Why do dogs growl and what to do about it?

Each owner wants the dog to be obedient and not cause inconvenience. With proper education, this can be achieved in most cases, but sometimes it happens that the animal in some moments changes the line of its behavior. A growl becomes especially unpleasant and frightening for no apparent reason. Let's try to understand why this happens and what should be done in this situation.

A growl is a sign that the dog is unhappy with something. As a rule, a similar process is accompanied by other actions: the animal grinds its teeth, tightens its tail, the look becomes angry. This can happen, for example, during hygiene procedures, when a dog, unaccustomed to brush his ears or teeth from childhood, begins to get furious, showing with his whole appearance that he does not intend to endure such actions.

Growling at the master is the result of improper upbringing. It means that the dog feels like a leader, and for him the owner is not authority. Such dogs are most often spoiled, they are allowed a lot, most pets do not cost anything to get food from the table. Do not be surprised that such dogs will growl and grin when you pick up a bowl, bone or toy from them.

Dogs that growl at guests can cause fewer people to visit your house, because no one will want to sit for hours, feeling an angry look on themselves. In this way, dogs assert themselves, show that this is their territory. Such behavior should not be allowed, otherwise the dog will eventually growl not only at those present in the house, but also at other people on the street.Dogs especially do not like those who are intoxicated. There are cases when animals barked and attacked even their owners, if they were fed.

Another reason for the growl may be competition. For example, together with a dog, another animal lives in an apartment or house, no matter who it is. A dog who seeks to show his supremacy will constantly growl at another dog or cat. The solution to the problem is to buy both animals in childhood so that they grow together. It is also worth remembering that some breeds of dogs do not tolerate rivals at all and may even bite them. Such breeds include, for example, pit bulls.

Aggression of a person in relation to a dog generates a response anger. If the owner allows himself to shout at the animal or beat him, waiting for the dog to be submissive is simply ridiculous. Such a dog will growl very often: when you stroke it, when touched, during the game. Such a roar means that the animal does not feel safe, it is alarmed, awaiting a new scream.

Food aggression is also very common among dogs. An improperly brought up dog will growl and grin when a person approaches him with food. If you try to pick up the bowl while the dog is eating, the animal may bite. Such dogs behave badly even at the moment when they are given a treat from their hands: they grab by the fingers and grip them with their teeth. The dog, of course, does not give back the bone, and attempts to take it away can end in failure.

Illness is what causes the dog pain and suffering. Symptoms may not yet appear visually, but the animal already feels that something is wrong. In this case, growling is accompanied by attempts to hide, lie down somewhere, the dog eats without appetite, does not want to drink, and can go to the toilet in the house. If at least one of the symptoms is obvious, the animal must be shown to the veterinarian.

Many owners notice that their animals began to growl for no reason at all, and the change of behavior seemed abrupt to them. This is actually not the case. An animal is not a human being; it cannot instantly lose its peace of mind, lose control, and so on. If the dog growls at you for no apparent reason, it means that you missed something in his upbringing, because there is no causeless roar.

Dominant behavior in a dog does not appear immediately. First, the animal will look at you, evaluate, trying to understand whether you can be manipulated. If you miss these "estimates" and ignore them, relying on your own suspiciousness, the animal will understand that it is he who needs to take the leader’s place urgently.

At first, while the dog is watching you, he will not bark or growl, all these lines of behavior will manifest much later. To determine that the dog has already taken the place of leader in the house, you should pay attention to the following nuances:

• the animal comes to sleep in your bed; if you try to push it, a growl will follow immediately;
• when you are in close proximity while the dog is eating, he will not like it either; in addition, the dog can even pull food out of the bowl and take it somewhere to the room;
• if guests came to the house, the animal begins to growl; it is difficult to calm him down to another room;
• during the walk, such a dog will feel the main; she will not go near, will constantly run forward and pull on a leash;
• the animal can listen to the owner, but will growl at other members of the family, especially children, this means that she recognized the owner as an authority, but other people for her are an empty place; dogs growl at children if you often shout at them yourself;
• when the dog plays, he will behave obsessively, not allowing you to deviate from the rules established by him personally, if you try to distract yourself during the game, the animal will notify you of its dissatisfaction with a deaf roar; in addition, many dogs are forgotten, especially during tug-of-war games.

Many owners are frightened when the dog begins to growl into the void for no apparent reason, especially at night. It is not worth explaining this with paranormal phenomena. For example, most people believe that the causeless roar and eyes staring at one point are a clear sign that a poltergeist, a ghost, a brownie and other evil spirits have wound up in the house.

Most likely, the dog could see some kind of insect, a speck of dust attracted her attention. And also do not forget that dogs, unlike cats, are hard to see in the dark. Therefore, a chair with clothes, which the dog recognized in the darkness as an incomprehensible and very frightening object, is quite capable of causing a deaf and long roar.

There is no reason for concern if the dog began to growl when sleeping. Dogs often dream vivid but short dreams. If the animal saw something terrible in a dream or it is chasing prey, you will hear a roar. In addition, twitching of the limbs can be observed. Some dogs even begin to make swift movements of their paws as during a run, and then wake up, jumping up sharply, and look around dumbfounded.

Before embarking on the process of re-education, one should clearly determine what is the reason for the growl. If this is a disease, solving the problem here will be quite simple. It will be much more difficult to put in place a matured and insolent dog. Experts have developed several rules that will have to be strictly followed.

Food aggression in animals develops for the reason that the schedule and regimen of food intake were not initially normalized. It is worth paying attention to a few rules.

• You cannot feed your dog before you and all your family members eat. There should be an animal when your team sounds. If the dog growls, do not let go of the bowl, holding it by the tip. Any dissatisfaction with eating should be stopped.
• Do not allow the dog to eat from your table. If you give food only once, the animal will beg for it indefinitely. And the point here is not the greed of the owners, but that most of the products on the dog table are harmful. In addition, abundant food very quickly leads to dominant behavior.
• Do not be alarmed or stray from the dog if it growls. Your fright will lead the dog to the idea that it is very simple to scare you away with a light warning.

Many owners often confuse attention with affection and lisp. The dog needs attention, it should be a lot. It is expressed in daily walks, games, trainings, you can talk with an animal, even just be silent, being nearby. Another thing is excessive loving. Some owners, especially women, do not know the measure, expressing love for the pet. They squeeze him, kiss, constantly hug. This can sometimes be done, but such manifestations should be dosed, since the dog does not perceive affection as a person.

A dog is an animal that learns from its mistakes. Therefore, in education you need to use the method of "carrot and stick". For each executed command, the dog is encouraged by the delicacy, for failure to fulfill it is punished. In no case should the punishment be physical - it is forbidden to beat the dog, and you cannot even scream. The owner must express his dissatisfaction with a calm, confident tone.

The wolf pack method will help to calm down the raging pet. In the wild, the wolf leader presses the rebel to the ground, strangling him slightly. You can use this technology. Press the dog to the floor, holding it gently by the neck. If the resistance does not stop, the animal is raised and held in a hanging position until the dog finishes growling and displeasure.

Also, feel free to ask for help. Today there are many courses where they teach behavior with dogs. You can also consult with professional dog handlers and bring your animal to training. Experts will not only conduct all the necessary trainings, but will also tell you all aspects of the animal’s behavioral lines, and will also give recommendations on how to continue to raise him at home. It is very important to organize the process of re-education so that all family members participate in it, only then can obedience be obtained from the dog.

To prevent anger and aggressive attitude towards people, including the owner, the puppy needs to be raised immediately as soon as he appears in the house. An adult dog is much harder to handle. Consider a few recommendations that will help raise a four-legged friend so that he brings the owners only positive emotions.

• The animal must have an equipped place to rest. It can be a convenient, comfortable couch where the dog will be pleased to be. During the day, the dog can move, for example, she wants to lie down at the feet of the owner or near the battery. All this is allowed, you can’t just let the dog climb onto your bed. Such attempts are stopped immediately. And also the dog should understand that window sills and tables are also forbidden places.
• Feed the dog at the same time, do not let him eat if you yourself have not eaten yet. The animal must have its own diet.
• Provide a reasonable waste of energy by taking your dog for long and intense walks. Without wasting energy, the dog becomes shy and aggressive. It is recommended to walk with any dog ​​for at least an hour twice a day.
• From the very first days, teach your puppy hygiene: brushing your ears, teeth, eyes, washing your paws, combing your hair. If you constantly and regularly carry out procedures, the pet will not respond inappropriately. If the dog still growls or bit you, you should not scream, wave your arms. Squeeze the nose lightly with the index finger and thumb, and, holding it in a similar position, clearly express your discontent. After that, you can continue the procedure.
• Control the games that you play with your pet. If the dog growls, stop playing immediately. The same will need to be done if the animal barks. Come close to the dog and say with a confident voice the command “No”. The game should not be resumed.

In addition, it is worth noting that dogs are different. There are good-natured animals, for example, Labradors, Collies, Husky, it is easier and safer to train them, and it’s much easier to re-educate them in adulthood. More stubborn dogs, such as a bull terrier, Doberman, Rottweiler, will not work for soft people, here, and a strong-willed person will not always succeed.

And remember that as soon as the dog starts to growl at you or you notice that its behavior is strange changing day by day, you can not postpone the search for reasons. The further you ignore the dog, the less trust will be in your relationship.

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