07/11/2022
🌟EDUCATE YOURSELF ABOUT WHY A DOG GROWLS!!🌟
As a society, we need to adjust our way of thinking about growls. Rather than being a sign of an aggressive dog, it’s a dogs way of saying they don’t like something and that they likely need help.
Imagine you’re in a situation with someone that you’re not comfortable in. Now imagine you have verbally told the person that you are not comfortable with what they are doing. If they ignore you and continue what they were doing, you will likely escalate things by raising your voice. If that doesn’t work, you may choose to move yourself away from the situation.
Now imagine a dog in this situation. They have no human words to use and they can’t remove themselves from the situation as they are attached to their human by their lead. All they have is a growl.
A growl is a dogs way of telling us how they feel. Telling us that they don’t want to bite, but that if the situation continues they may be forced to do so. This doesn’t mean we have an aggressive dog on our hands, just a dog that feels potentially threatened by the situation.
So what should we do if our dog growls at something or someone? Just move them away. Putting distance between your dog and whatever they are growling at will help your dog feel safer. You are also teaching them that you are listening to them when they ‘speak’. This strengthens your bond and gives your dog confidence that you will act in their best interests.
Don’t punish the growl!
