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Growling, curiously enough, is not always a sign of bad temper or aggression. It’s a form of communication. Keep in mind that dogs don’t have a whole lot of options for communicating with us. Typically they start with subtle body language (which we humans are really bad at picking up on), and if that isn't heeded, then they progress to a growl. If they're still not being "listened to", then they feel like they need to escalate to get their point across. Often, you get a range of body language signals, then growl, snarl, snap, bite. A human analogy might be: avoiding eye contact or crossing your arms over your chest, glaring at someone, saying "hey, knock it off!", then pushing them off of you, then hitting them to get them to stop.
Many people get freaked out when a dog growls at them, but in my experience, having a dog who growls is much more desirable than one who doesn't. If a dog doesn't growl to warn you of their anxiety, then they often go from subtle to biting. I like to have as much warning as possible. Yes, a growl tells you that you have something to work on, but it's not the end of the world - it's the beginning of a new one.
A dog might also growl when he is playing and over excited. He might growl when he is relaxed and you are scratching his chest or ears – it’s a sort of series of grunts of happiness which end up sounding like a growl.
It is therefore important to realise why your puppy is growling. Is he playing? Is he happy? Is he overtired? Is he not happy about something that you’re doing?
If your puppy growls, it is very important not to make the problem any worse. So do not punish the puppy for growling and don’t panic. The first problem is that punishing a growling dog, teaches the dog not to growl at the person who gives out the punishment. Dogs however are very poor at generalising commands or rules. This kind of training by punishment may not necessarily teach the dog not to growl at someone he is not afraid of. A small child for example. Nor will it necessarily teach the dog not to growl when he is eating in a different location - out on a walk or at a friends house for example.
Secondly if the owner succeeds in teaching the dog not to growl at anyone at all, this can present another more dangerous problem. Growling is a warning. Healthy, well socialised dogs will always growl, usually for some considerable time, before they bite. This gives the ‘potential victim’ a chance to withdraw. Even quite small children will usually recognise the genuine warning growl of a puppy and back off. There may be times in the most good natured dog’s life when he is about to bite. Dogs that have been severely injured, are extremely frightened or are in a lot of pain will sometimes bite. This applies to all dogs, no matter how good their temperament. If you teach your dog never to growl without removing the source of his fear and anxiety, then there is a very real risk that he may, one day, bite someone with no warning.
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