 Why the growling
#382743 - 09/07/2013 10:48 AM |
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I have a 4 yo unneutered male rottie, who loves people and dogs, and cats, and...and....
A couple days ago we were at the vet, and we were in a little alcove room with no door and the vet was sitting in there with us just chatting. He was in a down beside me. Dog, not vet. 
A 4 or 5 month old rottie puppy came in and the owner stopped outside the door and we were all talking. The puppy was just there, no pulling or barking or flailing around. About 5 or 6 feet away.
My dog stayed laying, but just rumbled low in his throat. Any thoughts here as to why? He didn't try to get up, snarl, or do anything else, but rumble. ???
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Re: Why the growling
[Re: Julie Sloan ]
#382751 - 09/07/2013 04:13 PM |
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I think that growl means, " Stay away from me you little puke I'm here at the vet trying to remain calm and collected and I don't want to interact with you".
I also think it lets you know that your dog may be more edgy at the vet than he has been letting on.
Perhaps the growl was intended for the vet rather than the puppy.
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Re: Why the growling
[Re: Julie Sloan ]
#382754 - 09/07/2013 04:40 PM |
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Well I can see that.
The vet was in there about an hour with us, and he rolled over and played around with the vet so he seems very accepting of him. We were only there to talk so except for looking at a foot nothing bad happened. And he loves the ladies who work there.
BUT, and this thought Just came to me. I bet it was me. I bet I was on edge because we have been working so hard at ignoring other dogs, I bet I was putting out some major "oh crap, is he going to jump up and try to pull me out there to play, etc blah blah blah.
I outweigh him by 10 pounds and we have had, and still have some pulling issues. We are waiting for the heat to break to work with a trainer who trained under Michael Ellis and Bart Bellon(I am very excited) and help me to get him over some of those things where I dropped the ball, and help me to be more confident in situations where I am not as confident as I should be. Ta da! Like At the vet where everything is a high distraction.
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Re: Why the growling
[Re: Julie Sloan ]
#382759 - 09/07/2013 05:57 PM |
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For me Julie, I don't think a lot about exact causes in every situation that's going to get them growling. I want them to knock it off before it escalates to something worse. Whether it was the puppy or not, I just don't spend much time with the he's communicating something to me stuff. I want him to listen to me, period.
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Re: Why the growling
[Re: Julie Sloan ]
#382761 - 09/07/2013 06:44 PM |
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I actually am one of those people that thinks a dog growling is him communicating something. I don't correct a growl in every situation as long as he is doing what I tell him. I know there are two sides of the fence on whether a dog should ever growl, and I respect both sides. But I did wonder why he would growl at a puppy when our problem has been exuberant joy whenever he sees another dog. But, I did tell him to quit and he did not, although he did stay in the down. That is an issue for me. He is a grumbler. I pull a tick off the top of his eye, he grumbles but he still holds still and let's me do it. If he was baring his teeth and fighting me, yes a problem. That's just my opinion.
I don't know if that is what you meant or not. But yes in this situation, I did want him to quit.
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Re: Why the growling
[Re: Julie Sloan ]
#382763 - 09/07/2013 06:51 PM |
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I've read that rotties are very growlly in general, is this your experience?
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Re: Why the growling
[Re: Julie Sloan ]
#382765 - 09/07/2013 07:01 PM |
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Yeah, he's communicating that he doesn't like something. And in a case like that, I'm communicating to him, and it doesn't automatically mean a physical correction, too bad, knock it off. Its not the growl itself I worry about, its the next reaction that could follow it. Does that make more sense? I've been around some vocal Rotts, I think its usually a pretty clear difference between that warning type growl and those grumblings they make.
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Re: Why the growling
[Re: Julie Sloan ]
#382770 - 09/07/2013 07:55 PM |
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Yes. And yes. A lot of them are pretty "talkative". I know it freaks some people out if a dog growls at all. ( not people on here generally) but yes Steve, if that had been a dog reactive adult with an owner who wasn't on top of him, it could have ended a lot more dramatically. I am very much looking forward to one on one work with someone who has the experience and the knowledge to help me iron out things like this. This is a first for something like that. And I am one to jump immediately at first sign of something and maybe overreact, instead of making excuses and have it bite me in the butt later. This dog means the world to me, and I feel a huge responsibility to be the owner that he needs to keep him safe in this human's world, if that doesn't sound too stupid.
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Re: Why the growling
[Re: Julie Sloan ]
#382780 - 09/07/2013 11:15 PM |
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Rotts can be very vocal and growly but I'm with Steve on just grumbling and growling being quite different.
Other then protection training the growl needs to be controlled. It can be the calm before the storm if it becomes a habit.
Teaching a simple "No" can help a lot.
old dogs LOVE to learn new tricks |
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Re: Why the growling
[Re: Julie Sloan ]
#382784 - 09/08/2013 06:29 AM |
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He grumbles with me. This is the first time he has growled at another dog.
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