Normal, social dogs growl, bark and snap. It’s their way of communicating. Growling is not bad.
My mutt Ace is the most gentle dog I know, but he will growl at other dogs when appropriate, like when a puppy won’t stop biting his jowls or when a dog won’t stop humping him at the dog park.
There is usually at least one pest at the dog park who runs around trying to hump everything in sight.
Usually my dog tolerates this behavior for about five seconds, then he flings his body around. If the humper persists, Ace’s hackles go up and he might bark at the other dog – “Do not like!” If the dog still tries to hump him, that’s when Ace lets out a ferocious growl. This is usually followed by a friendly tail wag – “Hey, I’m a nice guy, but please don’t hump me.” Both dogs shake themselves off and either part ways or play.
I was pet sitting a German shepherd puppy and an adult Maltese last week. The German shepherd is around 45 pounds, complete with puppy teeth and clumsy paws. The Maltese is 4 pounds. If the Maltese didn’t growl at the shepherd, she would get stepped on and injured. She has to draw some limits so the shepherd will back off. I never corrected the Maltese for growling. Instead, I re-directed the shepherd’s attention.
Do not punish your dog for growling
Growling is a dog’s way of warning us that she is feeling stressed. Dogs that are punished for growling learn to stop giving this warning sign and go right to a snap or bite. Instead of correcting a dog for growling, re-direct her attention and give her a break from whatever is causing her stress.
There are all kinds of scenarios that will cause a normal, social dog to growl. I’ve covered some of them below. Feel free to share more examples and suggestions.
It’s normal for dogs to growl when they are playing
When two dogs are wrestling and playing, they will both play growl. It’s easy to tell when both dogs are having fun, because they will show an equal amount of energy.
The more dominant dog will probably roll over on her back and show “submission” so the other dog will feel comfortable “attacking” her. Then they’ll switch. Both dogs will play bite and play growl – and it gets very loud! They might chase each other, bite each other, bark or play tug with the nearest toy.
Normal warning growls – dog parks, dog daycares, dog playdates
Normal dogs use growling to communicate after the other dog (or person) has ignored previous warning signs that they’ve had enough.
If one dog no longer wants to play, she will stop instigating the wrestling. She will start avoiding the other dog by looking away or pretending to be interested in something else “Oh, this smells good!” She will likely stand up and shake herself off, which dogs will do when they are ending something, kind of like a big sigh of relief – “Well that was fun, what’s next?” If the other dog continues to pester her, she might yawn (a sign of stress) and keep looking away. Next, she might stiffen, raise her lips, crinkle her muzzle and growl. If the other dog still won’t leave her alone, that’s when she will snap, lunge or let out a vicious bark – “Get the f— off me!”
Owners make the mistake of scolding the dog that snapped. Really, the other dog (the pest) should have been re-directed long before the incident escalated. Younger, more energetic dogs need to learn boundaries, especially if they haven’t been around enough dogs and can’t control their never-ending desires to play. These are the dogs that shouldn’t be at the dog park quite yet. They should socialize in smaller, more controlled groups of dogs first.
In scenarios such as dog daycare or the dog park where one dog won’t leave my dog alone, I re-direct their attentions with toys or food or by calling them. Sometimes I have Ace sit and stay at my side for a minute to give him a chance to re-group. Usually the other dog runs off and annoys someone else. This “time out” is not a punishment. It’s a chance for my dog to relax and take a break. After a minute or so, my dog is eager to go back and play. If not, then it’s a good time for us to leave the park.
I also call my dog and have him sit at my side whenever a new dog enters the park so my dog isn’t the one overwhelming the newcomer.
Dogs growl when they are guarding/showing possessiveness of toys or food
Dogs have a tendency to guard food or toys. Ace will growl at other dogs that try to take his resources. This is normal dog behavior. The dog is saying, “This is mine! Leave me alone!” A more dominant dog will call Ace’s bluff and take his food. A more submissive dog will give Ace his space. Typically, the dogs work this pecking order out on their own with no issues.
The problem is, some dogs become overly possessive and will bite anyone who comes near their food or toy. This is why I do not tolerate any possessive growling from my dog even if he is guarding something that is technically “his.” If he growls, I do not correct him, instead I re-direct the attention of both dogs. I also make sure to claim the prized possession as mine by holding it close to me or standing over it while the dogs back away.
All dogs in my house must understand that everything belongs to the humans first. Nothing is given to a dog for free. Ever. If Ace wants a toy, he is going to sit first. If he wants to eat, he is going to lie down and wait calmly for a few minutes. I make this process fun and rewarding for the dogs (“Wow, what a good sit!”), not stressful and frustrating.
You also want to teach your dog a command such as “leave it” or “drop” or “trade” and help him associate receiving something even better for obeying. For example, if he drops the rawhide, he gets a piece of chicken. My dog understands “drop” to mean “put it down” and “leave it” to mean “don’t touch that.” He doesn’t need treats to obey these commands, but I try to surprise him every now and then with something wonderful (a tennis ball) for obeying.
For more information on possessiveness, see my post on how to help a dog with toy aggression.
Dogs growl when they are scared
Animals will get defensive if they feel threatened, especially if they are cornered.
The key here is that normal, socialized dogs are not going to feel threatened by something ordinary like a dude shoveling his driveway, a kid racing by on a scooter or a big, black dog barking. That’s why it’s important to socialize puppies and dogs to as many different people, sounds and situations as possible throughout their lives.
I want my dog to growl if a strange man is stalking us during an evening walk, for example (although I don’t know if he would). But I don’t want my dog to growl at every man who walks by us after dark. Thankfully, he doesn’t.
Dogs growl.
Dog owners need to remember that growling is a normal part of dog communication.
It is our job to socialize our dogs and give them plenty of opportunities to interact with other dogs. It is also our responsibility to limit the amount of stress our dogs experience and to provide them with safe and constructive ways to deal with the stress they inevitably will experience.
What are some other scenarios where it is normal for a socialized dog to growl?
Discuss this issue further on my new dog forum – Why does my dog growl at other dogs?
Here is my mutt Ace getting mauled by his friend Sammi. Don’t worry, he likes it 
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My dog Maximus is a great dog but he has trouble with other dogs and other people. He was only good with the people who raised him before we bought him and also his mother father brothers and sisters. If he sees a dog he will go CRAZY! and its the same with people even if he has known them since he was two weeks old. But I don’t think it is beause of bad eye sight. Even if he does not see the dog, if he hear their collar or chain he will still go CRAZY! I am getting sick of this with him and right when he spots another dog he wants to attack him/her even if they’re bigger than him he is a chihuahua\Boston terrier mix, he is small. I really want him to be good with others, human and canine both plesesssssssssssssssssssssssssss HELP!
Get this dog into a group obedience class. This is a great way to learn more about dog training while helping your dog learn to focus and relax and walk nicely around other dogs. Tell the trainer beforehand what your problems are so he or she knows. If it makes you more comfortable, go and watch a class yourself before you bring your dog. Most obedience clubs offer classes in six- or eight-week sessions.
You should also get a collar that gives you maximum control such as an Easy Walk harness or a prong collar. Yes, they make prong collars for small dogs. Or try a martingale collar.
We recently adopted another dog for our foxy terrier. Our new dog is completely different. She is very shy and is now slowly coming our of her shell. I’m finding that the 2 dogs are not really interacting with each other. Is is a sign that they do not get along? or just tolerating each other? Also a few occasions our new adopted dog growls to the other dog. When I see this happening, I always stop her and say “no” to her. Any suggestions and why is this happening?
thank you
I foster and pet sit dogs at our house all the time. My dog ignores most of them most of the time. He is a very friendly, well socialized guy. He just doesn’t feel the need to play nonstop. What your dogs are doing is pretty normal. When people adopt dogs, they have these expectations that the dogs will be best friends. That is not always the case.
The new dog is probably growling at your other dog when she gets too excited and goes right up to her face. Is that correct? If that is the case, I would actually block or distract your foxy terrier rather than correct the new dog. But it’s hard to know without actually seeing them.
I have 2 small dogs 1 Yorkiepoo I, have had him since he was 8wks old . he isvery gentle . I rescued a chihuahua and they play and growl all the time . what can I do stop this or is it just fun play?
Sounds like they are just playing. Hard to say without more information, though. If the playing gets really escalated and loud, I would tell them to stop once you have had enough. I typically don’t allow my dog to wrestle and run around indoors, for example.
Just remember to set the rules yourself. Don’t let the dogs rule the house.
My Wife and I adopted a 7 month old American Staffordshire terrier named Odie at the begining of the month (Feb). We are taking him to Beginner Education at a pets store, he learns fast but when ever he sees another dog he will growl the other dogs dont even have to look at him and he will start to growl, The trainer looks at us in a disturbed way but we dont know what to do, When he starts to growl we start giving him treats and then he will calm down but then will growl again after a couple of mintues, He is clearly scared of the other dogs but wont back down no matter how big they are. He is being treated for Demodex so he is not feeling 100% I dont know if that matters thou. We love Odie and want him to get along with all dogs, He is great with people thou
How are things going now? I would use a firm “NO” and use treats to distract his attention away from the other dogs. Then give him the treat when he is sitting calmly and looking at you. I would also use your body to block his direct eye contact with other dogs. Just stand between him and the other dog and even walk right into your dog to push him back a little as needed. Give him treats whenever he looks at you.
My Vizsla mix Chloe used to love to play with other dogs at the dog park or in our back yard with the dogs that live next door, they would run up and down the fence line with each other. Well one day when we were at the dog park there was a man with two dogs that had muzzles on them walking around kind of in the corner. His dogs weren’t playing with any of the other dogs and no dogs were walking up to them so he decided it was ok to take their muzzles off. So of course Chloe just happens to walk by one of them to come to me when I was calling her and the other dog took it as she was running at him I guess. Well he jumped on her as she was running by and started to attack her and bit her a few times before her owner pulled him off. I was too busy making sure she was ok to notice that he had left the dog park very quickly before I could say anything to him. Thank god she only had a few bite marks and was not harmed too badly, but anyways now she doesn’t seem to trust any dogs accept for my fathers fiancee’s dog Bailey which is a yellow lab. Even the dogs next door she wont go up the fence to play or run with anymore. If another dog comes up to her to try and play she will growl and sometimes snap at them. Is there anything I can do to get her to trust dogs again or should I just avoid the dog park and other dogs? Any help is much appreciated.
How about an obedience class where the dogs have to walk nicely around other dogs? This is a good way to socialize the dogs in a controlled manner.
Are things going better since you left your comment?
Thank you!!! I realized that I’ve been ignoring a few signs from our mutt when playing with him. Nothing major but I’m relieved to read this and know what little change to make to help him out.
Also, he does a low growl when dogs and their owners walk by our apartment… now, we’re on the 3rd floor, so walking by means anywhere within his sight. He typically doesn’t get all worked up but will growl, sometimes let out a few barks. We haven’t been able to break him of this, we’ve tried re-directing him but typically he’ll just sit down by us and whine while leaning around our bodies to keep his eye on the window. Thoughts?! I’d love to break him of this, or just know if this is the norm for dogs!
Thanks!
A lot of dogs do act that way. I think you are doing the right thing by re-directing him. My dog will sometimes let out a low growl, followed by a few muffled woofs when a neighbor dog walks through our back yard. I typically call him to me and have him sit facing me and then reward him.
You could also try teaching a command for “quiet.” Just sit at the door with your dog and reward him if he’s quiet. I used to tell people they had to teach a command for “speak” or “bark” before teaching quiet, but now I don’t think it matters. Dogs don’t really understand opposites anyway. They won’t really associate the two commands.
The biggest thing is to learn a difference between the growls, just like learning the difference between a baby’s crying. We can usually tell when our dog is growling if she wants to play/is playing, if she’s annoyed by something, on guard for something, or scared of somebody. She used to get very possessive of rawhides because they were the biggest treat to her ever. We made sure that we fixed that and now we can usually take anything away from her if we need to. (If she doesn’t start thinking it’s a tug o’ war game!)
Her best doggy friend and her have quite the time playing. She is only about 14 lbs. and the other dog is somewhere at least over 60 lbs. The two love to play and the two are good at finding their boundaries. The bigger one is usually on the bottom of the attack, and they bite each other’s collars. But if one of them accidentally gets a part of the other’s neck, they either growl or make sort of a squeaking noise. The bigger one is younger and has more energy, so she will often be a pest about wanting to play. Sometimes our dog will try to come up by us, but the bigger one pulls her down. We scold her for this and give our dog some time out until she decides she is ready to play again. Or, sometimes she’ll just give in. She always has an escape however, and that is important. If she is really done playing she will usually go underneath the couch and poke her nose out, because she knows that the bigger dog can’t get underneath there.
Thanks for sharing some examples! What did you do to stop your dog’s possessiveness of rawhides?
I just adopted 2 new dogs yesterday one is a lab and the other a tiny brown dog one is a girl the other a boy niether is nuetured but for some reason the small dog growls at the bigger one who kind of gets a bit personal with him and he also growls when we pick at his fleas or touch his face or paws is there a way the fix this problem? is there a way to stop a dog from spraying in the house?
I would slowly desensitize him to having his feet handled. Touch his feet just enough to push his limits but not enough where he will begin to growl. Reward him with treats. If he does growl, don’t correct him and don’t back off, either.
To stop the dog from spraying I would have the dog neutered. This won’t necessarily stop the problem but it usually helps. In the meantime, keep him on a leash and near you at all times so you can supervise. If you see him about to spray, tell him “No!” Or if you catch him in the act, tell him no. When you can’t supervise, leave him in a crate or at least a small room. You can also get a belly band to put over him. It won’t stop the problem, but it will at least keep the urine from getting on your furniture and carpeting. It’s basically a diaper.
For the growling thing, hopefully they are just working out their pecking order. I would correct the larger female for invading the males space. He is only growling because he doesn’t want to be bothered.
Hi. We have a 2 year old Lab mix that we rescued in May last year. She is an absolutely brilliant dog. Very gentle (unless she’s playing), very calm and loving. This is the first dog we have owned and we’re learning all the time. The only thing that I am a little unsure about is when she growls. She frequently brings one of her toys to us and loves it when we chase her with it. The problem is when we actually catch up to her she growls (sometimes quite loudly) and turns her head in the opposite direction. Sometimes she will hide under the chair. I’m never too sure whether she is playing or telling us to get off and leave her alone. When we do take the toy we always throw it again for her retrieve. We have tried swapping the toy for treats which she’ll quickly grab and then try to grab the toy too. She has never shown any signs of doing anything more than growl and will sit and wait for us to throw the toy for her again. So is her growl a play growl, or is she telling us her game is over??
Is she tense when she growls? Or is she relaxed and wagging her tail?
To me, it sounds like she is playing but also controlling the game. I would mix things up a bit. Grab the toy and make her chase you for once. And have her sit and wait while you throw it. Also teach her “leave it” but do so in a fun way. Just use games and play to teach her that you can take the toy whenever you want.
Thanks for that. She does start off playful and definitely invites us to chase her. She does tense a little bit if we don’t listen to her first growl, but, when we get the toy she comes out tail wagging and waits for us to throw it. If we don’t chase her she just drops it and walks off. Her growls do tend to get louder and deeper so I was starting to worry a bit.
We adopted a 3 yr old Shih Tzu this summer. She was a “puppy mill dog” and afraid of everything when we got her. She didn’t bark or growl, she would just cower away. She has become very playful and happy. She now likes to walk on the leash and run and play. In the past month or two, she has begun to give a low growl when people come into the house (usually from the other room,away from the guests) and she has also growled-snapped once at my husband when he was picking her up and again this morning when our 12 yr old daughter was playing with her. In both cases, this is something they do every day with her. It is a very scary growly bark and both are becoming afraid of her…don’t want that to happen as she is 99% of the time sweet and laid back. This is our first dog so we don’t know what to do.
Karen, I think you should contact a local dog trainer/behaviorist in your area for help. This sounds like it could be a serious issue. Better to get control of it before she bites someone.
I am guessing that she is growling and snapping because she is fearful. She probably trusts you more than the others. Perhaps your husband startled her when he went to pick her up. Perhaps your daughter was playing in a way that also startled her. Do you think that could’ve been the case?
My husband and I adopted a black lab/beagle mix last year and he’s about 1.5yrs now. He is a great dog most of the time but has suddenly become possessive of balls, Frisbees, etc when we go to the dog park (even if we didn’t bring them and the toys were there first). He wasn’t like this last summer when we would be there and over the winter we made sure that he went to doggy daycare twice a week to keep socialized. Any time another dog comes near him once he has a toy he growls at the other dogs, won’t play with them anymore and only let me (or my husband) take the toy and throw it. Any tips? Thanks!
I would ask the people at daycare if he has been doing the behavior there, too.
I would work with your dog on a reliable drop command, so that he will do it even with other dogs around. Practice with highly valued treats and mild distractions such as just being outside in your yard. Then progress to having one other dog around, and so on. This shouldn’t be so hard since he seems to be willing to give up the toy to you already. If he starts to run off and play “chase me,” then keep him on a rope when you are practicing. Not at the dog park, of course. A leashed dog at a dog park will cause all kinds of problems.
We have a 4-year-old toy poodle named Sirius. He was a shelter dog, we got him when he was about a year old, and he was pretty neglected. We brought him into a very loving home, and we have since brought two more dogs and a kitten into our home, and Sirius has always gotten on quite well with the other pets. Lately, however, he has begun growling whenever either of the dogs or cat come near him and sometimes he growls when my daughter walks by. Could this be a psychological, post traumatic stress disorder type of consequence from his puppy days? I’m getting really worried that he will one day bite. Is there a way we can train him to not growl as often? I know it’s normal, but he will just growl when he is sleeping and one of the animals comes by. I just don’t know what else to do!
Can you tell if the growling is based out of fear of the other animals and your daughter? Or is it possibly possessiveness of you? Does he growl when he is on the couch next to you and other animals approach, for example?
I would definitely not correct him for growling. You don’t want him to stop growling. That is his way of warning. But depending on what is causing him to growl, you can find ways to avoid those situations.
As far as it being a post traumatic stress issue, I think it’s most likely related to a lack of socialization in his earlier days so he has some catching up to do. Try to do fun things with him and the other dogs like walking them together. Put yourself in a leadership position with the dogs at your sides vs. out in front.
We have an 8 month old shepherd/Rottweiler mix we adopted when he was 8 weeks old. He’s been very socialized with people and is really good with kids(although a bit rough because he’s so big). We also thought we socialized him well with other dogs, we have a westie he gets along with fine and some family member’s dogs, but anytime he sees a dog at the park or somewhere he barks and growls. Normally it doesn’t really cause much of a problem, but the last few weeks he’s grown out a bit and is looking more like a big scary dog to other people, rather than just an energetic puppy. Should I be concerned about this and try to correct it? Would this be considered aggressive behavior?
Yes, it can be considered aggressive behavior, and I would get control of him because of his mix of breeds, especially. And I imagine he is quiet big. Use a firm voice correction when he does this behavior and then distract him away from whatever causes him to growl/bark. Then reward him for any calm behavior. Obedience classes will also help.
I’ve been working on getting him to focus more on me instead of dogs and it seems to be working pretty well on walks. I give him treats(when I remember to take them with me) for ignoring other animals. I’ve been trying to talk my fiancé into obedience classes for him, but he thinks I should just take him to the dog park and socialize him more…but I don’t feel as if that would be very responsible to take him there if I don’t know how he’ll act. He is normally calm when off leash and approached/approaching another dog, or even if he’s on leash and kinda snuck up on by another dog, his reaction is just to play with it, but when the dog gets a few steps away he wants to growl and bark again.
I have a shih tzu mix that I adopted that is the sweetest little guy. He’s missing a leg. He likes other dogs and has dog friends, however, he growls at other dogs when we are out walking. This is mainly directed at dogs that are bigger than him…which is almost any other dog other than dogs of his sort of breed. Our vet says that this is quite normal behavior of a dog with a disability, to feel the need to show that he’s big and tough despite his missing leg. With dogs his size, he might growl once, but then his tail starts wagging and he wants to meet them and he’s quite happy to meet and greet with dog-folks his size…but absolutely wants nothing to do with any dog bigger than him…even if we’re inside our car he’ll growl. Not a vicious growl…just a little groan sort of growl. I’ve not yet once let him ‘get away’ with this behavior, but it doesn’t seem to be improving at all and I don’t feel the vet is offering any good advice other than this is ‘normal’ for his situation.