What is growling?

Growling... what’s the deal with growling? Well, growling is just another way that dogs communicate. Growling can be playful and harmless like when playing tug or wrestling with a doggie pal, it can be a sign that the dog is uncomfortable with something approaching or pressuring them, or it can be means of controlling and threatening others. So when it comes to correcting growling and adjusting the dogs’ state of mind from intense/over aroused to calm/relaxed you want to look for the dog’s INTENTION.

Is it playful and silly?

Sassy and bratty or threatening and dangerous?

This is where learning to read and understand and put together all the pieces of dog language (ears, tail, body, eyes, intention, attitude, situation, stress level, etc.) becomes very important because all these pieces together will tell you what the dog is thinking.... I want to play with you, you make me uncomfortable, or I want to hurt you. It’s the big picture here that we’re looking at, the overall dog in the overall situation. Not just what one particular body part is doing. What we want to develop is a feel for the dogs’ overall intention and state of mind and an understanding of ALL the subtle signals and cues that dogs use to communicate their feelings, their intentions and their actions.