Puppy Growling at Other Dogs

By Hope Richardson

Formal puppy classes are an excellent step towards having a well-socialized puppy. However, in order to ensure the classes have a positive effect, it is helpful to know beforehand how to handle a situation in which your puppy growls at other dogs.

First, carefully observe the puppy's general nature (through the little actions and reactions the puppy displays daily). This will help to determine the motivation behind his growling behavior, i.e. is it caused by fearfulness? Or dominant bullying? The applied treatment between the two types of aggression is different. If the puppy is usually submissive, and if he is often startled or acts timid in new situations, then the growling he demonstrates in puppy class is likely caused by fear. Although there have been some reports of the other type of aggression (dominant bullying) in certain Cotons, in general this breed is very sweet-natured -- so in this article I will assume the growling is caused by fear and outline that treatment.

1. Pre-plan and set up the introduction of the dogs to each other in such a way that a friendly dog cannot invade the "personal space" of your fearful dog, i.e. don't allow the fearful puppy to be put into a situation where he feels cornered. Cornering can cause "fear aggression" -- growling, possibly leading to snapping. Being “cornered” not only refers to being backed up against an object, but also refers to any situation in which a fearful dog (on a short leash, for example) feels he cannot get away from the approaching dog (or child).

A fearful puppy will also feel cornered (because he has no escape route) if the well-intentioned owner takes  the puppy (held in her arms) right up to other dogs to “introduce them”. Doing so can make the puppy lose trust and question the owner’s judgement, especially if the encounter doesn't end up being positive.

2. Only introduce one dog at a time. Both dogs should be on leash (for their protection). The friendly dog’s leash should be shorter than the fearful dog’s leash, both leashes slack, and each dog placed at the owner’s feet, owners facing each other. The owners should be standing spaced far enough apart that the dogs can choose to move towards each other in front of the owners and meet in the middle of the room -- but the length of the leashes restricts them from going any further than just "meeting", i.e. one dog cannot actually invade the other dog's space. Each dog can choose to retreat and hide behind the owner's legs, without the other dog having enough leash to follow him there. Both dogs must always have an escape route to get away if they wish. The choice to "meet" should be up to the fearful dog to decide when he is ready, not the owners forcing. That way, the dog doesn't feel out of control and feeling in need to defend himself by displaying aggression.

3. When the two dogs meet, if the fearful dog growls, ignore it. If the owner instead reprimands the dog by speaking sharply or jerking the dog to correct him, this only makes the fearful dog hate the other dog even more. The dog's thinking can go something like this: "My mom is normally nice to me. But when another dog comes near me, she gets angry with me. Now I really hate that other dog even more, because that other dog makes my mom angry." -- The dog can associate your anger as being caused by the approach of the other dog, rather than realizing your anger is because of his own aggressive action. So, if the fearful puppy growls, ignore it. Let the dogs work it out themselves.

(*NOTE: This is not the same treatment of aggressiveness motivated by dominant bullying -- that kind of growling should not be ignored.)

4. If your puppy growls when being approached by a friendly big dog, it’s best to not scoop up the puppy into your arms. Doing so tends to inadvertently reinforce the growling behavior. i.e. The fearful puppy growls, wanting out of the situation. -- The owner scoops up the puppy, the other dog goes away, and the fearful puppy is now out of the situation. He got what he wanted. And as a bonus, he got your attention. His growling behavior worked. Therefore, he will repeat it again next time.

5. During puppy classes, the fearful dog should initially be kept out of the uncontrolled "group play" sessions. Set yourself someplace where your puppy can watch, but the other dogs cannot bound up to him. Get the instructor’s permission to handle it this way: When the group play session is over and all dogs have been returned to leash beside their owners, come back to your seat with the fearful puppy; drop his leash, leave him on the floor (not on your lap), allowing the fearful dog to be free to wander the room during class (as long as he doesn't disrupt the class), going over to sniff other dogs when he feels comfortable doing so. For the first few classes, the fearful free-roaming puppy will likely choose to stay at the owner's feet or under her chair. That’s fine. It is the puppy's choice and decision. After a few classes, the fearful puppy will normally eventually start to get a little braver, and will cautiously approach the other dogs (who are on leash at their owner's feet). This should be allowed and not interrupted, even if growling occurs. But remember: Don't let your fearful puppy corner another dog either! As the puppy gains confidence over the weeks, he may even eventually choose to join in the group play sessions, at first staying on the outside fringe.

To summarize:

The Don'ts:

1) When the fearful puppy growls, don’t try to console the dog (e.g. by petting and saying "it's ok"). That just reinforces the behavior by giving the puppy your attention.

2) Don't reprimand the dog for growling.

3) Don't carry the puppy over and right up to another dog “to introduce them”.

4) Don't let children come directly up to the dog. Instead, ask the children to stay where they are and to call the dog over to them.

The Do's:

1) Introduce dogs one on one, to prevent a pack-oriented aggression event (i.e. don't let three or four dogs meet at once.) Find someone who has a very good-natured dog, with whom you can practice.

2) Ensure both dogs have enough space for retreating to an escape route. This avoids the feeling of being cornered.

3) Let the fearful puppy approach the other dog on his own terms, rather than forcing the introduction.

4) If growling occurs, ignore it.

5) Act very happy to see a big dog approaching (even if you’re not). Your dog will get the message that the other dog is a good thing. That way, the dogs might be happy too, and possibly diffuse what could be an ugly situation.

Keep in mind that even a puppy who was well-socialized (for his age) by the breeder can become fearful. A puppy who leaves the breeder at 2 months of age, and then doesn’t see another dog until classes begin 2 or 3 months later, has had lots of time to develop fear of new things. The owner needs to continue the puppy’s socialization by carefully introducing him to new people, places, things, noises, and other dogs, on an ongoing basis (but never force a dog into a fearful situation or overwhelm him). Your Coton will thank you for it by being your dearest little companion, and a well-adjusted friend to all.