# Why growling is good



## CrystalAndZoe (Jul 11, 2006)

There had been a thread a little while ago about a dog growling and I was a little concerned by some of the responses to it. I may have misinterpreted or misunderstood what some people were saying when they responded something like, we don't put up with that or they put a stop to that immediately. And while I'm not saying growling at their owner is appropriate and shouldn't be a concern or addressed, it's important to understand that growling is a form of communication that we really don't want to take away from our dogs. This article was just shared by the Whole Dog Journal and does a really nice job of explaining it way better than I can. 

Why Growling is Good | Wilde About Dogs


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## Grace'sMom (Feb 22, 2012)

True, Crystal.

Gus and Grace aren't allowed to growl aggressively.

But Grace growl-chirps often when "talking", they both growl while playing, and I do allow warning growls to let people or other animals know when to "back off".


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## panancy (Dec 4, 2012)

I couldn't agree more. Our Lily is a 'talker'. She 'growls' when you're possibly going to roll over on her; or she'll hop up beside you and give you a "request to rub her tummy growl." Never have I felt she was being aggressive or would possibly bite. She is just being talkative.


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## Summergirl73 (Sep 18, 2011)

Warning growls are certainly (in my mind) okay. Belle was showing teeth though and I was prepared for her to try to nip me when I was wiping her eyes. Turns out she needed eye medication and is feeling much better now. She was trying to tell me that all was not well I think. Oh and btw, no more growling....yet lol  .


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## CrystalAndZoe (Jul 11, 2006)

Summergirl73 said:


> Warning growls are certainly (in my mind) okay. Belle was showing teeth though and I was prepared for her to try to nip me when I was wiping her eyes. Turns out she needed eye medication and is feeling much better now. She was trying to tell me that all was not well I think. Oh and btw, no more growling....yet lol  .


Yeah!!! Oh and I wasn't really referring to anything you said. But that's a perfect example of why it's ok to let them growl. Had she been corrected for growling in the past, then she would not have had a way of communicating to you that something was hurting. The only other recourse would have been to bite. And others that commented may not have really meant what was inferred. It's such an important thing that I wanted to be sure people really understood I'm not always the best at communicating clearly.


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## Daisy's Mommie (Sep 24, 2012)

Daisy and one of our male tabby cats-Nickolas-play every morning. You can hear them all over the house growling and meowing. They chase each other until their tongues are hanging out! At 1st I thought they were fighting and I called them down but the next morning, they were at it again. Daisy has always "talked" to me but this is some serious growling-BUT-I watch them closely everyday and they are just playing. If anyone else heard them, they would think that they hated each other!!


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## Summergirl73 (Sep 18, 2011)

I guess it's really important to determine when growling is appropriate. Now no one wants a mean spirited little growler, but a protective or "I'm hurt growl" is perfectly acceptable - as long as it doesn't easily escalate that is  .


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## Leila'sMommy (Oct 20, 2012)

I haven't read what's in the link yet, but I will. I had read one some time back that explained not to stop your dog from growling all together because it is a warning and if you stop that warning, there may be times the dog will bite without any heads up. 

I think I was one of the people who may have concerned you on that thread. Leila had started getting where she would growl when being picked up to go to bed at night and would snap at me if I still touched her anyway. Then one night, I growled back and she stopped and looked at me funny and then quietly let me pick her up. I don't want you to worry or have the idea that I've been doing that every time or trying to stifle her from growling at any time. It was actually just a reflex I had when she first did that to me because it startled me and I didn't expect this sudden behavior. I did have that article in my mind afterward. So, instead of just getting up and picking her up when she's asleep, I start sooner waking her up by calling her name gently and scratching her head or tummy, then gently move her onto my lap before getting up (if not already on my lap) and just love on her for a moment. This has been working much better. I know I wouldn't want someone to suddenly wake me up and move me if I were sleeping. So, I'm showing her the same respect. 

Another thing I talked about was putting myself between her and an object I don't want her to have and she then has no problem with me picking up the object. Now, if it were something of danger to her, I would not take that long and would just take it anyway and risk the bite. But it's usually something like a paper towel or sock. First, I will distract her with something like a squeaky toy to lure her away. Then I will step in between her and the object after she moves to play with the toy. At that point, she doesn't show any signs of ownership to the object and lets me take it with no problem, while she continues to play with the toy she's allowed to have. 


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## Ritzycat (Nov 30, 2012)

A personal view that I have is that dogs have a natural instinct to be protective of things they highly value (their pups, food), and suppressing these natural instincts could be detrimental to the psychological aspect of the dog. Although I do let my dog know that growling over food is not a good thing, I don't go to extreme means to make him "shut up". While I am not a professional dog psychologist, I think these protective instincts are common among pack animals, and dogs are no exception to this.


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## maltese#1fan (Feb 20, 2012)

Don't know if this is the place to ask this question, but do dogs "purr" like cats? Bella will sit in my lap and I will gently rubbing her head (under her chin, around her ears -- stuff like that) and she will make a noise that sounds like a really soft growl. The first time she did that I stopped rubbing her head. But then she would nudge my hand with her head as to say "don't stop". It has now become part of our nightly routine. She jumps in my lap, I rub her head and she purrs.:wub:


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## lydiatug (Feb 21, 2012)

Bayleigh "grumbles" and its quite expressive...its definitely her being bossy, but ever so cute!



maltese#1fan said:


> Don't know if this is the place to ask this question, but do dogs "purr" like cats? Bella will sit in my lap and I will gently rubbing her head (under her chin, around her ears -- stuff like that) and she will make a noise that sounds like a really soft growl. The first time she did that I stopped rubbing her head. But then she would nudge my hand with her head as to say "don't stop". It has now become part of our nightly routine. She jumps in my lap, I rub her head and she purrs.:wub:


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## CrystalAndZoe (Jul 11, 2006)

maltese#1fan said:


> Don't know if this is the place to ask this question, but do dogs "purr" like cats? Bella will sit in my lap and I will gently rubbing her head (under her chin, around her ears -- stuff like that) and she will make a noise that sounds like a really soft growl. The first time she did that I stopped rubbing her head. But then she would nudge my hand with her head as to say "don't stop". It has now become part of our nightly routine. She jumps in my lap, I rub her head and she purrs.:wub:


Love to see a video of it! Callie does a purry/growly type of talk that I'm trying to put on command of 'nice voice'. We're not having great success at it though. 

I do have a friend who has a tiny dog that she takes videos of because her dog 'purrs' and she thinks it's really cute. I don't have the nerve to tell her that her dog is actually growling very softly and it's not a nice growl. She doesn't like the type of play her mom is doing. Had 2 different trainers look at it. One who used to be a vet tech at Purdue with Dr. Leusher when he was the veterinary behaviorist there. Now she works with Karen Pryor exclusively. 

My Zoe used to do what I thought was more of a playful growly thing when I would rub her back near the base of her tail. And she would lift up into it. Every single vet I went to said she must like it since she lifts up into it. Kind of like a cat. Then when we went to our holistic vet who specializes in movement and does chiropractic & acupuncture, he took one look at her walking and said her sacrum was out and causing her pain. She doesn't do the growly thing anymore when we rub her back at that spot. When I asked him why she lifted into it, the best he could do as far as an explanation is that it was probably one of those things where it hurts so good. Kind of like when your neck or shoulders are hurting due to really tight sore muscles. It may kind of hurt when someone massages them. But it also feels good and you know you're going to feel better after.


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## Leila'sMommy (Oct 20, 2012)

Leila does that purry growl sound too! She sits and looks straight at the person as if she thinks she's talking and trying to tell them something. It's not an angry kind of sound. I love it when she does it!


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