May 9, 2013
Here at Green Acres Kennel Shop we're making May Dog Bite Prevention month. Why? Because fifty percent of all children will be bitten by a dog during their childhood. That's a statistic we want to help change.
Dogs typically growl when they are afraid, angry, or upset. These are all emotional conditions that could precede a bite and are a perfect cue for us to change our behavior so that the dog does not need to escalate to the next step - biting.
Please don't get embarrassed or angry with your dog when they growl. They are not being mean, they are just trying to say "I'm very uncomfortable, please don't do that."
Even more importantly, NEVER punish your dog in any way for growling. This may cause the dog to stop growling and to just proceed to biting.
If you have a dog that growls frequently, a veterinary checkup is in order to rule out any medical issues that may be involved.