Hearing your dog growl can be scary. We love our four-legged best friends as part of the family! But no matter how hard we try to understand them, canine communication is often confusing to primates like us.
What does each growl really mean? Are they signs of aggression? Did we do something wrong as pet parents? Do growls and similar vocalizations lead to dog bites?
We’re here to help. Here’s a look at why your dog might growl in certain situations—and how you can keep everyone safe and comfortable.
Dogs don’t speak a symbolic verbal language like we humans do—but they still communicate with us in many ways. While body language usually comes first in a canine conversation, various sounds serve different communication purposes too.
It’s perfectly normal for your dog to growl on occasion. Behavior always depends on the situation and context at hand! A growl often means your companion feels uncomfortable and is trying to let you know right away—before escalating to more extreme aggression displays like lunging, air snapping, or actually biting.
Just like barking and whining, your dog’s growls can communicate a range of different things. Here are some of the most common causes of canine grumbles.
Growling usually has a negative connotation that makes owners worry about aggression. This is for good reason—it’s best to err on the side of caution if you’re ever around a canine who’s growling—but sometimes your dog’s grumbles and groans can be a positive thing!
Many dogs growl during play when they’re enjoying the game. Think about the sounds you might hear while a delighted pup is wrestling with another dog or tugging with their owner. A big part of canine play is ritualized expressions of behaviors like running, chasing, barking, and nipping—play is how puppies learn valuable skills like body awareness and bite inhibition. It's also how wild wolves start to develop their hunting abilities.
If your dog:
there’s no cause for concern. These playful growls do not mean your dog is aggressive. They don’t mean your pet is dangerous. They simply suggest your companion is a canine having fun! Their vocalizations are a sign of happiness.
(You can read more about your dog’s body language in this article. If you ever can’t tell if what you’re watching is appropriate play or not, it’s a good idea to call your dog away. We recommend getting in touch with a professional trainer who can help you interpret their signals if you're struggling.)
Many dogs are stoic when they’re hurt. (This used to provide an evolutionary advantage prior to their domestication to live alongside humans.) But it’s also normal for your domestic dog to whine, cry, or growl in the context of pain—especially if they feel safe around you.
This is especially likely if your dog never used to growl but has now started doing it all of a sudden—or if the growls most often occur when your dog moves or is touched in a certain way. Think about a human with a sore muscle saying “ow!” when their partner bumps into them. Your dog might be expressing a similar experience.
If you suspect your dog is growling out of pain, get them in for a full veterinary check as soon as you can. No training plan will be effective if your pet is struggling with their health.
Growling is a common symptom of resource guarding behavior. It’s natural for our dogs to be possessive of their belongings both with dogs and humans. That said, it’s still important they can safely share toys, treats, and other items with other people and pets in your home.
Resource guarding growling typically occurs in the following contexts:
This type of warning growl display is usually accompanied by stiff body language, possible whale eye (showing the whites of their eyes), and baring their teeth. Your dog is essentially trying to protect their possession by telling the perceived threat to go away.
You can learn more about resource guarding in the context of food aggression in this piece.
Dogs also growl when they experience fear or anxiety. Have you ever seen a porcupine “puff up” to make something scary go away—even though they’re really just scared themselves? That’s what our pets' grumbling displays can be like.
If your dog growls when:
there’s a good chance they’re reacting defensively. Even though the vocal communication might sound like an aggressive growl, your dog is truly trying to ask for more personal space.
You can learn more about fear aggression in this piece. We also have a whole blog category about various types of reactivity in dogs here, with resources depending on your pet's behavior and the contexts it shows up in!
If you’re concerned about your dog’s growling, the best way to address it is to
In the immediate moment that your dog reacts to something, do whatever you can to distract or remove them from the situation. This might look like crossing the street on a walk, deciding against taking their bone away, or removing your hand if you seem to be petting a sore spot.
Once everyone has calmed down, you can start thinking about how to prevent the growling (and the discomfort at the root of your pup's vocalizations) from occurring again.
We went over some common types of growls in the previous section. Spend a few minutes thinking about the situations and contexts that cause your dog to growl—and try to figure out what the root cause might be.
Consider keeping a short journal or daily log to help you identify patterns. (The default notes app on your smartphone can be an easy start.)
Sometimes your dog’s growling doesn’t require any kind of training. It might just be a sign that you need to change something up in your environment! Every dog is an individual with their own temperament and preferences. Some dogs simply aren’t comfortable in certain situations, and that’s okay.
There are also ways you can manage your dog’s growling in the meantime, while you also think about a long-term behavioral modification plan if necessary. This might look like:
If your dog’s growling suggests an underlying problem that you need to fix—for example, if they growl at every stranger as opposed to simply expressing discomfort at being touched in a certain way—you’ll want to develop a long-term behavioral modification plan. This type of thoughtful training can help them feel better about the surrounding world.
Behavioral modification might involve:
Growling is valuable canine communication! You should never punish your dog for growling. Here's why:
Growling is normal in many circumstances. If your dog only growls on occasion—and it’s easy to figure out what they’re trying to tell you—there’s no cause for concern.
If your dog growls often, though, or if you’re struggling to identify the cause of their vocalizations, a professional force free trainer can help. They’ll get to know your individual dog, help you understand what situations trigger their negative emotions, and equip you with resources to improve everyone’s comfort in the long run.
There is so much misinformation out there, and we want to make sure we only provide the highest quality information to our community. We have all of our articles reviewed by qualified, positive-only trainers.
This is the trainer that reviewed this article:
Erica Marshall CPDT-ka, CDBC
Owner/Trainer of Wicked Good Dog Training in Christiana TN
Author of "New Puppy, Now What?"
www.wickedgooddogtraining.com
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