What Could Cause a Dog to Growl Constantly?

Unlike humans, which can express themselves through language, dogs must rely on barking, whining and growling. While growling is a natural form of communication for canines, excessive amounts of growling may denote an underlying problem that your dog is trying to convey. Figuring out why your dog is growling requires attentiveness to its daily behaviors.

  1. Territorial Growling

    • It is important to take note of exactly what is going on during a growling session. Possessive canines utilize growling as a deterrent to keep people and other animals out of their personal space. Oftentimes, growling occurs when an animal or stranger happens upon the dog̵7;s home turf or makes a motion toward the possessive dog̵7;s food bowl or favorite squeaky toy. Such behavior can become dangerous if the growling escalates to biting.

    Fear

    • Some dogs are fear biters. Dogs that are unable to control their feelings of fear and anxiety often growl, snap and bite as a form of self-defense. More often than not, dogs in this situation begin to express their fear by showing their teeth and engaging in high-pitched growling. If the person or animal causing the negative emotion fails to back off, growling escalates to physical confrontation. It is a common misconception that fear biters are aggressive. However, the trigger for both behaviors is actually quite different.

    Aggression

    • Growling is an all-too-familiar trait for dogs that exhibit certain types of aggression. Domination, maternal and predatory instincts, and pain are the most common triggers for aggression. A dog that feels it is the alpha male often expresses dominance with vicious growling. A maternal desire to protect her young pups may be cause for a female dog to show her aggressive side through growling. The same holds true for dogs with predatory behaviors. These dogs use growling as an intimidation tool during the hunt. Finally, just as humans have a certain threshold for pain, so do dogs. When a dog has reached its pain tolerance level, it may lash out and growl when approached. These aggressive scenarios sometimes result in bite cases.

    Quelling the Growl

    • Ignoring your dog̵7;s growling, aggressive or not, is a recipe for disaster. While punishment is a non-effective form of correction, dealing with the source of the growling is effective. If you suspect that your dog is in pain, seek a veterinarian̵7;s help at once. Possessive, dominance, maternal, predatory, fear and territorial triggers require behavioral training to correct the behavior. Seeking advice from a trainer who specializes in canine correction is your best bet to quell the growling.