why is my dog growling at other dogs?
my two year old japanese spitz/samoyed is growling at the dogs he met for the past 2 days. i don't know why, he doesn't usually do this. i also found he didn't growl at other dogs. i don't know why he's growling at some dogs and not growling at some… is it the season or something? he doesn't usually do this. and when i correct him he just ignores me. HELP!
thanks for your help!
It's hard to say over the Internet. Dogs communicate various ways. Dogs do "growl" in play, in fear, and aggressively. As we were not there it would be hard to say.
You might pick up a book called "Canine Body Language" by Brenda Aloff. It has tons of photos and straight forward descriptions of dog interactions.
If you feel it is serious (YA should always be taken with a grain of salt- for everyone) you should call a behaviorist. Even one little visit will get you on a good path.
Rereading this- correcting a dog that is growling (if it is aggressive) may backfire on you. Redirected aggression is no fun. Management may be the key for you right now. Don't let the dogs interact. If they must meet try to keep it positive, as soon as your dog goes over threshold, you need to leave the situation.
Another book to look up, "Control Unleashed" by Lesile McDevitt. It is an agility book, but has great exercises for dogs who need to get some self control (the key here is self control).
My dog is reactive, and the game "look at that" has been a life saver.
Good Luck.
Dogs growl to show dominance, your dog is likely growling at some dogs and not others because it is submitting to the dogs it knows it can't win against, male dogs also get like that when there is a potential mate in the area, your dog may be able to smell a female dog or bitch in heat and is there for trying to stake a clam. If your dog has been in any sort of Tiff lately he may also just be scared and trying to show he is not. It is hard to correct a dog when they are growling because it is a primal instinct, if the behavior continues for to long and you haven't had the dog desexed and don't plan on using him as a stud, and I am pretty sure you aren't because he is a cross breed, I would suggest getting him desexed, it has been proven to clam dogs down because it decreases the testosterone. there is really nothing you can do, maybe try socializing him until he is comfortable with the other dogs.
References :
It's hard to say over the Internet. Dogs communicate various ways. Dogs do "growl" in play, in fear, and aggressively. As we were not there it would be hard to say.
You might pick up a book called "Canine Body Language" by Brenda Aloff. It has tons of photos and straight forward descriptions of dog interactions.
If you feel it is serious (YA should always be taken with a grain of salt- for everyone) you should call a behaviorist. Even one little visit will get you on a good path.
Rereading this- correcting a dog that is growling (if it is aggressive) may backfire on you. Redirected aggression is no fun. Management may be the key for you right now. Don't let the dogs interact. If they must meet try to keep it positive, as soon as your dog goes over threshold, you need to leave the situation.
Another book to look up, "Control Unleashed" by Lesile McDevitt. It is an agility book, but has great exercises for dogs who need to get some self control (the key here is self control).
My dog is reactive, and the game "look at that" has been a life saver.
Good Luck.
References :
"Mom" to a very vocal dog.