We have a 5 and a half year old lab. He's very laid back and generally calm and well behaved, however he is a total stomach on legs and will eat everything if given the opportunity.
He will growl on the odd occasion - if told to go outside last thing at night he will sometimes growl at DH, but not at me as I use a firmer tone of voice.
A friend (experienced dog owner) walks him sometimes, when she told him to stop eating (probably poo) something last week (I have only just found out), he growled at her and bit her when told off. (Not a major bite but tooth did make a mark)
Where do I go from here? Is it normal for a dog to growl if told to do something that they don't want to do (to stop eating something or to go outside last things to move off the sofa?)
If you're worried about your pet's health, please speak to a vet or qualified professional.
The doghouse
Dog growling - and has bitten a friend
pussinwellyboots · 17/03/2019 21:45
Agree with suggestions from previous posters.
Approx 25% labs carry a variant of a gene, called POMC, that essentially prevents them 'switching off' the feeling of hunger when their stomach is full. So one in four labs feel constant insatiable hunger, sounds like a form of torture poor things 
Sounds like resource-guarding to me which is a perfectly normal behaviour, and makes sense if you think about how they would need to behave on the wild.
Ex is a dog walker so I used to do walks on my days off. The only time I've been nipped was trying to wrestle a dead rabbit off a blind dog... He'd found it near the beginning of the walk, I assume it was already dead / dying as the dogs eyesight is so poor now that he walks into fence posts if you're not keeping an eye. He'd carried it around the whole walk, occasionally putting it down to sniff at it, but would grab it the second I came towards him. At the end of the walk I had to do something because owners would not have appreciated his 'present'. In the end I crept up behind him and grabbed his collar to tug him away from the rabbit on the ground. Of course he had the last laugh and nipped me (tiny mark, but I bruise really easily) Of course I ended up covered in rabbit guts that were in his mouth 
Never in my life have I ever been growled at by my dog.
I am shocked that everyone here appears so relaxed about this, as if it is no big deal.
It’s ‘normal’ dog behaviour sure but acceptable?
Definitely not to me.
The comments about dogs growling every night when moved off the sofa?!
That would be the last time my dog’s arse ever touched that sofa again.
If your dog is willing to bite when inedible, potentially dangerous objects are attempted to be removed from him I would muzzle.
I would have absolutely no hesitation in telling off my big ddogs for growling. This is a potential damgerous flash point for any DC around not-so-'D'dog.
I am also really surprised at pp tolerating this!
What's concerning is that this is new behaviour?
Ive yet to speak to a lab owner who would expect their ddog to walk away from food!!! (25% 
)
The person who is normally in charge of training, and given the most respect by ddog should be sorti g this out quickly.
Theres a possibility of pain bringing about this sudden change in behavioral, I have to say it does sound most odd in a ddog of this age.
Sorry Nessie but I can't engage with you as I can't take someone seriously that equates removing harmful things from a dpup/ddog as trying to remove food from another humans mouth
clearly my ddogs don't actually communicate with me at all then, being as they have never growled at me . This is so bonkers
How they work with me should be a complete mystery!!! 😂😂😂😂😂
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