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What if your dog growls at people who are moving about

 Dogs growl as a means of communication and it is important to realise that this can mean many things. It may mean another dog, or a person, is behaving in a way that it causing them stress or annoyance. Although they can’t speak the way we do, they have their own vocal language to communicate.

One specific use of growling 

This blog is going to look at just one specific use of growling - a dog growling when people they aren’t familiar with (or maybe people they aren’t particularly close to) move about the room, stand in a doorway, stand in the room talking etc. All of these scenarios could also happen outside in the garden, or anywhere really.

The dog is showing their anxiety 

Ok, so you’re sitting with your dog in the company of people the dog isn’t really used to. Someone gets up and starts to move about to do something. Not something to do with the dog, just some business of the person’s own. 

Some nervous dogs can really struggle with this. A nervous dog lacks confidence and might start growling.

"Why? The person isn’t going to do anything that concerns the dog!"

You know that and everyone there knows that, but the nervous dog doesn’t.  Dogs monitor everything that is going on.  A confident, relaxed dog may notice that someone is standing up, moving about etc. and they won’t care.  The anxious dog, however, will see this as something they have to worry about. Growling in this context can be the dog’s way of trying to prevent the person approaching them. They might even take it further and rush at the person in an attempt to keep them away. This more overt behaviour in this context is still fear based, even though it may not look like it.

These scared dogs are not being ‘nasty’ in any way. 

People often misinterpret this growling. They might think the dog is being ‘bad’. They might get embarrassed and wonder why their dog is behaving in this way. My own little dog does it in certain circumstances. He gets scared if someone he isn’t used to comes in and stands in the doorway to the room or stands in the room talking. He growls out of worry.

What should we do?

In the short term, if circumstances allow, the person could sit down so they are not looming large over the dog or in the dog’s line of sight.

However, these ‘issues’ aren’t fixed overnight. We are talking about the way a dog processes things and their feelings of fear. The dog’s mind is processing something harmless (someone moving about) as something to be afraid of. As with any behaviour we can see, it is an underlying emotion that is causing it. 

Don’t tell your dog off for growling. If you do, one of the consequences is they may well think that the person they rely on (you!) is also scary. We want to help give the dog confidence. You could try reassuring your dog and maybe give them little bits of tasty food to help form good associations with people moving about. Ultimately, if it’s just all too much for your dog, just take them away from the situation.

"What’s everyone going to think if I walk off with my dog?"

You could say something like, “he gets scared by people moving about/people standing about. I’ll just take him into the other room to let him relax.”

Longer term measures 

If you want to work on this issue to help your dog, think about getting professional advice from a force-free behaviourist to help your dog with their worries and grow their confidence in these and other situations.

Enjoy your dog and look into ways of helping them. We all get scared.


Ursula Linton



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