Growling when playing?

[BugattiAlva]

Hi guys,

Quick question: Why do dogs growl when playing or chasing and is it ok?

My DDB has a playmate who is a rottweiler (male) and he growls when he chases my boy and my boy gets an unsure look and walks away. The growl personally makes me uncomfortable even though his owners say its a playful growl.

Scenario: My boy will get a toy then the rottie will want to take it from him and rams into my boy with a deep growl and my boy will drop the toy and walk off. I want my boy to have playdates, but the growling makes me uncomfortable and I noticed the rottie plays harder when the growling begins and my boy gets hurt (minor cuts).

thanks in advance!

 

[ruthcatrin]

Theres a difference between a play growl and a real growl. A play growl is fine, but if your boy doesn't appear to be ok with it then I ave my doubtsabout it really being a play growl.

 

[bugboy]

Sounds like playing to me. The dogs probably have abetter understanding of each other's behavior / intent than anyone elsewill. I'm sure they'll sort it out.
I had a brand new Lab puppy and we were on it’s firstreal “hunting trip”. We were taking a break and I put a quail on the ground forher to smell and mess with. My brother’s adult Springer came over and decidedthe bird was his and bit my puppy on the muzzle and took the bird. My dog carried that scar for the rest of herlife.
Fast forward about 3 years,,, we were out dove huntingand a rabbit flushed and I shot it. Mydog went to retrieve it and that same Springer was kind of in the area. My Lab charged the Springer, slammed into himand rolled him. She then calmly picked up the rabbit and brought it back tome,,,,,, the shift in dominance had just taken place (and maybe a little “payback”too).

 

[Smokeycat]

Jiggers growls when he plays and like Ruth said there is a distinct difference between that and his real growl. That said if your boy isn't comfortable with it it may not be just a play growl. With Jiggers the ways to tell include the tone of the growl and sometimes it's intensity and how relaxed his body is. If he starts to look rigid I'll stop all play to give him a chance to cool off before he gets too rough. This is what it sounds like the Rottie owner isn't doing IMO.

 

[kbuchanan66]

From my own experience Rottie pups are rougher and louder when playing that Mastiffs. This is my own experience though. If the owner is a true dog person they should be able to tell if it is a play growl of a non-play growl. But like said before the owner should be watching and be prepared to intervene if it is not a play thing.

I think if you are not comfortable and your puppy is uncomfortable than do something about it. Your puppy could be taking your cues and sensing your uneasiness.

 

[Hector]

Scenario: My boy will get a toy then the rottie will want to take it from him and rams into my boy with a deep growl and my boy will drop the toy and walk off. I want my boy to have playdates, but the growling makes me uncomfortable and I noticed the rottie plays harder when the growling begins and my boy gets hurt (minor cuts).

thanks in advance!

My dogs growl a lot when they play, especially the female. She growls like she's being aggressive, but you can tell from her body language she's being playful and you can tell when she guards her toy too. It's a single loud rawr! with the toy in between her paws and head low almost on top of it. The rottie in your situation sounds like he's either being a bully or has some source of toy possessiveness. I can't say for sure though because I don't know how rotties play. My older dog used to pick on my puppy that way, he will attack him out of nowhere because he has his fav toy. If your pup walks away and if the rottie keeps coming at him, then you should remove your dog because he is uncomfortable and can get hurt and end up being traumatized from unpleasant experiences. I'm sure there are plenty other dogs out there that will play nicely.

 

[Hector]

I meant to add that different dogs have different levels of play. Hector plays very rough. He likes it fast paced filled with running, chasing, body bumping, wrestling. With his weight and size, he can never play with smaller dogs. He becomes too overwhelming for them because he doesn't know how to tone it down when need be. He also does not play well with submissive dogs because he overwhelms them too quickly. You know your dog best. You have to find a dog that will match your dog's energy level and style.

 

[cookiedough39]

There should be a very distinct difference in the growl tones and body posture, and even the show of teeth. It does sound like a dominance thing. Carma growls when she plays but there is nothing dominant about it. She just likes hearing herself (goofball). With that said if your puppy isn't comfortable with it, it might be your pups best interest to not do playdates with the rottie. It only takes 1 time for the rottie to feel like he has to "really show" his dominance and hurt your pup. I would also like to add you don't want your pup being constantly dominated, it may hurt his confidence in the long run.

 

[thelady_v2010]

It sounds like maybe he is guarding the toys. Maybe pick up all the toys and see how it goes. The dog my dog plays with does not share toys, thus there are no toys available when they play.

 

[NYDDB]

I agree with a lot of what's been said above: the main thing to watch is your dog's reaction and/or body language. You know your pup, and can see if he is uncomfortable or unsure.

Mateo has a few dogs he wrestles and plays with- 2 of them growl a LOT while playing. But, Mateo is totally fine with it; he knows it's play, and his body language is very relaxed, rolling around with a big "smile" on his face as they chew on his wrinkle folds, LOL. Their relationship is solid; they've known each other for awhile, so they both "get' each other's style of play.

I would be watchful...and also trust your own instincts as well.

 

[neverborn]

Dogs don't have the luxury of laughing or saying words, i figure the growling is their way of expressing themselves. The only time we worry is when her hair stands up. But thats happening a lot more now when she is playing so thats no longer reliable.

 

[BugattiAlva]

Thank you all soooo much for your feedback!
And sorry for the long post!
A little more info:

When Rottie growls he usually has head in neutral position and charging at my dog not necessarily the toy,my dog drops the toy, walks away, Rottie doesn't want the toy, and continues to charge my dog.

Does seem like dominance...

My neighbor is really good at stopping his dog if the growling becomes more. He does tell his dog to stop the charging and strong growl, but then it happens again shortly after. wish I had a video to show!

I have also noticed that if there are no toys in sight, the Rottie will charge at my dog and growl. My dog will hop and gallop in a playful manner, but then shoved into a wall or ground and that equals bloody scratches.

If my dog drops the toy the minute the Rottie growls, is it because he's submissive to him or afraid? Why do dogs charge other dogs (besides rough play)?

It sucks because my neighbors always ask me for a play date, but I think I just have to be honest :/

 

[BugattiAlva]

My dogs growl a lot when they play, especially the female. She growls like she's being aggressive, but you can tell from her body language she's being playful and you can tell when she guards her toy too. It's a single loud rawr! with the toy in between her paws and head low almost on top of it. The rottie in your situation sounds like he's either being a bully or has some source of toy possessiveness. I can't say for sure though because I don't know how rotties play. My older dog used to pick on my puppy that way, he will attack him out of nowhere because he has his fav toy. If your pup walks away and if the rottie keeps coming at him, then you should remove your dog because he is uncomfortable and can get hurt and end up being traumatized from unpleasant experiences. I'm sure there are plenty other dogs out there that will play nicely.

There should be a very distinct difference in the growl tones and body posture, and even the show of teeth. It does sound like a dominance thing. Carma growls when she plays but there is nothing dominant about it. She just likes hearing herself (goofball). With that said if your puppy isn't comfortable with it, it might be your pups best interest to not do playdates with the rottie. It only takes 1 time for the rottie to feel like he has to "really show" his dominance and hurt your pup. I would also like to add you don't want your pup being constantly dominated, it may hurt his confidence in the long run.

You makes a very good point. Not sure I like my pup getting dominated constanty by another male dog. Could def back fire. Considering he's a non neutered male mastiff.

 

[Hector]

Thank you all soooo much for your feedback!
And sorry for the long post!
A little more info:

When Rottie growls he usually has head in neutral position and charging at my dog not necessarily the toy,my dog drops the toy, walks away, Rottie doesn't want the toy, and continues to charge my dog.

Does seem like dominance...

My neighbor is really good at stopping his dog if the growling becomes more. He does tell his dog to stop the charging and strong growl, but then it happens again shortly after. wish I had a video to show!

I have also noticed that if there are no toys in sight, the Rottie will charge at my dog and growl. My dog will hop and gallop in a playful manner, but then shoved into a wall or ground and that equals bloody scratches.

If my dog drops the toy the minute the Rottie growls, is it because he's submissive to him or afraid? Why do dogs charge other dogs (besides rough play)?

It sucks because my neighbors always ask me for a play date, but I think I just have to be honest :/

It is a good thing that the rott's owner stops the dog when he exhibits that behavior, but that does not help your pup because your pup is his trigger to act that way. I would not let your pup play with the rott. He is a bully or he is dog aggressive. When my dogs charge other dogs, they are not being playful. Their intentions are to hurt the other dog or to tell them to back off. Buddy will do this out of the blue. Hector the pup just playing by himself and something in Buddy's head goes off and he gets up and charges Hector until he hits the couch belly up and with a "what the hell" look on his face. Ginger will charge Hector too when she's fed up with his puppy pestering. Their bodies are tense and this happens within seconds and the dog knows damn well who they are aiming for.

Where do you have these play dates? Is this on the rottie's territory?

The pup is young and hell yes it is afraid and goes into submission because it does not want to get beat up.

 

[BugattiAlva]

It is a good thing that the rott's owner stops the dog when he exhibits that behavior, but that does not help your pup because your pup is his trigger to act that way. I would not let your pup play with the rott. He is a bully or he is dog aggressive. When my dogs charge other dogs, they are not being playful. Their intentions are to hurt the other dog or to tell them to back off. Buddy will do this out of the blue. Hector the pup just playing by himself and something in Buddy's head goes off and he gets up and charges Hector until he hits the couch belly up and with a "what the hell" look on his face. Ginger will charge Hector too when she's fed up with his puppy pestering. Their bodies are tense and this happens within seconds and the dog knows damn well who they are aiming for.

Where do you have these play dates? Is this on the rottie's territory?

The pup is young and hell yes it is afraid and goes into submission because it does not want to get beat up.

I can def see the rottie trying to charge to hurt him because everytime my dog gets charged he gets hurt. I didn't really have an issue with the growling until the growling came with charging and my dog getting hurt. The Rottie is not dog aggressive, well he plays well with other dogs at the dog park, until the owners get scared because of the charging and growling (poor guy). The playdates usually take place in my backyard, but the Rottie charges other dogs anywhere. I sometimes think it may just be that hes a rough player. When the Rottie was younger, his owner used to play really rough with him and pin him and sometimes bite the dogs ears. My dog was raised the opposite. My sis and I don't wrestle with him or have any rough play with him. We just play catch, hide and go seek, water games and recently started tug of war. We just wanted to raise him to be gentle..and on top of that he has a small dog around him so we def need him to be a gentle giant. I think my solution will be to toughen up and let my neighbors know their dogs energy is not a match with my guy and I needa find mild energy dogs for playdates.

 

[Duetsche_Doggen]

Mason growls and barks when he plays especially with me. He still has that "puppy" tone so it doesn't bother most people. Stone however sounds more "masculine" so it frightens people more but its still play. If that's what you mean? Neither of my dogs were/are aggressive when playing.

 

[thelady_v2010]

If your dog is getting hurt and does not seem to be comfortable, I would stop the playing. He is not learning anything good by it.

 

[musicdeb]

Titan growls and barks when he plays. Sometimes it sounds like he's going to kill the other dog/person/me but he's playing. I know it's playing by his look and body movements. When Titan means business, his hair is raised, he licks his lips and his tail will wag with short, quick wags. That's my cue when we're walking and he doesn't like someone.

 

[Smokeycat]

I can def see the rottie trying to charge to hurt him because everytime my dog gets charged he gets hurt. I didn't really have an issue with the growling until the growling came with charging and my dog getting hurt. The Rottie is not dog aggressive, well he plays well with other dogs at the dog park, until the owners get scared because of the charging and growling (poor guy). The playdates usually take place in my backyard, but the Rottie charges other dogs anywhere. I sometimes think it may just be that hes a rough player. When the Rottie was younger, his owner used to play really rough with him and pin him and sometimes bite the dogs ears. My dog was raised the opposite. My sis and I don't wrestle with him or have any rough play with him. We just play catch, hide and go seek, water games and recently started tug of war. We just wanted to raise him to be gentle..and on top of that he has a small dog around him so we def need him to be a gentle giant. I think my solution will be to toughen up and let my neighbors know their dogs energy is not a match with my guy and I needa find mild energy dogs for playdates.

It does sound like the energy levels and play styles of these two dogs don't mesh well. Jiggers is a lot like the Rottie that you are describing. Part of his problem is that he doesn't naturally have an off switch. When around dogs other than Kryten he gets so excited that he is unable to stop playing despite being tired. The more wound up Jiggers gets the rougher his playing gets and when he is unable to get the other dog to do what he wants he can get nippy. Thankfully Kryten is more than a match for him even though he isn't nearly as high strung.

 

[2nd Chance]

I have owned rotties for decades, and i am a multi dog owner generally. Usually at least 2.
I currently have a rottie x bordeaux. And she sounds like hell in a fur coat honey! And it is pure play.
I find it so funny, she does it on hand signal.
she likes being laughed at, so will do it more. It is funny. and it is play.
Her I am pissed, and want to kill snarl, is awesome. I have only heard it once in 2yrs. A burglar in the back garden. The 'different' noise, woke my entire family, with 'what the hell was THAT?" jesus holy crap. menacing or what?


and yes, it is playful. The more boisterous the play, the louder her growl. But you stop playing and she'll come nudging for more! she's loving it. She does not have an aggressive bone in her. She's been in dog attacks, and circles and arches, lick lips, yawns, and soothes others, does not join in fight. That her big bro has it covered also helps.
Takes knowledge of dog body signals to understand the intent of the growl.
works a treat no my mother in law who doesnt understand lol