Dogs that growl?

[littleyellowjuicecup]

Does anyone else have a dog that occasionally growls?
I can honestly say that in 10 years our previous dog perhaps growled once so I’m not used to having a growling dog!
This one is almost 1 and I would say that she perhaps growls/grumbles maybe once a month. Mainly if you’re asking her to get off the sofa when she’s very tired.
People keep saying it’s a good thing, as they’re expressing that they don’t like something, but I have to admit I HATE it when she growls.
I panic and don’t really know what to do, and it makes me feel really anxious for a few days.
She’s not baring teeth, more of a low pitched grumble/growl.
How normal is it to have a dog that growls?

[littleyellowjuicecup]

When she growls on the sofa my DH will just scoop her up and say “off you get” and move her.
I’m too scared so I kind of stand there wondering how to move her! I usually resort to waving ham in her face!

[Walney]

Mine will sit by the bedroom window and low growl at dogs, cats and occasionally people that go past. It's really weird because if we were outside she would be wagging her tail and wanting to say hello.

[littleyellowjuicecup]

Yeah I have experienced the low growl at other dogs (old dog not this one), but he never used to growl directly at me!
It’s the growling at me that scares me!

[Jouska]

All dogs growl.

Your dog will continue to growl but you can easily change this.

If you dog is on the sofa use treats to get the dog off the sofa. Do not scope up the dog and move him off the sofa this will make him worse. You are absolutely right to use ham

If it is a major problem do not let the dog on the sofa to start with.

[Windydaysuponus]

When our ddog growled at dd for trying to share the sofa she was instantly banned. Never growled at dd since. Or anyone tbh.
Never nearly 6 years on...

[littleyellowjuicecup]

She was banned from the sofa for a long time which has definitely helped.
She was growling daily at one point. Now it’s just once a month. Just makes me feel on edge!
Didn’t know if growling was something most dogs did. People don’t really discuss it!

[joystir59]

Our dog growls several times a day.

[compulsiveliar2019]

Mine growls at noises outside (car doors, people talking, any abnormal noise particularly if it's dark). She only does it if I'm here though!

She also growls in her sleep! The only time she sort of growled at me was when I woke her in the middle of a deep dreaming sleep and she was quite disoriented (understandably) for a few moments. She came for a cuddle and snuggle a moment later so definitely wasn't meaning to be/sound aggressive!

[RedHelenB]

Mine does a little one of you move him when hes sleepy. He had a spell of being a bit snarly at bedtime but that seems to have stopped now.He also does the cutest doggy woofs in his sleep.

[tabulahrasa]

I had one once that growled pretty much every time you gave him certain commands, bed for instance... he’d go there, but grumble the whole way there.

I pretty much treated him like a teenager, ignored the complaints as long as he did what I wanted.

It’s wasn’t a threat, it was just him going... ugh, this is so unfair!!!

[Beamur]

Mine never growls, but I have a chum with an elderly Patterdale who grumbles at anything and everything.

[FrangipaniBlue]

Mine never shuts up!!

We get greeted in the morning by a hybrid growl/howl

If he wants something you have, he grumbles/hums through his nose

When playing tug of war he growls/whines

If you tell him off for anything he walks away chuntering - he's the king of back chat

even when he's asleep I can hear him snoring from the kitchen to our bedroom upstairs

None of it is ever done in a way to suggest he's not happy/doesn't like something (like being moved off the sofa for instance), it's all just his personality and way of talking to us I guess?

[PookieDo]

Mine also talks to you in growls. Never seems malicious to me. He will even let out a little growl when he is lying down flat out asleep half the time I am not sure he realises he is doing it!
He growls at either noises, food he wants or when he is in his mad half hour trying to get you to chase him

[ItProtectsMyHead]

My chihuahua growls if he hears a noise he can't immediately identify - a cat jumping over the fence for example, or someone walking past the house. He does this while he's deciding whether or not it's bark-worthy, which it is about half the time. Maybe twice a day.

[littleyellowjuicecup]

Yeah I think perhaps it’s just her way of saying “I’m comfy, don’t move me”!
I’ll carry on moving her with bits of ham!

[WatchingTheMoon]

I have a very growly dog. He has never bitten or attempted to bite either of us (or anyone else). We're working on a few things with a trainer, but mostly his growling doesn't bother me as a lot of the time, he's just having a moan. I'd say he growls about three times a day, mostly at my husband. I'd say it's a combination of breeding, being abandoned and just generally being a grumpy fucker.

My favourite is when some yappy little shitebag (I live in a land of small yappy untrained dogs) insists on playing with him, jumps up all over him, chases him when he walks away calmly and he finally growls to tell them to fuck off (no teeth out or anything) and the owner goes 'oh my goodness, your dog is so rude/scary/aggressive'.

I now actively enjoy telling them that, on the contrary, it is their dog that is the rude and aggressive one and that my dog is actually very calm.

[spiderlight]

@tabulahrasa - our old springer was like that. Proper Kevin the Teenager - I'm sure she was swearing at us! She was such a character and she never once snapped or bit, but if we told her to do something she didn't want she would be effing and blinding at us the whole time she was doing it.

[FrangipaniBlue]

Same @WatchingTheMoon !!

Mines a bull breed so is expected to be impeccably behaved, calm and totally unresponsive (on his lead) while the unrestrained yappy little handbag fuckers jump on him, bark in his face and snap at him.

He puts up with their shit for a while but then he'll give a "fuck off" growl and OMG CONTROL YOUR VISCOUS DOG!!!!

[Saucery]

If you link the ham with a cheery “Get down!” she’ll know when it’s time to get off the settee and be less inclined to growl if she thinks you might turf her off.
It’s understandable, settees and chairs are very comfortable! Our dog is older now with a touch of joint pain, so we give her a bit longer to get down after a couple of low grumbles showed us instant obedience and a leap off was a bit beyond her.

[Walney]

I hate that response from other dog owners. Mine is very laid back and sociable, but obviously gets fed up of other big males mounting her (she is spayed). These dogs are off lead and as soon as she growls to tell the dog to stop mounting her suddenly I'm being told mine is aggressive, but it seems mounting my dog and pinning her down is fine.

[WatchingTheMoon]

"He puts up with their shit for a while but then he'll give a "fuck off" growl and OMG CONTROL YOUR VISCOUS DOG!!!! "

Yup, hate it. My dog is 12kg, nothing huge, and would be considered small in the UK but where I live it's all handbag dogs that have no training or control and the owners are the ultimate in 'AW HE'S SO FRIEEENDLY' as he acts like a little brat.

[FrangipaniBlue]