The goal of fearful growling is to put distance between the dog and the threat. Fearful Growling – ‘Go Away! Leave Me Alone!’Ī fearful growl can happen when your dog is surprised, wary, or afraid of a perceived threat to either themselves, their “pack” including their humans or animal companions, their objects of desire like food and toys, or their territory.
Growl definition how to#
You may need to seek a professional trainer or educate yourself on how to ease your dog’s reaction when they don’t get what they want right away. Reducing this frustrated tension requires obedience training. They may even bite or nip out of over-stimulation. If your dog approaches another dog while frustrated growling, it can be misinterpreted as aggression and lead to a fight. This type of growling can be problematic. Do they love to play with other dogs? Then it’s likely that they are frustrated growling at a dog they can see but can’t approach for play. Knowing the difference is difficult and will depend on how well you know your dog. For example, if your dog growls at a skateboarder, it could be because they want to get closer and investigate, or it could mean that they are fearful.
This can often be misinterpreted as another type of growling. This could mean anything from your dog being hungry and growling to remind you that it’s dinner time to your pup spotting another dog they want to get closer to and play with.
Frustrated growling happens when some need or desire is not being met.