Dog owners are familiar with several negative behaviors when it comes to their dogs. These behaviors could be chewing up their shoes, barking excessively, and growling. When it comes to growling, the pet owners must determine why the pets are growling first. They should never try to discipline the dog because of growling as this could make things worse. Here are a few tips to help pet owners differentiate between the most common reasons for growling.

Teaching Your Dog When to Growl

Obedience training can help with a growling dog and help the owner decrease this territorial behavior. The trainer will introduce positive reinforcement for good behaviors and teach the dog several commands that the pet owner can use. The training program also addresses other negative behaviors that could make life with the dog more enjoyable. Pet owners can learn more about the training by reviewing dog obedience training near me now.

Identifying Why the Dog is Growling

By discovering why your dog is growling, the pet owner can determine if there is an underlying cause for the behavior. Dogs start growling for a myriad of reasons such as becoming territorial, protecting a favorite toy, and even when they aren’t feeling well. It is among the many ways they communicate with their pet owners and others. The pet owner can assess the dog’s behavior patterns and determine what course of action to take to decrease their growling.

Separating the Dog from Certain People

An assessment of people that cause the dog to growl helps the pet owners learn who they should deny access to their pet. Dogs like most animals are intuitive, and they can sense when a person is bad or presents a threat to them or their owner. If the dog growls at everyone, this could be a different concern altogether. If they just growl at specific people, there could be a history with the person such as the person may have abused the dog.

Taking the Dog to the Vet When Necessary

Dogs will growl when they are in pain or sick, and when the pet owner has ruled out territorial behaviors and the need to protect the home, the pet owner may need to take their dog to the vet. A vet can determine what health crisis the dog is experiencing and provide comprehensive treatment. Pain and discomfort will make a dog growl and snap at its owner to get them to stop petting the dog or touching areas that are in pain.

When Dogs are Territorial and Protecting the Home

Growling is also a defense mechanism for dogs when someone they do not know comes near the property. Dogs growling when someone gets too close to the home such as a stranger, and growling is the method of alerting the pet owners to potential danger. After the dog has undergone obedience training, they will understand the difference and alert the pet owners in different ways about dangers such as barking.

Pet owners know all too well that dogs will growl for a variety of reasons. These reasons could include the need to protect the home, to get someone to leave them alone, and when the dog is sick and in pain. It is up to the pet owner to discover what reason the dog has begun growling, and they may need to review what people cause the dog to growl. Obedience training can help with the negative behavior and train the dog when growling is appropriate.