Growling

By Minou Tpain

Growling

When we hear a dog growl it gets our attention pretty quickly. Many of us get nervous because we think it is the dog warning us that he is going to bite, but a dog growling does not always mean a bite is inevitable. Sometimes it’s just a growl; a noise your dog is making to communicate because he can not speak words. It’s a way he knows he can be heard.

Don’t get me wrong, if a dog is growling and the situation continues, then yes, it can definitely lead to a bite. But a growl isn’t necessarily the dog warning you he is going to bite, it’s quite the opposite, he is trying to avoid conflict but if conflict continues, well…..

Often we get so worried when we see the way dogs communicate. Some of the things we may see that are completely normal are:

-A dog snarls when an unfamiliar person approaches
-A dog barks when another dog walks past the fence of their home
-A dog growls when the groomer touches their previously injured leg.
-A dog snaps at another dog for jumping on her

In all of these scenarios, some dog owners would punish their dogs because they think the dog wants to do harm but in reality, all of these methods of communicating are to avoid conflict, not create it. “In the wild, there are no veterinary hospitals waiting to provide stitches and antibiotics after a fight.” (Kim Brophey)
Instead, animals are born with this ritualized communication but if we constantly prohibit them from sharing their voice, it is we, who are creating conflict.

#dogbehavior #dogbodylanguage#dogcommunication #doggrowl #doggrowling#dogtalk #dogtraining101

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