Q: Is it in any way harmful if my dog and I growl at each other in a playful way? His tail keeps on wagging and he hasn’t become aggressive at all.
A: Growls serve many purposes for dogs. Dogs can growl when they are feeling uncomfortable, anxious, stressed or threatened. Most puppies and many adult dogs will growl when they are playing with other dogs.
Dogs may also growl when playing with people, like in a game of tug. Some dogs even growl when they are playing by themselves with a toy.
A person growling at a dog is usually a method used in aversive, punitive training and I would never recommend that anyone growl at their dog. But this particular scenario sounds like play-growling and is usually not a reason for concern when you are playing a game.
Play-growling can, however, escalate into reactive behaviour, and this needs to be closely monitored by paying close attention to your dog’s body language. A growl that has escalated from a play-growl to a warning-growl is usually accompanied by body language such as a tucked-in tail, the dog looking away, ears back, shaking off, yawning or lip-licking.
Keep these sessions short, always watch his body language, and stop immediately if your dog seems to be getting over-excited or is showing any signs of stress.
Alyson Kingsley-Hall, behaviourist
