Is my dog's growl always aggression, or can it be playful or happy?

The behavior by itself is hard to discern out of context. You want to look at body language as a whole. A dog that is playing will have a loose, wiggly body, may hop around or play bow, and may have high pitched growls along with playfully biting or showing teeth. A dog that is not playing will often have a stiff, tense body, be staring down the other dog, low or straight out tail, hackles raised, and with bared teeth may be telling the other dog to go away and leave them alone.

Pets can do some really odd play behavior sometimes or she may have wanted her rump scratched. Growls can be used to indicate aggression, play or if she has learned that the sound gets her owner's attention (she will then use this sound when she wants the attention). You must look at the over all body language (head position, tail position, where is she looking, are the legs stiff...etc), to know the true meaning. I hope this is helpful and please feel free to post any additional questions.

Hi there. Resource guarding is a very common (and normal, to some extent!) behavior in dogs. Do not try to take high-value treats away from her while she is chewing them, as this will only teach her to be anxious and on guard whenever you approach. Instead, leave her alone to chew them in peace. You can also practice walking up to her while she is chewing on something, dropping a tasty treat like a piece of cheese or a hot dog slice, and walking away without bothering her. This way, she learns that having you approach her when she has a "treasure" is a good thing, and not a threat! If this behavior escalates over time instead of getting better, then I would recommend getting in touch with a veterinary behaviorist or a good reward-based trainer who can evaluate her in person and help you put together a training plan to address it. Play growling during tug of war is normal, and it not typically a cause for concern.

Hi there! To know if you should be concerned or not, it would help to have more information about the situations where this tends to happen. Growling is a form of communication between dogs, so there are times when it can be completely appropriate and not a concern at all. In other situations, it can indicate a problem that needs to be addressed. Feel free to post again with more details about what causes Gracie to growl when she's around other dogs, and we will be happy to try and help.

Oh dear! Growling when you pick her up is a major red flag for future problems in a puppy this age - this is not normal, and needs more help than just socialization. From your description, it's hard to say if her behavior with the other puppy is normal play or aggression. I would strongly recommend making an appointment with a veterinary behaviorist who can evaluate her in person and help you put together a plan to work on these issues - it's best to do this as soon as possible, since early intervention gives you a much better chance of being able to change this behavior before she grows up. I'm not sure what part of Canada you're in, but your regular veterinarian should be able to help you find out where your nearest board-certified veterinary behaviorist is so that you can make an appointment. In the meantime, I would try and avoid doing anything that tends to make her growl - instead of picking her up, for example, use treats to encourage her to come to you. I would also not recommend any kind of punishment for this behavior, as this has a high risk of making things worse over time. The behaviorist can help you identify what kinds of situations tend to trigger the growling, and will put together a training plan to work on this issue.

Hitting your dog will likely cause the opposite effect and cause the behavior to escalate from growling to biting or snapping. If he is growling at you over objects or just in general, I highly recommend seeking out a professional trainer or veterinary behaviorist in person ASAP as aggression toward people is a very complex issue that should be addressed immediately. I would NOT continue to hit or punish your dog for growling as this will only worsen the behavior. You can find out more about veterinary behaviorists and find one in your area here: http://www.dacvb.org/about/member-directory/

It can take a while for dogs to get used to new companions. As long as they are still playing together and not hurting one another I would not be too worried about this behavior. The more they interact together the more quickly they will become used to each other. Just make sure they are always supervised so they don’t hurt each other. I hope this helps. Thanks for using Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach. Best of luck.