Do you correct a growl or not?
Every dog trainer has likely heard this question, and oh-so-many people have vibrant opinions about this topic, ranging from “absolutely not” to “yes, of course.”
To get at the centre of it, it helps to think about what a growl really means—not on a surface level (which most perceive as a dog expressing its unhappiness and giving a warning), but on a deeper psychological level. Interestingly, at this deeper level, a growl can mean many, many different things.
A growling dog can be a dog that exerts its agency onto an action that it perceives as unfavourable. In simpler words, a dog takes upon itself an executive level of authority and tells you what to do and not to do.
The very act of a dog assuming that this kind of tone is okay for it to take when communicating with you indicates that there is a problem. It can be a very slight problem—a teenager pushing its boundaries with the furniture—or it can be a very big problem, such as a dog that is resource-guarding your bed from your children. At the end of the day, it does not matter what caused this specific kind of growling; what matters is why this dog decided that it has this kind of decision-making power.
A growling dog can also be a dog who is grumpy and wants the world to know about it. For example, if your dog is generally respectful and polite, and it is calmly resting in its bed, but your children decide to climb into the bed and forcefully cuddle with the dog, then your dog’s “growling” might be simply its grumpiness from being disturbed from its sleep. This grumpiness varies from actual growling in that it is rarely followed by a bite (although a snap or grabbing without breaking skin may happen).
Finally, a growling dog can be a dog who is genuinely enjoying its life and is releasing its emotions. If you are playing tug with your dog, and it growls as it thrashes or pulls, this sound has nothing to do with the desire to drive you away or to bite you. Quite conversely, in this case, the growling is the most sincere expression of joy and happiness prompted by the physical interaction.
You see where I am leading, right? These growls may all sound the same, but they all express different emotions. Therefore, the correct answer to “do you correct or not correct a growl” is: it depends.
If your dog is an entitled brat that is resource-guarding something (including yourself from your loved ones), then the answer is “Oh yes. And while you are at it, take a close look at how much this dog is allowed to get away with in your house.”
If your dog is bothered by someone disturbing its sleep and is simply grumpy, then a “Hey, stop it!” to the dog and “Leave the dog alone!” to the kids would suffice.
If your dog is enjoying the game and is growling in the process, then encourage the heck out of it. Let the dog feel the world, and let it express this happiness as loudly as it wants to. Your relationship would only benefit from this emotional relief.
Stop overcomplicating signals that your dog sends you. I am absolutely certain you intuitively knew all of that long before reading the post, but likely became confused after reading something seemingly profound but, frankly, quite stupid about how dogs should not be corrected for growling because next time they will bite with no warning. That tale is from the same repertoire as “black tongue means aggressive dog” and “if the tail wags, the dog is friendly” play.
Trust your feelings. Watch and listen to what your dog is showing. Address bad things as they arise; encourage good things so that they last. That is it.