A dog’s growl is usually taken as a threat and interpreted as something like “I’m going to bite you now. In extreme cases, I’ll dominate over you.” In fact, this can be called an interpretation error, because a growl is just a warning. And it can mean anything from “Hey, I’m lying here, can’t you see?” to “Please stop, I’m really scared”. Some owners are resented by a dog’s growl: it sounds like rudeness for them. And, sometimes they even ask how to dishabituate a dog to growl at its owner. And, here it is better not to dishabituate a dog to do something, but to teach it alternative behavior, if you really don’t like this sound. Moreover, this is a useful dog option, prohibiting which is sometimes not only ineffective, but also a little dangerous. Dogs are lively fellows with developed emotions. And, they have opinions on all sorts of issues. One of the ways to express this opinion is growling. Imagine your dog is gnawing something, and you decide to take it away for some reason. With his growl, he tells you that he doesn’t really want to leave this treasure. You can forbid him to express his opinion, but his reluctance to part with the bone will not disappear.
What to woof? I am afraid!
Imagine that you are forbidden to tell about what you don’t like. For example, an unpleasant man leans against you on the tram, and you need to somehow make him understand that he is wrong. The traditional “Man, move over” is forbidden. You will have to nudge him in the side with your elbow. And this is already aggression – and you can get a response from the man, and in principle it is impolite to communicate with people using physical violence. A dog that is forbidden to growl, or even punished for it, may have only its teeth left as arguments. Because it is scary to growl (in face of punishment), and has no wish to sacrifise its paw (unique without replacement), well – what the hell. And you get a blow to the teeth with a hand.
Of course, this is the worst-case scenario. A dog who is not very confident in itself may really stop growling and just get scared every time you pass by. Or he will try not to show off his wealth in front of you, crawling under the bed with his favorite plush beaver. In short, he will stop trusting you. And who wouldn’t stop if sanctions are applied without trial or investigation for an opinion expressed publicly.
Growling is important
Growling is actually an important thing, and dogs often use it to avoid bloody conflicts with their neighbors. Let’s say your dog is sleeping on his mat, and then an awkward cat runs past and accidentally tramples on his nose. The dog will growl at the cat and will be right: let him be more careful walking past sleeping dogs, who are nervous and tired after a night shift. And most importantly, the cat will understand the dog’s statement and will not start a scandal. It was honestly warned, without resorting to violence
Kind advise
Don’t punish a dog for its opinion, this strengthens its decision that no one hears its opinion and it needs to be expressed more fiercely. On the contrary, you should make sure that the dog is convinced that he is understood without growling, and that no one wishes him harm, that he is cared and belowed. Woof, woof!
