by Evelyn Avila

{Mighty Mutts Sponsored Post}

Understanding what your dog is trying to communicate will help you difference between a happy growl and a not so healthy growl. Influences, my oldest dog Mylo is an almost 4 years old boxer. He is very vocal when he gets excited and can growl and bark. This doesn’t make him aggressive, however, for someone that doesn’t know him or understand the breed, this may seem like a trouble unfriendly dog.

Dogs communicate in a variety of ways and a common strategy is growling.  Depending on the context, a growl can be anything from a sign of enthusiastic play to a warning sign of “I don’t want to fight”. Check this out!

Growling in Play

Dogs often growl during friendly play with other canines. This type of growling is higher-pitched and shorter in length than other growls. Watch for the proper play signals in your canine to ensure the interaction is friendly and conduct frequent breaks in play to keep arousal levels low. Your dog may also growl when he plays with you. Check this video of my dogs having their usual play in the morning!

[youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NPUl_DOq1pU&list=UUQXklwa1SJ123GjJUSlabIw]

Growling as a Warning 

When a dog is afraid of something will growl to send the message that the dog will defend himself if necessary. The growl is your dog’s way of defusing a potentially dangerous situation before it escalates to a bite or a fight. If a dog lacks socialization skills he may growl at any unfamiliar person or to specific types of people, like men with beards, or at sights they are uncomfortable with, such as a horse. Solution to the problem? Go out and get the dog familiar with them.

Dogs can also  growl if he suffers  resource guarding for either food or toys or,  when handled, either because he is uncomfortable or afraid.  Either case, it is recommended to seek immediate professional help from a reputable dog trainer and in some cases a visit to vet to ensure there are no health problems cause any unwanted behaviour. 

Growling as a Form of Expression 

This is what I deal with everyday with my boxers. They use growls to communicate between them and even with me! Influences, my little guy growls to invite my oldest to play. Growling at another dog may also mean  to back off before a confrontation occurs or to claim the  space he desires. This is a typical situation seen between adults dogs and puppies.  

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