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Help! My Puppy Just Growled At Me, What Should I Do?

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How to Handle Puppy Growling

Puppy Growling
Fabian Faber/Adobe Stock

When dogs growl, it can be scary. However, when puppies growl, it can become very confusing and concerning. As a professional dog trainer, I can tell you most clients are more concerned when puppies growl than when adult dogs do it. Let’s discuss why puppies growl and how to prevent the behavior.

What Causes Puppies to Growl?

Many pet owners have a hard time telling the difference between “play” and “scared” puppy growling. Puppies mostly growl when playing; it can sound vicious, but it’s harmless. During playtime, a puppy’s body language is rounded and fluid. A puppy moves quickly, and will growl and show his teeth while playing.

A scared puppy’s body language looks completely different from that of a playful puppy. Fearful puppies will freeze, and then move backwards. Their body language becomes straight and stiff. These puppies growl because they’re scared or uncomfortable, especially when children are holding them and they can’t get away. Basically, when a puppy growls due to fear, he is begging everyone to stop what she is doing.

Prevention is Best

Puppy play growling is fun, but it can scare some pet owners. If your puppy growls while playing, just stop the game. Once your puppy stops growling, start the game again. This teaches him that growling makes the fun stop. And when growling stops, the fun begins again.

When a puppy growls while playing with another dog, it’s best to monitor their puppy play session. Watch each dog’s body language, and step in and separate dogs with an interrupter cue if body language becomes rigid. If a puppy growls while being held or when approaching his food bowl, back off immediately. 

How to Change This Behavior

If a puppy is growling while being held or touched, it’s time to change his behavior. Instead of walking over and picking up your puppy, call your puppy to you and reward him with cheese when he gets to you. Choices are important to puppies too, so only pick him up if he’s comfortable. Some puppies will growl when touched because they’re scared, so it’s important to pair something good with touching.

Also, it’s best to partner with a professional dog trainer who only uses positive reinforcement methods to address this behavior. There may be other things going on within the household, so a professional dog trainer can observe and address potential issues quickly.

What Every Dog Owner Should Know

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7 Things Dogs Want You to Know

Dog Facts
micajoy104/Adobe Stock

If dogs could speak, this is what they would tell their pet owners. As a professional dog trainer with more than two decades of experience, I often explain these concepts to pet owners every day during consultations. Before you continue reading, throw away your perceived notions of how dogs should think and behave and remember they are dogs. These are 7 things dogs want you to know. 🙂

1. I’m an Individual

Regardless of breed, every dog is an individual. While dog breeds can determine some characteristics, it’s not always a given. Many times, pet owners will have shared their homes with a specific breed for years that they become shocked when their new chosen breed behaves differently than their previous dogs.

During dog training consults, I hear, “He’s not like my last _____ (fill in the blank with a breed). He’s totally different.” That’s because each dog is an individual, and require different needs to be met. Never assume every German Shepherd Dog will be the same. Some may be friendly, others nervous and a few completely lazy. Similar to humans, dogs have their own personalities.

2. I Don’t Want to Meet Every Dog

Please hear this request, and honor it because it’s true. Not every dog wants to meet other dogs or people. Your dog would rather walk away and ignore the other dog than walk over and meet her. Do you greet everyone at the grocery store? I think not, and it should be the same for your dog.

Never drag your dog over and force her to meet other dogs. This is a recipe for disaster. Eventually, your dog will learn to act aggressively to stop you from forcing her to meet other dogs—and that’s a tough dog behavior to change.

3. I Like Choices

Choices are just as rewarding as food treats for dogs, and this applies to people too. Using positive reinforcement dog training to reward your dog for good choices is powerful and an extremely successful dog training technique.

Dogs hate force, yelling and physical corrections because they’re scary and confusing. I mean, do you like them? Your dog feels the same way too. How do you provide your dog more choices? Reward good behavior and redirect unwanted behavior.

4. I Can Bite

Every dog can bite—even small dogs. While small dogs may leave a smaller bite, it’s still dangerous behavior. All breeds of dogs, even mixed breeds, are capable of biting when they’re pushed too far. If someone is pushing, pulling, teasing or hitting you, then you have the right to defend yourself, right?

Dogs are not toys. They have teeth, and will defend themselves when pushed. Never allow anyone, including children, to pester dogs until they’re forced to defend themselves because it won’t end well.

RELATED: Dogs and Children

5. I’m Not Spiteful

Studies have proven that dogs don’t feel spite. They’re not trying to punish you for leaving them home alone by chewing on your favorite shoes. Dogs chew your shoes because they were available to chew, and made of super soft leather, which is fun to chew. Dogs potty on rugs because they need to potty, or haven’t been taught to potty outside. Throw spite and vengeance away.

6. I Don’t Come With a Manual

[perfectpullquote align=”right” cite=”” link=”” color=”” class=”” size=””]Don’t complain, train.[/perfectpullquote]

Puppies and dogs are not pre-programmed with polite manners, and they certainly don’t come with a manual. If you want a well-behaved puppy, you should enroll her into a puppy group class and basic manners group class. Just like children, pet owners must teach puppies and dogs polite manners. There’s a saying in the dog training industry: Don’t complain, train. 🙂

7. When I’m Scared, Back Me Up

Everyone gets scared, including dogs. While dogs may look a bit different when they’re scared, always back up your dog’s choice. If your dog is fearful of a situation, leave the area immediately. When a person or dog is bullying your dog, speak up and say something. Dogs know and appreciate when their pet owners listen to their needs instead of fitting into social situations. When in doubt, leave. Your dog will love you for it!

Does Positive Reinforcement Really Work?

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Yes, Positive Reinforcement Dog Training Does Work

Positive Reinforcement Dog Training
Christian Müller/Adobe Stock

Every single day, I’m asked whether or not positive reinforcement dog training works. While many pet owners purposely pursue a positive dog trainer, there are still doubts written across their face. This is very evident when working with reactive dogs; many pet owners just don’t trust the dog training technique.

As with anything, there are pros and cons, but you’ll notice very few cons with positive reinforcement dog training. When doubt creeps in, tell yourself to trust the process because positive dog training really works.

What is Positive Reinforcement Dog Training?

Positive reinforcement dog training is when you reward your dog for a specific behavior, so the behavior will happen more often. When a dog sits, and he gets a treat, he learns to sit more often. Positive reinforcement works even when pet owners don’t suspect it.

Positive Reinforcement Examples

If you open a crate door, while your dog is barking inside it, your dog learns barking means you’ll open the crate door. Begging is a good positive reinforcement example too. If you feed your dog while he sits next to your plate, he learns that sitting close to your plate makes food happen. Yup, this is positive reinforcement too!

Positive reinforcement works in the human world too. We work for paychecks—that’s our reward for working hard. Pats on the back, bonuses and hugs are human rewards too. Super yummy treats are easily great dog rewards because everyone loves food. Praise, pats, fun games, tidbits from your dinner plate, escaping a boring crate or moving away from a scary dog are great positive reinforcement examples for dogs too.

Pros and Cons of Positive Reinforcement Training

Pros

  • Easy to do: You can’t make mistakes.; just reward behaviors you want to see more often.
  • Fun for dog and pet owner: Positive reinforcement is fun because earning rewards is fun! Celebrating wins are much more fun than digesting mistakes.
  • Extremely effective: Hands down, positive reinforcement works much faster than punishment-based dog training methods. Don’t believe me? Check out the latest research on teaching children. 🙂
  • Can be done anywhere: Dog training sessions can happen anywhere; just grab food treats and go!
  • You don’t need fancy equipment: Throw out choke chains, pinch collars and electronic collars. All you need are a handful of treats, a clicker and your dog! If you’re training your dog outside, attach a leash to your dog’s body harness.

RELATED: Clicker Training Game for Beginners

Cons (And Solutions)

  • Treat dependency: Dog will only work for treats.
  • Withholding treats is frustrating: In the beginning, this can happen.
    • Again, this is a quick fix. Set a dog up for success and reward every single step toward a goal.
    • If needed, take a few steps back and build until the desired behavior happens.
  • What if you don’t have treats? Simple. Use praise, games and the happy dance to reward your dog for good behaviors.

Do Different Dog Breeds Learn Differently?

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No, Different Dog Breeds Learn the Same

Different Dog Breeds
kozorog/iStock

“Do different dog breeds learn differently?” is the most asked question and it’s usually asked by purebred dog pet owners. As a professional dog trainer, I’m always happy to answer this question. If you’re curious if certain dog breeds learn differently, read below for a professional dog trainer’s take on different-breed dog training.

The Answer

Okay, here it goes! Each dog, regardless of breed, is an individual; and all dogs learn by following the same principles applied to human learning.

Yup, we use the same learning principles to teach:

  • Rhinos to hold their feet up for nail grinds
  • Silverback Gorillas to open their mouths for flossing
  • Fish how to perform tricks
  • Butterflies how to put on a show
  • Children to tie their shoes

I’ve trained hundreds of dogs, and each dog was able to learn the same behaviors given the same learning principles. While a dog’s specific breed can determine his ultimate dog training reward or reveal some aspects of his personality, it has nothing to do with his ability to learn new behavior.

But What About Bouviers Being Lazy or Pit Bulls Being Aggressive?

I cringe when someone mentions that Bouviers are lazy, Basset Hounds are slow, Terriers are untrainable, Rottweilers need a firm training hand or Poodles are the smartest breed. I also find it unsettling when I hear people say all Beagles howl, Irish Setters are ditzy, Chihuahuas are ankle biters, all Pit Bull Terriers are aggressive or other certain breeds requiring special training skills. These statements are simply not true, and I’m sure pet owners living with these different dog breeds would disagree too.

Let’s think about the question on whether or not different dog breeds learn differently another way. If certain breeds of dogs learn differently, how would we train mixed breed dogs? About 20-plus years ago, dog trainers were successfully teaching thousands of mixed breed dogs new behaviors—and that was before dog breed DNA testing. The only thing DNA testing for specific breeds has taught dog trainers is we were incorrectly assuming a mixed dog’s breed of origin. 🙂

Easiest Way to Train Any Dog Breed

Positive reinforcement is key and it works quickly! You’ve probably heard of positive reinforcement before and wonder what it had meant. Positive reinforcement is one of the four quadrants of operant conditioning, and it increases the likelihood that a behavior will be repeated.

Positive reinforcement means rewarding with a good thing whenever someone does a behavior you like. It’s important for professional dog trainers to have a thorough understanding of each quadrant and how it applies to dog training, as this is the foundation for all learning. If your dog trainer doesn’t know that, it’s time to find a better dog trainer.

Picking a Good Thing to Motivate Your Dog

Just because dogs are a certain breed, don’t assume certain breeds all like the same things. As pet owners, it’s our job to find each dog’s favorite “good thing” or ultimate reward and use it to teach polite behaviors.

Ignore your dog’s breed type and discover what your dog truly loves. As an example of how dog breed type can become quickly confusing, some Terriers may love bits of hot dogs instead of fetch, some Basset Hounds may find a fast game of tug more rewarding than treats and some Chihuahuas may find a game of fetch more rewarding than hugs and treats. Remember, learning depends on each individual dog’s personality and not his breed.

While your dog looks like a specific breed, he learns just like every other living being!

Dog Shock Collars are Cruel and Unnecessary

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Dog Shock Collars: They Hurt and They Don’t Work

Dog Shock Collars
GalpinPhotos/iStock

A few days ago, I stumbled upon a news article in which a mother was accused of shocking her toddler with one of these dog shock collars. What? Is this article for real?

Unfortunately, it’s very real and the mother is being prosecuted for child abuse. She had witnessed a pet owner using a shock collar on his dog to change the dog’s behavior. She thought the collar would change her toddler’s behavior too, so she shocked her child whenever he wouldn’t swallow food or didn’t potty in the toilet. I’ll spare all the gory details because it’s truly disturbing. However, if you want to read the full article, click here.

The world and I were disgusted that a mother would shock her child, but don’t we use shock collars to train dogs every day? Is there a difference?

Why It’s Upsetting

As a positive reinforcement dog trainer, I don’t use shock collars for dogs and stay clear from people who use them. I guess it’s my way of ignoring the problem. However, when I read this news article pertaining to a mother shocking her child, my heart dropped and that angry fire started burning inside me again. I asked myself, “Why are we still using dog shock collars?”

Everyone has a right to do as he pleases unless he’s harming someone else. For the most part, adults have a voice and can defend themselves if someone hurts them. They’ll fight back or press charges, or even do both. I don’t pick sides and I try to stay out of other people’s business, but when a voiceless and defenseless child or animal is hurt, I get really angry.

Dog Shock Collars Cause Pain

There is no reason to shock an animal. I’ll never be convinced that shocking or physically hurting an animal will teach it quicker, faster, more efficiently or more humanely. I’ll never believe any and all other buzzwords that further defend the use of pain during training.

Dr. Karen Overall, MA, VMD, PhD, DACVB, believes everyone should understand that:
“The use of shock is not treatment for pets with behavioral concerns;
the use of shock is not a way forward;
the use of shock does not bring dogs back from the brink of euthanasia; instead, it may send them there, and;
such adversarial techniques have negative consequences that those promoting these techniques either dismiss or ignore.”

I Used to Train Dogs With Shock Collars

You’re probably thinking I’m that dog trainer with limited dog training experience who has only used positive reinforcement methods. That’s not true. More than 25 years ago, I trained dogs with electronic collars (or e-collars), pinch collars and choke chains because that’s all I had known.

As I became more experienced, I knew something was wrong. I felt icky shocking a dog if he made the wrong choice. The look in his eyes would say everything. After a decade of training this way, I learned that rewarding good behavior instead of correcting bad behavior was the best way to train dogs (or any living creature for that matter).

Not only did my dog training skills improve, but my group classes were much happier too. We celebrated wins instead of waiting for bad things to happen, so we could correct them.

Oh yes, I’m on my soap box! If everyone clasps their pearls when they hear a mother shocking a defenseless child, why don’t they react the same way when a pet owner shocks a defenseless dog? Dog shock collars hurt. I’ve tried them on my leg, arm and neck at the lowest settings possible. Even knowing the shock was coming, it would still hurt. Shock collars don’t deliver a tickle, vibration or a buzzing sound. They stinking hurt.

Research Proves Shock Collars for Dogs Hurt

If you don’t find dog shock collars painful, you’re fooling yourself. Research has finally caught up and proven that shock collars do cause dogs harm. If you’re interested, you can find the latest research here and here. There’s more than a dozen research findings by real experts in this article too. The results all point to the same painful conclusion.

You may also be interested in: The Real Reason Why Dog Trainers Dislike Cesar Milan

Shock Collars Aren’t the Last Resort

Dog shock collars aren’t the last resort for saving a troubled dog’s life. I highly doubt you would consciously choose shock therapy to save your life. However, you have a choice whereas a child or dog doesn’t. Positive reinforcement dog training works better and quicker and changes dog behavior.

All creatures should be treated humanely because it’s the right thing to do regardless of your beliefs. I’m stepping off my soap box now and I strongly hope this article will stop at least one pet owner or dog trainer from purchasing or using a shock collar on a dog. As for new dog trainers entering the pet industry, you don’t have to use these painful collars. You can find much better ways to train dogs.

Choose to be kind. It’s the right thing to do.

Dog Training Nation is a dog training blog for pet owners and dog lovers. We cover a range of topics from puppy socialization tips to dog aggression to dog health. It is our hope you share our content to make the world a better place for dogs.

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