Growling

[oreo cookie 0]

I have a year old Shih Tzu/Havanese Mix, Milo. We got him at 12 weeks. For the last couple of months, he's been growling when we pick him up. This is not all the time. We do let him on the couch and our bed and this is when he growls. He and our other dog Oreo sleep with us at night. Sometimes he growls and then licks us. I'm really not sure what going on with him. He is also very barky. The slightest noise starts him barking. We also have a 4 year old Shih Tzu/ Bichon mix, Oreo, who is the exact opposite. He's so easygoing, we can do anything with him and he doesn't care. He and Milo sleep with us at night in our bed. Milo hates to be groomed and growls when I try to brush him. He also runs away from me when he sees his brush. When I come home from work, Milo jumps up to greet me and growls, but this I think is a happy growl. I did take him to an obedience class at Petsmart and in the beginning he was quite frightened of the other dogs, but finally came out of his shell. He knows sit, stay, and come and does them when he feels like it. For the first couple of session he just sat under the stool and growled if any of the dogs came near him. He seems to like people, but I'm afraid at one point he may not. Do any of you have any suggestions on how to deal with his behavior?

[mileysmom 2]

One of my friends has a shih-tzu rescue in her home, shes got like 8.... but one of them in particular growls when he's excited. (i.e. anytime you pet him or pick him up)

I think that kind of sounds like what Milo is going through. but You just have to distinguish a mean growl and an excited one.

then figure out how to help him through his mean growl(fear, ect.)

Hope this helps.

[loewenthal.anna 4]

I dissagree, in my mind it doesn't much matter WHY the dog is growling, they are doing something that I consider rude and that needs to be halted. Period. A growl is a verbal warning before a bite and for me, I DO NOT tolerate being threatened by my dogs, ever. Even if they never escalate to snapping or biting, even the "yelling at me" is unacceptable.

For instance -- I have a foster at my house, Andy, who was born in the snow and LITERALLY never seen any human but the one who used to care for him until he was 5 months. He ran in a pack, was never around strange dogs or people, never on a leash, never wore a collar and when he got to my house he would growl and bark at ANYTHING new. Poor him, right?

Well, yeah, poor him. BUT that doesn't mean he got to continue being a rude, fearful little dog. He got reprimanded when he growled, and treated when he said hello. He learned socialization games and how to walk on a leash. . . he learned how I expect my dogs to behave, and he was happy to oblige once he realized it got him snuggles and free time and cookies.

Did Andy have every reason in the world to be surly and growl? Sure, that was his fight/flight mechanism, completely normal. But that doesn't mean I CATER to his growling either. Nor does it mean I make excuses for him, because I'm not asking anything astronomical of him either. He is never asked to cross boundaries he isn't ready to like being forced to say hello, but he IS rewarded when he pushes himself.

If you make it unappealing for a dog to be rude, they'll change their behaviors.

For your guy I would start by kicking him off the bed/couch when he smarts off to you. Make it clear that sleeping with you is a PRIVILEGE, not a right, and that he has to earn it. Maybe you set up a little crate next to the bed and if he growls, that's where he sleeps. Be prepared to ignore some temper tantrums in the form of barking and wailing (you may want to set that crate up ELSEWHERE in the house, for your own sanity) but he'll get the idea. Cause and effect. I'm being bratty, I no longer get to spend time with the family. I'm being good, I get to have snuggle time. Dogs are very black and white, he'll see the pattern, so long as you are diligent about it, very quickly.

When it comes to the grooming, you want to take the opposite tack, make it VERY appealing to him to sit for you. Get a very special treat that he can ONLY have when he's letting you brush him and feed him a constant stream of tiny pieces as long as he lets you brush without fussing. Keep the brushing sessions short, 3-5 minutes max to keep it a positive experience. If he does fuss, take a break, but don't let him run away (letting him run and hide confirms for him that HE gets to decide when grooming happens) -- just take a moment and pet him till he calms down, then try again, offering the treat at the same time your offer the brush.

Maybe even take a step back and offer a treat when you take out the brush, if he comes TO YOU, he gets the yummy. I would even let Oreo play this game because sometimes competition helps a dog learn faster. take out the brush and call them both to you with a *really* good treat, whoever gets there first, get the cookie. You'll be amazed how quickly Milo is focusing on getting the cookie before Oreo and NOT one the fact that you're holding a brush. Once you've gotten rid of the stigma of the "THE BRUSH" and associated it with getting treats, then you should have a lot less trouble making the move over to giving treats when he lets you brush him.

Then there's the greeting. It sounds from what you've written that Milo is being very bossy when you come home, like he expects ALL your attention right away and he's going to get it by jumping and clawing and being vocal. Give him the opposite of what he's expecting. Completely ignore him until he calms down. Get home, put your stuff away, change your clothes, do whatever you normally do when you get home without so much as looking in Milo's direction. If it takes you being there 45 minutes before he settles, so be it. You do not want to REWARD him with your attention until he's being polite. Much like sleeping on the bed, you want your dog to see affection from you as a privilege, not something he automatically gets regardless of how he behaves.

Of course it's difficult the first few weeks, you feel like you're "being mean" and that Milo is suffering. But, once he's gotten the hang of these rules, you really CAN go back to being snuggly with him, just not when he's smarting off or being bossy. And he'll learn, quickly. Dogs WANT to spend time with their people, and that time and affection is the greatest reward you could ever give them but, you want them to EARN it. Dogs tend to thrive under real structure too, so the more you can make things they don't like into "games" they can be "good at", the more you'll see that positive behavior you're after.

[TillyMaeTinkles 0]

Anna, I love your methods. I use similar ones and they work wonders. It's very true, dogs love structured environments. I live with my parents and two younger siblings and my house is total chaos, so my dog tends to be absolute chaos. When I take her to my boyfriends house where it's calm, she's an absolute angel. And she sometimes will do a low growling/whine when I don't pay attention to her, give her my food I'm eating, or if I'm not throwing her ball for her. It's not acceptable and she gets corrected immediately.

Oreo and Milo's parents: I saw you mentioned you went through a Petsmart obedience class....if your class was done correctly they should have shown you a couple of methods for the barking (penny can, spray bottle). I'm a fan yet not a fan of their classes, and I personally work there and get them to go through them for free. It partially depends on the trainer, I work in a store with an area trainer who has loads of experience and her life is all about her job and her dogs and training. But I can say I've learned more from reading training books, especially Cesar Milan's books. I'm a big fan of the man because he takes it down to the basics and instincts of the dog and is big on structuring your dog. I'd recommend grabbing a few of his books...it'll change your outlook on dogs entirely especially when they have behavioral problems. But Anna has definitely hit it on the spot with effective ways to correct the problems.

The only part I can add is as far as the grooming since that's my expertise. Definitely load up your brushing sessions with treats and keep them short and sweet an eventually work them to longer sessions over time. Some dogs just ABSOLUTELY hate being brushed...I personally believe they can have that changed because I've done that with my own dog. Use a leave in conditioner when brushing out, it reduces the amount of tugging and any tangles will break up easier. If you have some sort of table you can put your dog on as a "grooming table" I'd recommend that. I have people constantly come into the salon I work at saying they can't brush their dog....they bite them and fight them and run away. I put the dog up on the table and brush them out easily. My own dog fights me if I try to sit in bed and brush her. If I take her to work and put her on the table she's perfectly still. Some dogs are more sensitive to certain tools being used. My dog does not like slicker brushes, I have better luck with a wood pin brush. I have dogs that absolutely hate having a brush used on them but they'll let me use a comb. I have dogs that hate combs and only do good with a brush. I have dogs that don't do well with firm slicker brushes, only soft ones. I have dogs that are ultra sensitive to tangles being pulled at, even the slightest gentle pull and they scream. If he's a problem for tangles, use a leave in conditioner and hold it at the root and pick them apart slowly. You kinda have to think...they're body is like a giant version of your scalp. It's not always very comfortable. You have to give them a reason to tolerate it...and treats and yummies are most likely the best way.

[Bluepig112 0]

My mom's female does A LOT. I taught my mom this method that I do with my dogs and its been working for her. When she starts to growl mom will make the "Aht" noise. (kind of like you would say to a kid who is reaching for a cookie without asking. Not really a no, but a noise that let's them know what they are doing is wrong and gets their attention). If she keeps it up she's scolded and moved out of the room. She hates that.

Sometimes people equate dog behavior with human emotions. My mom thought she was jealous and that if she gave her dog more attention she would stop. While maybe she was jealous, giving her more attention when she growls is showing her that what she's doing gets a reward. It also enforces the dogs feeling that she is in charge (or alpha dog).

I have a mixed breed dog who will sometimes "talk" to me in a low growl when I'm petting her. I don't know why she does it, but I know that in the dog world growling isn't friendly. If she starts "talking" to me like that she gets the "aht" noise and I stop petting her. She's been very receptive to the method.

[GizmoHappyKitty 1]

My previous Shih-tzu, Gizmo, was a mumble grumbler. He was very vocal and would let you know exactly what he wanted by grumbling. If he was hungry he'd grumble by the fridge, if he was thirsty and his water dish was empty he'd grumble by the sink and if he needed to go out he'd grumble by the door; my female shih-tzu is totally different she'll just sit by the door and expect you to see her sitting there, or she'll scratch at the water dish if it's empty but she never talks or grumbles. Our new little guy Lucky is a talker just like Gizmo was and he'll grumble when you pick him up and when he wants to go out.

Michele and the pups

[Claudiabehr 3]

Michele, I have a grumbler too! Panda will come up on the couch and put her face a couple inches from mine and grumble for food if she wants it before meal time. She'll grumble to go out. I don't even really call it growling, though a stranger might. Also, if I don't pay attention fast enough, she adds a shaky lower jaw to the grumble.

[Chloe's Mama 2]

My friend, Mary had a pekingnese who "growled". It was really her "talking". Now, when Jet first came home to Mary, she growled at me when I first came in the house. She was new to her surroundings and her person (Mary). I kept my distance from her and she eventually checked me out and we became buddies. She's a sweetie. And now she does the "growling/talking". She even throws her head back and "roo roo roo"'s sometimes. I think she mainly does it when Mom and Mary leave to go somewhere and when they come back.

[Seastar 44]

My big dog Betsy would lie on the floor and growl to have her tummy rubbed. She was the sweetest dog ever, not an aggressive bone in her body. Zinnia will growl to ask to be put on the floor if she's tired of being a lap dog. I do believe that growling can be a way of "talking". It's easy to tell an aggression grown from a talking growl.

[Shredder 4]

I was on a walk with Shredder one time, we came across a couple walking their 2 shih tzus, I asked if I could pet one of them and the man said "sure, she's friendly but I have to warn you she growls, but won't bite" ... so as I'm petting her she starts to make this growling noise, it was so cute! ha .. the more I pet her the more she would growl, it was very funny!