Why does my dog growl when I give him a bone?
Your dog is enjoying the bone, and they are worried it is going to be taken away from them if anyone gets too close. If your dog growls while chewing on a bone, this is communication and should not be punished, otherwise, your dog may escalate their behavior in order to get their point across.
Is it normal for dogs to be aggressive over bones?
It is not abnormal for dogs to be slightly possessive or aggressive over their bones. However, if the aggression is severe or uncontrolled, it could be a sign of an underlying issue that needs to be addressed. If you are concerned about your dog’s behavior, consult with a behaviorist or trainer.
This behavior is called resource guarding, and it is simply a way for dogs to communicate that they are not done with the bone yet. If you try to take away a bone from a dog while they are still interested in it, they may growl to tell you they don’t want to give it up.
If the behavior escalates beyond growling, engage a qualified, experienced professional to help you with the problem, because this can get out of hand and become dangerous if it dealt with in the wrong way.
Furthermore, if every time a toy or bone is given up and it’s put away, there’s no incentive for the dog to ever give up the toy, so its important to trade for food, and then return the toy to the dog. This creates a win-win situation where there’s no downside at all to giving up the highly valued object.
Whatever you do, don’t force the dog to release the object. This only teaches the dog that he was right to guard the item in the first place, and will increase the severity of the guarding and increase the severity of his aggression response. He’ll progress from guarding looks and body language to growling, and ultimately may resort to biting to protect the object.