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Post by inglorian on Aug 7, 2006 10:13:17 GMT -5
Hi, I'm new to the forum, and was just wondering if anyone here has experience with this problem. I've had a few dogs and never encountered this particular issue.
My Golden Retriever, Lucky, growls at me. The strange thing is, he's absolutely perfect on his walks (heels well, doesn't pull) and I get lots of compliments from people on how obedient he is. However, as soon as we are back in the house, he starts to growl. Now, this isn't really a huge issue, since he displays no other dominant tendencies -- he doesn't snarl or bite, and will always lay down and act submissive. The problem is, he'll growl WHILE he's acting submissive. I don't really understand why.
I don't THINK it's a medical issue, because he doesn't do this in relation to any sort of specific activity or touching, and he only does this to me, not any strangers or friends. I've also taken to the vet and he seems to have no problems.
Does anyone know how I might fix this and get him to be QUIET when he's being petted?
Thanks, Andrea
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Post by Dom on Aug 7, 2006 12:01:17 GMT -5
Welcome to the boards. You said he doesn't growl "in relation to any sort of specific activity or touching" but later asked if there was anyway to get him to stop when he was being petted. Do you continue petting or "reassuring him" while he is growling? It is hard to tell by your post if he is giving you a warning or he has been conditioned (by continuing to pet him/comfort him during this behavior) into thinking that his reaction is the response you want from him. A little more information about the situations that cause him to growl will be helpful. I don't know want to give you incorrect advice so I am sure others will chime in soon.
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Post by inglorian on Aug 7, 2006 13:15:48 GMT -5
Thanks for the welcome. I don't know if it's a conditioned behavior -- it is possible, because I've noticed that if I sit down to pet him, he'll growl at my approach, but if I stop, he'll growl more and move closer to me, nudging me to continue. If I come home, he'll be excited to see me, will come up to me, and start growling. I've never had another dog that displayed this behavior. I understand he probably thinks this is something I want him to do, but I'm not quite sure how to STOP him from doing it. If I discipline him, or say NO when he growls at me, he'll simply growl louder (a warning signal?) but won't do anything further than that such as display aggressive tendencies, he'll just get louder. When I first sit down to pet him, he'll growl, and then once I'm actually petting him, he'll generally stop growling. If I stop petting him, as I said, he'll nudge me and growl again. I understand this is probably conditioned behavior, but I'm not quite sure how to communicate to him that I don't like it, since, as I said, if I reprimand him he simply growls louder. Thanks for any help, Andrea
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Post by Nicole on Aug 7, 2006 13:39:46 GMT -5
It sounds like he is talking to you. A dog growls for many different reasons, not just aggression. They growl when they are happy, content, playing etc. My dog has so many vocalizations (I actually love that he talks) and to an outsider some of these would sound like a growl. He says hello, good night, good morning, yay we are going to play. Aggressive growls come from deep in the gut. Throaty growls are usually not aggressive.
So with that in mind, I think your dog is not being aggressive but is being very pushy and telling you that he wants you to do something...pet me, do this, do that and somewhere along the line he has learned that it works. Like Dom said it does seem to be conditioned. He growls, you pet, you reprimand he growls, you stop.
What I would do is ignore it completely if you want it to extinguish. Don’t pet him, don’t look at him, act like he doesn’t exist. Go about your business. When he is quiet, pet him when you feel like it. Never pet him when he nudges you for a pet. You decide when to pet and when to stop. He may get worse before he gets better. That is called an extinction burst. He may growl louder and louder saying hey why aren’t you petting me. Ignore him completely. Give him attention only when he is quiet.
I want to say that if I thought this was aggression, my advice would be much different.
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Post by inglorian on Aug 7, 2006 14:17:38 GMT -5
Okay, thanks so much for the advice. I'm going to try ignoring it for a few weeks and see if he stops.
I'm actually pretty sure I agree with you about the "talking" thing, I often do think it sounds as if he's talking to me because he has different "types" of growls. For example, if I don't pet him after he growls at me, he'll add a throaty voice-like higher sound/pitch to the growl, as if he's trying to intensify it, but it doesn't sound like any sort of aggressive growl to me.
So thanks for the advice of just ignoring the problem, hopefully this will go away. I've tried ignoring him before, but I didn't know about this "extinction burst" so that's probably why I stopped too soon and just gave him what he wanted, i.e affection.
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Post by Dom on Aug 7, 2006 14:19:03 GMT -5
When I first sit down to pet him, he'll growl, and then once I'm actually petting him, he'll generally stop growling. If I stop petting him, as I said, he'll nudge me and growl again. Thanks Nicole. I was leaning in that direction because Andrea said he only did it when she was around. Nicole's advice is dead on concerning how to stop the behavior. Don't let your dog train you! I am sure one to talk. Even saying NO is attention and giving in to him. Ignore him completely even if you have to get up and walk away to keep him from nudging you. Good luck! ;D
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Post by Dom on Aug 7, 2006 14:33:30 GMT -5
I'm actually pretty sure I agree with you about the "talking" thing, I often do think it sounds as if he's talking to me because he has different "types" of growls. For example, if I don't pet him after he growls at me, he'll add a throaty voice-like higher sound/pitch to the growl, as if he's trying to intensify it, but it doesn't sound like any sort of aggressive growl to me. Oh yea you have a "talker" on your hands. I never heard so many vocalizations from a dog until we got our Shep/Husky mix. One night my husband and I were in the living room and heard "talking" behind us. We both stared at each other thinking someone was in the house. He immediately got up to investigate. It was Sadie (our dog) talking to her ball. She was apparently not pleased the ball wasn't giving chase and was trying to convince it to run down the hallway so she could catch it.
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