Its absolutely awful isn’t it - a beloved pet dog growling at a family member is understandably upsetting and worrying. Sometimes people are so concerned by a growl that they ask if they should take their dog to be euthanised, believing that their dog must be dangerous.

Now, of course, we need to takes growls seriously - we mustn’t laugh it off and carry on regardless and we mustn’t dismiss it simply because the dog is a small breed. All of this is unhelpful and foolish. Equally, punishing your dog (telling them off/ grabbing them etc.) is much more likely to lead to a worrying deterioration in trust and the possibility of the dog biting without warning, making matters downright dangerous. The same goes for stubbornly continuing doing whatever you were doing which appeared to prompt the growl, in order to 'teach them a lesson' - this is really not helpful and very likely to lead to an escalation of the behaviour over time (or immediately).

However, we must also keep things in perspective. Growling is, in fact, NORMAL dog communication. It serves a function - a warning. A warning is a good thing - if we take note of a growl, we are less likely to get bitten! In fact, dogs that growl have often previously given lots of other indicators that they were uncomfortable (lip licking, turning away, a hard stare etc). it's just that these things aren't as easy to pick up on.

I'm afraid to say that most of us have been sold a lie - this idea of the faithful family dog that puts up with anything that is thrown at them is simply not true. There are, undoubtedly, some dogs that go through their lives without ever growling at any person or dog, but these are exceptions, not the rule (and are as much a reflection of the situations the dog was put in as the dog itself). The truth is, dogs do get fed up/ angry/ frustrated. They can be in pain. They can feel scared.... even if you can't understand why the situation could be worrying for them. Remember dogs are DOG’S, they are not humans in furry clothes and they will feel and behave as dogs.

We expect dogs not to growl but we think nothing of occasionally losing our patience and shouting or snapping at our partners or children. We blare our horns and make angry faces at people that drive inconsiderately. We might say rude words when someone accidentally does something which hurts us. We expect dogs to be above all of this, to smile sweetly even when put in impossibly stressful situations. If they fail to meet the high standard we set for them (which we could never hope to meet ourselves!), we label them as 'bad' or 'aggressive'.

So, yes, it's not great if your dog growls because it means that something has gone wrong but we need to keep things in perspective and make changes so that our dogs do not feel the need to growl. Do not ignore the growl and do not punish the growl. Instead LISTEN to your dog - my advice is clear - STOP. Move away (or take your hand or whatever away) calmly. Reflect on the situation (What prompted this response? Has it happened before?). If necessary, is there a way you can get the outcome that you need (get the dog off the sofa or whatever) without escalating the situation (eg. call the dog from another room and reward them for coming to you).

If it happens more than once, seek professional, qualified help (yes, that means me!) to help get things back on track. You and your dogs relationship can recover from this with the right advice.

I hope this helps!

If you do want more advice from a professional dog trainer then get in touch below

Claire x