What is the different about dog growling????

[walnutcreekbernese]

I haven't really been carefully reading the informations about growling Berners, 
but I wanted to point out that there are many different types of growling.
Autumn - my pup dosen't growl much but I could see somthing different about my friend's 2 bernese mountain dogs growling...

Yes there is aggressive and fearful growling - situations in which one should
exercise caution with their dog, and follow with lots of training and 
behavior modification.

I think it's really important to mention that dogs also growl in play.  It
can sometimes be difficult to distinguish, especially if it is a growing dog
or a new behavior. 

My friend's 2 Bernese mountains growl all the time to each other and to me to coax each other on or to be silly.  It's so important to read  your dog's body language as well as listening.  Is his tail wagging, is he relaxed?

Friend's berner 'Jackson' went through a stage of excessive growling and mouthiness, jumping, 
bumping, etc when he was about 6 months old.  I thought at first that  he was trying to be "top dog" and getting a little aggressive.  I know now that he was entering adolescence and his behaviors were changing.  So it was new
activity, but not bad - he was just playing differently.

Just something to think about when dealing with new growling.  You  don't
want to punish a dog for being silly and funny- just because you don't get  the
joke!
Is this correct?

[romanreign]

I've noticed other breeds do it too, particularly in play.  It sounds like growling to people who aren't used to it, but its not.  I refer to it as talking.  It seems to come more from the mouth than the throat, and looks like the dog is actually talking.  I had a foster golden who would do it when he was happy or if you do the ear rub. 

Its noticably different from a regular throaty warning growl. 

[moonlitcroatia]

Rottweilers are also dogs of many growls.  Greta is the only one of mine who purrs.  This is a growl I was afraid of at first, when she was younger, and it took a while to figure it out.  She does it when I give her a massage, etc.  It is a mellow, slow gurgling sound deep in her throat. 

[mastiffmommy]

I think most breeds have different kinds of growl, well more or less, also not only different breeds but different individulas aswell, some does it more than others. Of the dogs I have now, Hera Galahad and Buffy does it, Zeus is more of a choked howl when he is "play talking" Galahad is a nut and does some "growling" every day accompanied by kicking in the air, swinging his head and going down on his chest so his butt is sticking up in the air. He is too funny to watch, id rather sit around and watch him do that, than go to a movie lol....

We had something else that most people though was a sign of being unfriendly here a few years ago. We fostered a border Collie, and he was real timid when he first got here, we had him for more than a year before he was ready to move out to a farm, anyway when he got comfortable with us and himself he showed that in the sweetest possible way. When we came home or when he was out in the yard and someone of us came out, he was smiling, and not just with the corners of the mouth. He was actually smiling BIG, pulled his lips over his teeth and opened his mouth, and looked just lik a person who is smiling with open mouth. Most people thought he was mad, but he was just sooooo happy to show how much he appreciated being loved. I have never seen that in a dog before or after, that was soooo cute

Marit

[GYPSY JAZMINE]

Samson is a talker too...He has a growl for every moody...My favorite is when he is just lying there doing this growl thing that reminds me every bit of a kid complaing "MOM I'M BORED"...lol!

[moonlitcroatia]

Marit,

When I was a kid we lived on a farm and had border collies.  This one boy, Butch, smiled like that...just before he mounted our leg! 

It's true!

[Carolyn]

Apache is a talker, oh boy! Some of the sounds he makes, we call it "woo wooing" he'll carry on & on especially when he wants me to get a toy/ball that he cant get he can actually be very demanding.
Carolyn

[lins_saving_grace]

My Rotts are talkers and growlers too.  Just gotta know them to know the difference between a mean cranky growl and a come on and play harder growl.  Rotts definately have differences in their tones....I agree on that one.

[dohertyswissy]

I know what y'all mean by different growls/barks.  When Ranger is alerting us to something, he has this deep bark from his gut.  When he is playing or wants our attention, it is much higher pitched noise....and he jumps around like a wild man!

[mastiffmommy]

Marit,

When I was a kid we lived on a farm and had border collies.  This one boy, Butch, smiled like that...just before he mounted our leg!  

It's true!

That is too funny hehe. Rusty smiled and wagged his tail and just looked at you as if you were the best in the whole world, I soooo wish we could have kept him, but he was not a one acre boy, he needed lots more room to be happy, and we found a wonderful  home for him, but still...... I think about him a lot, and have contact with the family who adopted him. I so miss his smile, mind you hehe I am glad the smile came without mounting legs 

Marit

[Jaimie]

My dobe does the mouth"growl" when his ears are rubbed or when I stroke him while he is sleeping, definitely nothing aggressive about it.  I just want to add that tail wagging does NOT always mean a happy dog it can also mean aggression.

[mastiffmommy]

Good point Jaimie...... That actually is something I have as one of my fav. things when I "read" a dogs body language. How they carry their tail, and just like you say, you can see a dog wagging its tail, way over its back, in kinda quick and short motion, and that is not a happy wag. It is more of a "look at me, and challange it if you dare" and from there it is a rather small step to aggressive.

Reading a dogs body language, and how they "talk" is real interesting to learn about, and so helpful when you try and stay on top of things.

Marit

[Jaimie]

It is a very good idea to read a book on Dog language.  I recommend "How to speak dog" by Stanley Coren, very very good.  After all it is up to us to learn their language cause we all know that they do not have the capability to learn ours.  I would think that all dog owners would want to learn about their language so we can better live together and understand each other.

[mastiffmommy]

Thanks for the tips Jaimie, I will absolutely check that book out. Have read quite a few, most of them in swedish though, so I think I wont recommend them here lol.....

Marit

[Jaimie]

Please let me know what you think about the book after you've read it.  Too bad I don't speak swedish....lol