2/19/2023 0 Comments Definition growl![]() Without appropriate treatment, the dog's confidence and behavior will worsen with each exposure to threatening situations (e.g., crowded places, or veterinary clinics).ĭogs growl because they are insecure and anxious in social situations. Until the problem is resolved, common sense dictates that the dog be appropriately controlled and/or confined at all times and should never be allowed on public property, or around strangers and children. The problem is extremely serious and a delinquent response on behalf of the owner spells disaster for the dog and danger for strangers and children. The relative ease of prevention and treatment should not seduce one to adopt a cavalier attitude. The owner must first deal with the underlying confidence problem and then, train the dog not to growl. In effect, all we have to teach the dog is that other dogs and people - especially strangers and children - are no threat and then, the dog has no reason to growl. Such behavior problems may be adequately resolved using progressive desensitization techniques but of course, they are much more easily prevented during puppyhood via routine proofing and confidence building exercises. And if owners continue to push the dogs, many growling dogs will eventually bite. The growl is not necessarily an indication of an irreparably flawed temperament but rather, the growl is simply an advertisement of the dog's discomfort at having been forced into a threatening situation for which he has been given insufficient preparation, i.e., the owner is trying to push the dog too far too fast. In many situations however, the dog’s retreat is prevented, for example, when on leash, when restrained during a veterinary examination, or when playfully cornered by a child and so, the dog can only growl as a signal that he is feeling uneasy and to warn people to stay away. When his personal space is violated, the dog has two options - to retreat, or, to convince the intruder to retreat. A long and protracted growl is not necessarily sign of an impending attack, rather the dog is warning us that he feels decidedly uneasy. An otherwise well-socialized dog may growl when approached. ![]()
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