04/12/2022
Dogs don’t speak our language but that doesn't mean they can't communicate with us. They communicate by their body language, with their barks, and of course, through growling.
When a dog growls (and I don't mean while playing) they are telling you they are upset about the situation they're in and want it to end. The only appropriate human response to this is to give the dog space from whatever is causing the discomfort that elicited this response from them.
When we punish the growl, we're essentially taking the warning away. And that won't take the discomfort away next time, it will simply stop a dog from warning that they may snap or bite. Dogs very rarely, if ever, "bite out of the blue" or "bite without warning". Humans just fail to realize the warning signs or suppress the warning signs through punishment.
