Dislike of Certain People/ Strangers
When it comes to preferences, dogs are not so different from us.
Suddenly being hugged by a stranger or getting a butt slap would throw anyone off.
While some dogs are very aloof around strangers in general, others just dislike certain types of people or apparel.
If your dog wasn’t properly exposed to tall men with black coats in his early developmental stages, he might react particularly fearful towards them.
This often happens with seemingly confident and majestic dog breeds like the Cane Corso.
If this stranger then decides to approach, alarm bells go off.
Every attempt at physical contact will be rejected with a low, growly and clear “no”.
Some dogs just don’t like their personal space invaded especially human-oriented breeds who bond with their owners but aren’t so sure about strangers.
That being said, a well-tempered and socialized dog shouldn’t perceive anyone as a threat when you, as the leader, introduce the person as a friend.
But many people simply don’t know how to behave.
Most strangers don’t even ask if they could pet your dog, they simply bend over with their whole body and press their sweaty palms onto your dog’s head.
Bending over paired with immediate physical contact can be perceived as a threat by nervous or fearful dogs.
How to fix it: Your dog doesn’t need to be cuddling with the world but changing his perception just a little bit will do wonders.
Expose him to areas with small groups of people and slowly build your way up to busier streets.
Follow these socialization steps and create a positive experience around people by using treats or toys.
You can also ask strangers if they would be willing to throw a treat in front of your dog when passing by.
Inform people, who request to pet your dog, how to properly approach him.
They shouldn’t bend over the dog and rather come from the side, taking away that threatening body language.
A scratch under the chin is much better than a pat on the head for some dogs.
That’s not true with my Rottweiler. Try to scratch her chin and your hand will be seized with licks (that’s the best of problems to have though).
If your dog is still unsure about people approaching him then ask them to kneel down with a treat in their hand so your dog will be able to make contact on his own terms.
Growling can seemingly come out of nowhere.
But there are probably several body signals that your dog has displayed prior to this.
Depending on the situation, your dog might try to tell you “that’s enough” or “leave me alone”.
While growling in itself is not a bad thing, finding out the reason will help you prevent or manage the situation better in the future.
When you pet your dog for a few seconds and he suddenly gives you a mad growl, this is probably him saying that he has had enough.
He definitely has the right to tell you that but, if occurring repeatedly, it could mean that he believes to be in control of the situation and you are doing something he disapproves of.
In a nutshell, he is the one giving you commands on how you should act.
I will discuss the pack leader (and its flawed theory) problem further down below which will give you an idea of where your dog is coming from.
How to fix it: Growling as a warning signal doesn’t need to be and shouldn’t be fixed.
As I said, revoking your dog’s ability to warn will lead to a much more unpredictable dog.
Understand what your dog is uncomfortable with in this situation.
Did you squeeze him too hard or is he just not in the mood and you are forcing yourself onto him?
Give him a bit of space and let him approach you rather than vice versa.
You can dangle a toy or a treat and get in some one-on-one bonding session.
You Are Not the Pack Leader
If this is the case, your dog must have issues in more places than just the petting.
He essentially thinks that he is the boss and running the household.
We get that it sounds funny, but it’s not.
And it’s not the big dominant dogs that commonly rule your life, it’s the small ones that are treated like fur babies.
I know that every owner wants the best for their dog and wants them to be happy but sometimes these actions have unintended side effects.
But why is that a problem?
Canines are pack animals and a pack without a leader is confused, anxious, and unstable.
If your dog thinks of you as a bad leader, he will try it himself.
Now the debate about whether or not a pack hierarchy exists is ancient and I won’t go into any details.
Dogs are not like wolves and domestication has greatly changed them.
I don’t recommend using any alpha training which, sadly, got closely affiliated with the word “pack leader”.
Photo by Adam Griffith on Unsplash
The leader should be a gentle, kind, and respected part of the family.
Associating leadership with dominance couldn’t be more wrong.
Every species needs guidance whether that’s coming from a parent or s boss.
If your dog thinks that you are not worthy of this title, he will try claiming ownership of resources or the couch.
He won’t need to obey commands anymore and might become snappy when corrected.
It’s essentially about the idea that you need to be in control of your dog.
At the end of the day they are animals and our society can’t work with wild behavior.
That’s why we have domesticated wolves in the first place, to fit them into our lives.
How to fix it: Leadership should be built on trust and respect. Mutual respect and understanding are the best foundation for any relationship.
You will need to have the clearest communication and the best bond possible.
If you believe that your bond could be improved then don’t read any further and fix your relationship first with my comprehensive bonding guide.
This will boost your and your dog’s confidence which will help you in the next steps.
Recommended Reading: How to Stop Food Aggression
Dogs can suffer from severe anxiety just like we do.
Separation anxiety, for example, is a condition in which a dog exhibits signs of extreme distress when being left alone.
Anxiety symptoms can include shivering, pacing, panting, destructive behavior, urination, drooling, excessive licking, etc.
There are three different reasons for fear responses to abnormal stress: fear, phobia and anxiety.
Fear is an instinctual behavior that everyone has experienced in his life several times.
It triggers our fight or flight response in the presence of a threat.
Your dog could have growled during a pet session because he heard a loud noise from outside the door.
Now when fear becomes persistent, it’s called a phobia.
Your dog could develop a phobia from past trauma with humans or from a lack of socialization.
Especially tall men wearing certain clothes appear intimidating to dogs.
Every time your dog is exposed to that trigger, he will react with a fear response that could include barking, growling, snapping, or lunging.
Growling is almost always self-rewarding because it achieves the desired outcome of a person walking away.
Dogs can also develop a general anxiety disorder in which a dog is always on edge and anticipates a threat behind every corner.
Petting him during fearful phases can actually “hurt” him.
A dog that is always fearful has very tense muscles with lots of knots causing them to become sore.
While your intention might be to help him, you could actually make him feel more uncomfortable and therefore will receive a growl.
If your dog is going through a sensitive phase like the second fear period (between 6-14 months old), it’s important to continuously desensitize him to his triggers.
How to fix it: Socialization never stops and while you might have missed the critical stages, it’s still not too late. Create a positive association with your dog’s trigger repeatedly by using treats or toys.
Control your dog’s environment and keep as much distance as possible at first.
You can slowly build up the exposure in baby steps to set your dog up for success.
Remember to not pet your dog when he is displaying an anxiety response because this will actually reinforce the behavior.
A dog that is confident, predictable, and stable is the opposite of dangerous whereas unbalanced dogs can experience a lot of anxiety and uncertainty leading to behaviors like extreme submission or dominance and switching between them.
He can react very nervous toward new stimuli and your touch could elevate his level of anxiety.
It could also be the case that your dog has learned to keep people away from him by growling at them (conflict aggression).
This would also include situations when being petted.
Hassling a dog that is unsure of himself could trigger an aggressive response.
Unstable behavior oftentimes has an underlying medical issue so it would be best to talk to your vet.
Unbalanced temperament, on the other hand, is inherent and something you need to look out for when choosing a reputable breeder.
There are various temperament tests that you can perform on a potential puppy to determine its stability.
Aggression (not medically induced) isn’t something that happens overnight.
It takes time to get from a friendly dog to a potentially dangerous one.
There were probably a lot of early clues that you could have picked up on and that could indicate a negative change.
Regular growling, snapping, and lunging at you or other people is a serious behavior problem.
Take notes under which circumstances this behavior occurs and what potentially caused it.
Finding the reason behind the aggression is necessary to creating a plan.
Serious aggression or reactivity towards strangers is an issue and should definitely be looked into.
There are many aggression resources on the internet and you can always reach out to a certified dog behaviorist.
Fearful Growling
A fearful growl usually happens when your dog is afraid of a threat. The threat can be themselves, pet parents, objects they desire, or their territory. Fearful growling is their way to say “back off” to these threats.
The main goal of fearful growling is to let the threat know that they are demanding distance. They are trying to intimidate it to leave, as they do not want to start a fight.
This often happens when dogs meet unfamiliar faces or are subjected to other pets and animals in their territory.
To distinguish fearful growling, observe your dog if it starts growling with a low tone and a closed mouth, stiff body language, and decreased breathing pace. From there, it will begin to snarl with the teeth slightly exposed if the threat is still visible.
Keep in mind to immediately intervene once these signs are seen to avoid physical conflict. The first step is to identify what they see as a threat, causing your furbaby to growl, and remove it if possible.
If your furbaby is on a leash, move to an area where they will not see the threat.
To avoid the frequency of fearful growling, you may want to start with behavior training. If your furbaby is afraid of strangers, add more socialization by familiarizing them with other people.
Lastly, eliminate all possible anxiety triggers in your home to lessen the potential threats.
What Does Dog Growling Mean? Why Do Dogs Growl And What To Do.
Growling is one of the many ways dogs communicate, and it’s important for humans who interact with dogs to understand what it means and the proper way to react. You might be surprised by your own natural ability to interpret growling.
In a study on humans’ ability to understand dog growls, most people were able to correctly distinguish through audio between a playful growl, an aggressive growl of a dog guarding food, and a fearful growl from a dog being approached by a stranger. This ability to understand growls was stronger in people who regularly interact with dogs.
Like communication with humans, the vocalizations that dogs make can express different meanings, emotions, and desires. Here are what the different types of growls mean and ways you can react once you understand them.