The growl, like other forms of canine communication, is the physical manifestation of the emotions your dog is feeling at that moment. The growl gives other dogs and humans alike the visual and auditory signals that there is a problem that needs to be addressed immediately. As author Lisa Mullinax states in her post, Don’t Punish the Growl, “Growling is not the problem. Growling is the SYMPTOM of the problem.” You can read the complete article and enjoy her excellent graphic here.
My, What Big Teeth You Have!
Your dog’s growl is a non-violent way to communicate that she is feeling uncomfortable, with the expectation that her clear warning will stop the cause of her stress. If your dog’s warning is heeded, she does not have escalate to harsher expressions of discomfort, such as the snap or bite.
Although there are exceptions*, most dogs do not use the growl as the first signal that they are feel ill at ease. If your dog resorts to growling, many more subtle signs that led up to the growl have been either ignored or misidentified. Any dog, most especially a fearful dog, will greatly benefit from a guardian who is knowledgable about canine body language, is keenly observant of their own dog’s form of communicating and becomes skillful at adding distance or redirecting their dog when she is moving closer to threshold (the point where the dog is so aroused/fearful that she cannot think and learn, but can only react).
*If a dog is punished for growling, she learns to omit the growl out of fear that she will be punished again. Losing the growl doesn’t change her emotions, it just means that a valuable form of communication has been silenced. Instead of growling, the dog may proceed directly to a snap or bite.
Guardians are often shocked when their dog growls (or snaps, lunges or even bites!) and say things like “it was a total surprise” or “ I didn’t see it coming”. Chances are that they really didn’t see it coming, because they they didn’t know to look for all the earlier signs that led up to the growl, or they weren’t paying attention to their dog.
Do you Speak My Language?
If we all became experts at reading and acknowledging our dogs’ body language, we could almost eliminate the growl, not through punishment, but because we are aware of the early signs of discomfort and are proactive about keeping our dogs safe. At the same time, we would be gathering important information about what makes our dogs nervous or stressed, and applying that knowledge to systematically addressing the underlying problem with behavior modification.
Make it a priority to learn all the nuances of your dog’s body language, and become an expert by observing other dogs in different contexts.
Following are some of the physical indications of a dog’s changing emotions:
Head
- Closed mouth
- Yawning
- Lip licking
- Wrinkled forehead
- Squinty eyes
- “Whale” eyes – the dog widens her eyes to show the whites of her eyes, when typically all that is normally visible is the iris (colored part of the eye) and pupil
- Dilated pupils
- Stiff muzzle
- Excessive panting
- Drooling
- Ears tense (not loose and swiveling) or pinned back against the head
- Eyes and/or head averted – no eye contact or appears to be ignoring the person
Body
- Pilo-erection – “hackles” or fur standing up on the shoulders, back and/or tail
- Sudden appearance of dandruff
- Tension throughout body – dog stands still and unmoving
- Unbalanced stance -weight mostly on back legs in a crouch or semi-sit
- Unbalanced stance – dog seems to be balanced, but pads of front and rear toes are more visible than typical
- Hunched back
- Low, tense wagging of tail
- Lowered tail
- Tucked tail
- Tail held high and stiff, tip wagging (sign of strong emotion, not necessarily fear. Be careful!)
- Trembling in rear legs or throughout body
- Head lowered
Vocalization
- Silence
- Whining
- Panting that results in wheezing or whining
- High pitched barking
- Incessant barking
Posture and Movement
- Hiding behind furniture or guardian
- Pressing their body against a nearby wall or guardian
- Lifting a paw
- Pawing the person
- Reactive behavior, including barking, growling, lunging and leaping
- “Ignores” guardian
- Moves away from object, dog or person to increase distance
- Shies away from hands
- Reluctance to move forward
- Inability to move forward
- Sudden urge to “scratch an itch”
- “Pancaking” to the ground – flat on belly
- Drinking copious amounts of water, even if not thirsty
- Lowered, crouched stance, even when walking
- Tail tucked, even when walking
- Sensitivity to noises
- Sensitivity to objects, moving and/or stationary
- Sensitivity to environment
- Intense sniffing of ground
- Pulling (sometimes frantically) at end of leash
- Spinning at end of leash
- Trying to back out of harness and collar
- Defecating or urinating in fear
- Catatonic- completely unresponsive to outside stimuli
Pay Attention to the Dog
When you are with your dog, you owe it to her to be with her in body and mind! Distractions such as cell phones, carrying on conversations, preoccupation with work, etc. impair your ability to read your dog and act preemptively to help her through tricky situations. Truly observe the dog in front of you, from nose to tail, all the time.
Your dog may be feeling mildly conflicted if she is exhibiting these signs:
- Appears to be ignoring you
- Avoids contact
- Creates distance (walks away)
- Tail goes from neutral position to tucked or low wag
- Yawns*
- Licks lips*
- Moves slowly
- Sniffs ground*
- Scratches an itch out of context*
- Ears move from neutral position to backwards or forwards
*also known as displacement behaviors
Depending on the situation, your dog’s genetic make up and her unique temperament, your dog can progress very quickly from mildly aroused/uncomfortable to highly aroused/stressed. If these signs are ignored or misread, your dog may resort to growling, lunging, snapping or biting:
- Body becomes still and stiff
- Ears pinned back or forward
- Whale eyes
- Mouth is closed
- Muzzle is tight/puckered
- Forehead is wrinkled
- Possible lip licking
- Crouched posture
- Pilo-erect (hackles up)
- Drooling
- Stares without breaking eye contact, or looks like she is ignoring what is in front of her
- Weight becomes unbalanced either forward or back
- Tail is tucked, tail is high or just the tip is wagging
Whether your dog is mildly conflicted or highly agitated, stay calm and gently and proactively assist your dog in relieving the source of her stress; add distance, distract or redirect your dog.
If you become knowledgable about canine body language, are observant of your own dog’s form of communicating and become skillful at adding distance or redirecting your dog, you will be able to help your dog succeed in any situation, long before the growl.
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