You want something with your dog cuddle and he suddenly starts to growl? Then you should be careful: in many cases the sound is a explicit warning the four-legged friend that you should please stop.
Occasionally the dog also has other intentions. So that you know what could be behind it, you can find it in the following article the 11 most common causes, which cause a dog to growl while being petted.
The 11 most common reasons for a dog to growl when petted
1. Dog wants to be “boss”.
If a dog growls when petted, it is often because the Ranking disrupted is: The four-legged friend then does not accept the human as superior, he shows his dominance with the sound.
Very often this occurs when children take care of the animal. In some cases, the actual caregiver is also affected. This is then part of a larger problem because the dog is his Owner not accepted as “alpha animal”.
This can even be dangerous on the road: A dog that is overconfident and disrespectful is difficult to control in difficult situations as it may ignore commands or even become aggressive towards the owner.
2. Digestive problems
No, if I “Digestive problems” As a reason, I don't mean that the dog's stomach is growling. Instead, the four-legged friend can make rather threatening noises when being petted after a meal.
If the stomach and intestines have a lot to do, it can be very unpleasant for the dog. If he is scratched in the wrong place, it is possible that the abdomen will be triggered.
This is often responsible difficult to digest dog food, also one Upset stomach or one allergy or intolerance come into consideration as possible causes. For these reasons, the four-legged friend's behavior should improve again after a few minutes to hours.
3. nervousness
Growling when stroking can also have another reason: Nervous dogs often have no desire to be pampered and then loudly announce their rejection.
The main reason for this is one Change in hormonal balance: If the four-legged friend feels discomfort, the brain automatically releases stress hormones such as cortisol or adrenaline, while relaxing hormones such as serotonin are hardly produced anymore.
This puts the dog on the defensive and no longer wants to be petted – that's why they growl.
4. Joy
Some dogs also growl when they… elated are. This can often be observed when they pursue their play instincts. The sound is then rather short, and the four-legged friend often snaps happily at the finger – but then he doesn't really want to bite.
In a certain sense it is then a Misunderstanding between dog and owner: The owner wants to give the four-legged friend a comfortable scratch, but the animal is more wild: it interprets the stroking movements as play.
A dog that growls for joy often moves excitedly and opens its mouth at the same time. In many cases he also turns on his back to have a little fight with the person.
5. Back pain
If you tell the dog about the Back In many cases, you pet him and he starts to growl Pains. Typical of this are very specific sounds that, if people ignore them, can turn into gasping.
This is somehow understandable, because scratching too hard often hurts the dog a lot. The possible causes are very broad: often they are just muscle tension, which can sometimes press on a nerve. Also one Herniated disc or even a dangerous one tumor are possible.
6. Pain in the abdomen
If the dog growls as soon as you scratch his stomach or rib area, he is often stuck Abdominal pain behind it. This is often – as I have already mentioned – due to indigestion.
However, if the dog keeps growling when the area is touched, you should also consider one Injury or organic disease think. Foreign bodies that have become trapped or sensitivity as a result of an operation are also possible.
In these cases, it is advisable not to torture the dog unnecessarily with petting attempts, but rather to request a professional diagnosis.
7. Lack of sympathy
Your dog only growls when Strangers try to pet him? Then the behavior probably has a cause that is actually quite human: it simply exists no sympathy between humans and animals.
Possible factors
- Old
- Agree
- figure
- Clothing (e.g. uniforms)
- Smell (also scent of other pets to humans).
Some people also like dogs more than others. Often this is simply a whim of the four-legged friend, but it can also be due to trauma: the animal once did bad experiences When done with someone, it remembers it and can then often do the same similar looking people don't suffer.
If the person tries to get too close to the dog, he tells him by growling that he doesn't want to. This behavior usually only occurs in people who do not live in the household.
8. Fear
Dogs also growl out of insecurity: If you Fear They don't always accept offers of comfort. Instead, they then behave in a warning manner. The noises are then intended to communicate that the four-legged friend is ready to defend itself if necessary.
If fear plays a role, you will too more characters can observe: Affected dogs often have a very defensive posture with their tails tucked in, avoid physical contact and – if possible – often try to retreat into hiding places.
9. Dog wants to be left alone
Dogs also need their breaks: The Four-legged friends' need for sleep is enormous, 12 hours is the absolute minimum, some animals even sleep for 20 hours or more.
Of course, they always like to be with their human family, but they also need theirs from time to time Distance. They usually retreat a little, for example under the couch.
If you try to force him to be petted, chances are he won't like it. Then he may react defensively by growling.
10. Ear pain
Some dogs suddenly growl when their owner lovingly strokes their head. Then it may be that the four-legged friend has one Ear infection has.
Unfortunately, our furry friends are very susceptible to infections in the ear canal. Often there are bacteria, fungi or viruses, that affect the ear and spread there. Due to the deep, dark structure of the organ, they reproduce easily.
The result: without treatment, the animal has severe pain that can hardly be influenced. Occasionally the four-legged friends also growl when you touch them in other places. Typical ear infections include unpleasant odors and redness or dark spots in the ear.
11. External influences
And finally, it may also happen that it's not your fault if the dog growls when you pet it. Occasionally the four-legged friends are also… external influences distracted, for example by a cat walking past the house or a bird.
The dog then focuses not on you, but on the supposed intruder. Accordingly, they may growl briefly. If the distraction persists, it is quite possible that he will then start to bark excitedly.
Should growling be banned?
Many dog owners see growling as annoying bad behavior of four-legged friends, which should definitely be prevented. Some owners go so far as to discipline their protégés with training collars or scold them as soon as they make such noises.
But almost all experts see it differently: The consensus is that growling itself is rarely a problem. Instead they should Causes of the behavior be fought.
Part of the dog’s “language”.
Because growling in itself is not bad behavior, it's just bad behavior Part of verbal dog language. When he makes a sound like that, he wants to tell you something, very often he wants to say something to those around him final warningpronounce g.
Before the growling sound, the four-legged friend often tried other means, for example:
- Avoid eye contact
- Turn your head away
- Staring at the dog
- Evasive movements
- Blink
- Yawning.
If the dog wants to show his limits by growling, this is often the case the last non-violent means, that the four-legged friend has ready. The next escalation stage would then be snapping, followed by aggression such as inhibited or – very dangerously – uncontrolled bites.
Ban only in exceptional cases sensible
If you deprive the dog of growling as a means of communication, he is missing an important part of his language. Not only does he suffer from this, but you too: in an emergency, he would be affected by rather subtle gestures go straight to aggression, would therefore be unpredictable.
A blanket ban is therefore not advisable. You should only intervene if you are sure that your four-legged friend has other reasons for the behavior. For example, you should know 100 percent that it is a calculated growl or dominant behavior towards you, you can definitely take action.
This is what you can do to stop growling when petting
In most cases, however, other things help. Instead of scolding and punishing, the following are particularly important in practice 6 possible solutions established.
1. If you are in pain: visit the vet
Should you suspect that the dog is growling because he Pains there is actually only one sensible solution: you have to have one in the near future Visit vet.
Dogs are actually very pain tolerant. So if they lose their nerve because of a petting session, the four-legged friend must be pretty shaken. Be sure to note which touches caused the animal to growl, because that can help a lot with the diagnosis.
2. If you have communication problems: behavior consultant
Also at “Behaviour Problems” Many owners of their four-legged friends go to the vet. This can give some advice and in extreme cases even Psychotropic drugs prescribe, but he is usually not a real expert in this area.
Instead, another specialist is a good and increasingly popular point of contact: Dog behavior consultant are trained professionals who understand this Behavior of four-legged friends and their human caregivers to analyze precisely.
One is particularly important when there are persistent communication problems or a disturbed hierarchy individual behavior training a good idea: Dogs and humans learn to approach each other with lots of valuable tips, and many misunderstandings that then lead to growling can be eliminated.
3. Create comfortable retreat spaces
In many cases it is simply worth not continuing to care for the dog…