Should I Growl at My Dog?
Should I Growl at My Dog?
If your dog is growling at you, there are several ways to handle the situation. While you may want to punish or silence your dog for the growl, there are times when ignoring or rewarding the growl is appropriate. Learn about the best approach to take based on your dog's unique personality.
Why you shouldn't punish your dog for growling
When you punish your dog for growling, you're denying your dog an important warning signal. Think of a dog growling like a car's check engine light or fire alarm - both are warnings that there's a problem. Regardless of your reason, punishing your dog for growling is not the answer.
Punishing a growling dog may escalate the behavior. While a socially tolerant dog might offer several warning signs prior to growling, a less tolerant dog might not, and the growling behavior can even escalate into an actual bite. This can be extremely dangerous for both you and your dog.
When to punish or silence a growling dog
Punishing a growling dog will only escalate the problem, not solve it. It will make the dog associate the behavior with a punishment, so it will skip growing the next time. If you punish a growling dog, it may skip air snapping or biting, as well. Rather than punishing the behavior, try removing it from the situation or redirecting the dog's attention to something else.
If you punish a growling dog, you will be taking away your dog's ability to communicate. The growling is your dog's way of telling you something, such as when it feels threatened, or to entice you to move away. This body language is meant to keep you and your dog from conflict. Therefore, punishing the behavior is never an appropriate solution.
When to reward a growling dog
A growling dog is an ominous warning that you're out of its comfort zone and is likely to react in some way. If you push it too far, it may bite. If you want to avoid this situation, remain calm and make appeasement signals. If your growling dog starts to calm down, it's time to reward it.
While it may be tempting to give a treat when your dog growls, it's unlikely that your pet is trying to solve a problem. In most cases, the dog is in no position to learn a new behavior while reacting to an immediate stimulus. You may want to temporarily remove the dog from the situation or redirect it to another behavior.
