How old is she?

How long have you had her?

What breed is she?

She's about 14-18 months old, we've had her since September 3rd. She is a mutt, shepherd/chow/?? mix. About 55 pounds. Adopted from a local shelter. We have her enrolled in obedience school.

Some breeds are very protective, like jack russels, and will growl when they believe someone is getting hurt. Not sure what sort of dog you have.

We have two herding dogs and they are not allowed to growl at us. Just last night my husband gave each dog a rawhide and when we went to see how much our older dog ate he growled at him. Well that WAS IT! Usually we will give the dog a "NO!! DO NOT GROWL AT ME! " and then if needed push him down (we never hurt them, we just may do that so they know we are the boss and to make sure that we can take the rawhide away) and then we will take away whatever the problem is (in this case, the rawhide). Sometimes I will grab their muzzle firmly, but not hurting them of course and tell them NO!!. Our dogs know we won't hurt them but we will not tolerate certain behavior. Eventually we will give the rawhide back and the whoever growled can enjoy it as long as they do so without growling. We sometimes randamly take the item and look at it and then give it back. We do this alot with toys also because we want to make sure they are not eating the plastic or the squeaker inside.
Our dogs pretty much know we giveth and we taketh, and rarely growl.
I will allow the dogs to growl at eachother, they don't do this often but I feel that they need to communicate. However noone is allowed to growl at a human.

I am not sure if the couch is the issue. Our dogs are allowed on the couch if they are invited. If they hop up univited they are pushed off and told "NO!" When they are allowed up we will say "UP" and they will happily jump up. they know the difference between doing what they want and what we say they can do. Don't let them fool you! I think you need to make sure your dog isn't getting away with anything that you say it can not do. Maybe this is happening and the pack order is changing?
I think most people will tell you that growling is not tolerated, especially if there are children in your house!

also, just wanted to add, if you can not fix the problem (like your friends) then you need to eliminate the thing that is causing the problem. If your dog is super protective over a rawhide, well then don't give it rawhides. Obviously you can't do this if the dog is protective over food but treats are not a necessity and if a dog doesn't learn how to behave then it shouldn't be placed in a situation where it can be that way. Just like our dogs are not the best at coming when we call, so they are never allowed in a situation where they are not fenced in without them being on a leash.
I know Chows can be a little difficult so hopefully some one can offer more breed-specific advice.

I recommend two things. One, take her to the vet to be absolutely certain there is nothing causing her pain. A dog in pain may growl inappropriately. Two, talk to both your vet and your obedience instructor - ASAP. Your instructor knows your dog far better than anyone here online and can help you assess the situation.

IMO, a dog should not be permitted to growl at people. However, to deal with the issue you need to know WHY the dog is growing.

Just my opinion, hope it helps.

It's good you have her in obedience class. Her signs of aggression needs to be addressed before she gets older. I'm sure your trainer will give you excellent advise.

Bitter apple works great. When she growls, give a squirt in the mouth while saying "ENOUGH!"

Well, I have a growler too. She's 12 yr old lab, has advanced hip dysplasia along with myriad of other problems. That said, she has been a growler since she was about 6 yrs old. If she is in her hiding "safe" place under my desk, she will growl if you try to get her out and she doesn't want to go. She will growl at me as well if I try to get her out from under my desk and she doesn't want to come.

Old gal barks and growls if DH pretends to bother me, we were experimenting to see if she was being protective of me. She is.

She also barks and growls at my other two labs 5 and 3 as well as the 3 cats in the event anyone gets out of line, or if there is a possibity of some food being missed by her and gained by one of the others. That's how she got her nickname: The Warden.

Seriously, our trainer worked with me a quite a few years ago on her aggressive issues. We went back to the basics -beginning training. She told me to do that and keep it up. It apparently puts them back into the mode of being compliant? It has worked when she was particularly aggressive when we got 5 year old male as a puppy. I thought she was going to kill him and eat him.

Talk to your trainer. She/he will give you some things to do with your dog to redirect her.

****Do not trust her with your kids. I never would trust any dog, no matter the breed, with kids. If you cannot supervise, the dog and children cannot stay in the same room.*****

How old was your dog when you adopted her from the shelter, and do you know what her past was like?

My gal was abused verbally and physically by her first owner, not an excuse for bad behavior, but it does explain where her aggression comes from, it is rooted in fear.

I will say that old gal thankfully didn't growl at all or show any aggression until she was about 6 yrs old.

Best of luck to you.

Just curious, but why would your dog start growling at 6yrs old? Did something change??

I also second your advice about kids and dogs. I agree with that 100%

Yes, she started having problems with the hip dysplasia, lost her long time companion, had to make nice with my now 5 year old boy. I guess it could have been any of these or one???

I had a 14 year old Shep/Lab with hip and numerous problems. She simply was not allowed to growl at humans unless there was some sort of threat.

I now have three dogs, all female, one Shep/Hound, Lab/Weimaraner and a Lab/Terrier. This is something I do not allow to happen to me or any humans in my house period. I am the alpha dog and thatÂs it. I don't care if we are at the vet's, or anywhere else. Unless there is a clear threat then, it isn't going to happen without some sort of reaction from me, that will definitely get their attention and 20 minute time out.

If the dog is in pain, that's a different story. I agree that a trip to the vet is probably in order, just to make sure.

Allowing dogs on the furniture can cause problems, especially when you have more than one.

Perhaps you should try giving Bell a "time out" period for about 15 minutes. If this happens again, repeat what you have already done by yelling NO, take her by the collar and put her in the bathroom and close the door. If she starts to whine, correct this, she must be alone and quiet, otherwise, don't talk to her at all.

At the end of the time out, let her out and make up to her. You should call her to you when you do this.

Good luck!

SG

Growling is one way a dog communicates. You have corrected him each time that he has growled. And I think your idea about not letting him on the furniture is probably a good idea, just to remind him who is the boss.

I think you are wise to keep on top of the behavior, but I don't think you should get too worried, unless its progressing into more aggressive behavior.

I had a dog that growled every time she went up or down the stairs. She just didn't like stairs and was letting the stairs know that. She wasn't threatening anyone except the stairs.

I would be very careful. You don't really know this dog if you have only had her since September and she was in a shelter before that. She could have been "honeymooning" for the first couple of months and her true colors could be emerging now. This happened to me once.

In any case, it sounds to me like a clear case of dominance aggression. She thinks she needs to be in charge. I would definitely keep her off all furniture and put her on the NILIF (nothing in life is free) program. And, as others have said, I would absolutely not let her be around the children unless you are in the room. If this type of behavior gets worse it may not be wise to keep her in a home with children. I know others will pounce on me for that, but the kids come first.

Oh, and no more tug-of-war! It's a bad idea, particularly with a dog with dominance issues.

I forgot to mention no tug of war! This will contribute to the problem.

I agree that the kids come first, and there could be dominance thing going on here. If you keep on top of it, it should correct itself.

The one thing that I insist on with my three "big, bigger and biggest" dogs, is I must be able to take their food from them when I want. I don't do it often, but it does reinforce the fact that I am the alpha dog. On some occasion, when I am not quite awake, I have gotten their food mixed up, (they are all on different diets) and took it while they are eating with no problem.

You might also try hand feeding a few bits just to let the dog know you are in charge.

Not knowing the dogs background is an issue. She may have had to be dominant to survive before you came along.

Does she go submissive? This is key for all dogs in your home. They should roll over on their back when you are on the floor with them, and you reward this with a good tummy scratch. This one thing will help your dog find her place in your pack, while you enforce yours.

Shepard's are by nature, very hard headed. Nice dogs, but..... Chows can be difficult as well. You might consider consulting with someone who works just with Chows and Shepard's. Perhaps your vet can help or refer you to someone.

SG

Tug-of-war is bad?? do tell me more

Thank you everyone for your replies. I did, in fact, call the trainer and Belle went in for a "behavior assessment". The trainer could not get her to show any aggression. She is uncomfortable with anyone touching her nails, but we (the trainer, myself, husband and kids) can touch them/manipulate her paws.

He did recommend that she be kept off the couch for the time being. He felt everything we have been doing was appropriate in correcting her. Her previous owner was elderly and Belle did not have any leash/obedience training at all up to this point. (He passed away in July.) She has made remarkable progress with the leash, basic manners and obedience.

She was kid/cat tested by the shelter, and our trainer put her through several different scenarios before she entered the class. His assessment was "friendly, super-confident, no apparent issues with cats or children. He did think she was somewhat stubborn and easily distracted. (That's why we're in dog school - so MOM can be trained to help the dog!!)

My kids are 16 and 12. We talked about what the trainer said this morning, so we could all be in agreement over the couch issue, and if there is any further incident, to correct her. I do like the idea of "time out", as she absolutlely loves to be with people and will follow us around like a shadow. As soon as she is corrected for any misbehavior she shows submissive behavior. When I'm at work all day, she sleeps in her crate or in her bed but is SO EXCITED when we come in the door in the afternoon.

I would never allow small children around ANY dog without my supervision. This goes even for my small 6 pound cat as well, you just don't know what can happen with small children and animals.

I appreciate your thoughtful replies and concern. Will keep you all posted.

kelly726... I believe most trainers feel tug of war is fine, and even great way for training, but only under the established rules... those set my the owners. A dog with agression issues should never be allowed to play that way. Some dogs can feel they'll be the "pack leader" if they can win at the game. Growling and biting in tug of war can be confusing to an untrained dog.

I agree, no more tug-of-war. We have probably one of the most mellow dogs on the planet (shepherd/lab mix), she's two years old and we've had her since 3 months. From the beginning, we played no tug-of-war and no excessive "rough-housing"... both of those games seem to serve no other purpose than to reinforce to the dog that humans LIKE to play rough, and growl and snap and play-fight. That's not my idea of a well-natured dog, you know?

When our dog wants to play, she brings us a toy to throw... and since she knows tug-of-war is not acceptable, she knows that as soon as I lay my hand on something she has in her mouth, she is expected to drop it immediately.

Revoke couch priviledges. No more tug o' war. Obedience work, every day!

Your dog will thank you for this... needs to really understand it's "status", and only you can clarify it.

Good for you for recognizing it early and taking bold steps to address it.

I had a male Rottweiler that growled. People called it talking, grumbling, I called it purring. Considering I got him as an adult rescue it did make me a little nervous and then I got over it. It's what he did. It was never a threat or warning. He growled when you petted him. The harder you petted him, the louder he growled. I had him about 12 years and he never bit me and he never stopped growling.