and many dogs have “their person” – so they will have a tendency to growl when someone else is approaching as a way to ensure that their special person stays safe. You may also see the behavior if they are friendly with other dogs and a new, unknown pet comes around. If a dog feels frightened or startled, this could also cause them to respond defensively with growling.
Why Does the Behavior Vary Depending on Circumstance?
You may be wondering why sometimes your dog acts this way and other times, in similar situations, they do not. There are two more factors which often come into play with dogs that influence their reactions and behaviors. One is their sense of smell, and another is their vision.
Dogs have an extremely sensitive sense of smell. Dogs can average a 10,000-100,000 times stronger sense of smell than humans. Therefore, something in a person’s scent may trigger your dog to growl, and it will not even register with you. Dogs also make associations by how things smell. A smell that they associate with either a trauma or frightening situation could cause them to growl, just because the smell is familiar.
Dogs’ vision is not nearly as sensitive as their sense of smell, but they do rely on sight to react and respond. They can recognize certain people – good and bad. They can also see traits. There are a lot of dogs that react negatively to being around men. This could be from earlier trauma or abuse, or just something personality-driven in the dog. But whatever the cause, the dog may growl just because they see a man approaching them.
While growling is a fairly common behavior, you also may want to learn ways to control it in your dog. At Gulf Coast K9 Dog Training, our comprehensive dog obedience training and dog behavior training programs can help you help your dog manage this behavior. If you live in the Sarasota or Bradenton area and are curious if training classes are right for your dog, give us a call for an assessment. We’d love to help.
