Dog Growling When Being Disturbed

Depending on a dog's background, it may react by growling at you if you disturb it while it rests or sleeps. This may happen occasionally, if you frighten the dog from its rest, or continuously, indicating a pattern of aggressive behavior. To keep this behavior from escalating into physical aggression, identify and take steps to identify the triggers for the growling and prevent it from occurring.

  1. Growling

    • Growling is a form of verbal communication used by dogs to give people or other dogs the message to leave them alone. Depending on the pitch of the growl, it may or may not precede an attack. A high-pitched, throaty growl indicates that the dog merely wishes you to leave it alone, according to PetPlace.com. A medium-pitched growl indicates that the dog may bite if not left alone and a low-pitched growl or combination growl-bark demonstrates that the dog will imminently bite.

    Illness

    • A dog who begins to growl when being disturbed and who has not demonstrated this type of aggressive behavior before may be experiencing pain or discomfort due to an illness or injury. Some conditions, including orthopedic problems, thyroid abnormalities, seizure disorders and cognitive dysfunction can cause behavioral changes that lead to lethargy and pain, according to the American Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals. A dog in physical distress will want to hide and rest, undisturbed, leading to growling when disturbed. Take the dog to a veterinarian for an exam to rule out any underlying medical causes for the growling behavior.

    Aggression

    • Growling is an aggressive behavior that has a variety of causes, depending on the type of aggression your dog suffers from. A dog who guards a particular favorite resting place, growling when in that spot, suffers from possessive aggression. One who reacts to being disturbed by strangers or who comes from an abusive background may do so out of fear-induced aggression. A socially aggressive dog will react with growling when disturbed from its rest to establish its dominance over the one who disturbs it, if it feels that person has overstepping his bounds in the social hierarchy, according to the ASPCA.

    Solutions

    • After ruling out a medical condition as the cause of the dog's behavior, you can begin to counter-condition it. Summon the dog from a favored resting place with dog treats, never physically touching or moving the dog from its spot. Prevent access to a favored or "possessed" location that the dog may guard more than other locations in the home. Have the dog spayed or neutered to decrease its aggressive tendencies, recommends The Humane Society of the United States. Never punish the dog for its growling, as this can make the problem worse, increasing the dog's level of aggression. For dogs with severe aggression upon being disturbed, seek professional help from an animal behaviorist.