The Growl

Do you know what a "growl" means? Well, for starters it is NOT a precursor to a bite. That is a fact. That's like saying that owning matches makes you a pyromaniac, when in fact it would be your actions while in possession of the matches that would make you a pyromaniac. A growl is not an aggressive action - it is a last resort communication. Believe it or not, when a dog growls he is asking for a response - if the response is incorrect then biting becomes a possibility. I bet your dogs occasionally growl in play, they will growl during tug of war, they probably will even give grunts and growls while wrestling with mom or dad.......but, if the dog growls hovering over a food bowl - we all point to aggressive behavior. Unfortunately, its just not that easy of an answer. It also is unfortunate that misunderstanding a growl, or how to respond to one, is all too common. Pictured above is Duke, a weimaraner that came to me from New Jersey. His family cared for him deeply, but he bit a neighbor.....then while in quarantine, he bit again (both incidents concerned food I later found out). He was slated for euthanasia, and the family was able to work out a deal with the county that if I would take responsibility for him and not adopt him out to another home - they would allow the family to bring him to me. They drove straight through, and Robin was a pleasant woman - who simply said "I love him, but I don't know what to do." Duke appeared food aggressive, and he wouldn't give me clear communicative signals - so I had my vet do a work up on him (which I recommend prior to trying diagnose any food or "touch" aggression - remember dogs can have lupus, addisons, or several other diseases that can affect a dogs sensitivity). To make a long story short, we learned how to talk - I didn't take his growl as aggression, and I am so glad i didn't.