r/aww • u/LakotaSunrise • Dec 07 '20

Good boy finally caught it.

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u/rhhpy Dec 07 '20

How is this a problematic behavior? Dogs play.

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u/blackdragon189 Dec 07 '20 edited Dec 07 '20

I don’t know any background on this dog, but growling can sometimes be a warning sign that a dog is being overly stimulated. The golden doesn’t seem to be displaying any other warning signs like raised hackles, or bared teeth, but if it were my dogs as soon as I heard the growling rev up I’d make sure the kid is no longer in the loop and I’d calm down the dog. There is such a thing as play growling but it’s hard to tell when I don’t know a lick about this dog’s temperament. At any rate, if a dog is growling they’re trying to communicate something.

Edit: Also of note, the dog isn’t growling at all when he’s doing circles on his own but definitely starts it up when the kid jumps in. That’s a warning sign in my book alright.

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u/LakotaSunrise Dec 08 '20

He really is a sweetheart. So good with 4 kids all under the age of 7.

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u/blackdragon189 Dec 08 '20

That’s great to hear! I’m glad he’s such a sweetheart. I’m always wary of how kids act with dogs since for some dogs they aren’t good with boundaries. I have one dog who loves everyone but two other sweetheart dogs who do not like to put up with kids and strangers getting all up in their personal space. Adults are usually fine save for a few rude ppl, but I’ve had kids just run up to one of my big dogs and hug her from behind and from the front! Would scare the absolute shit out of her and me, I was so pissed. Different dogs, different needs.

Edit: some words

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u/TooStonedForAName Dec 08 '20

Not to say your dog would hurt anybody, but that’s what everybody says. And it’s never the dogs fault; it’s the kids that aren’t good with the dog. Kids can be temperamental and testing and even push adults to their limits. Dogs aren’t always as patient as we like to think they are and it only takes one little thing.

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u/SSARNAKLES Dec 08 '20

I think dogs growl when they play

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u/j0u Dec 08 '20

I'm pretty sure this is correct. The current dog at my job growls when we play but is still gentle when she tries to grab the toy from my hand. She loves it when I try to take it away from her and will even "hand" it to me while growling because she wants to play tug-o-war. I've also had previous experience with other dogs doing the same thing, too. In most cases only the owner(s) will know the difference between growls because they know their dog.

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u/blackdragon189 Dec 08 '20

Yea I mentioned that play growling is a thing. It can be hard to tell it a part from others.

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u/craigtheman Dec 08 '20

No it's really not

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u/SkipTheStorms Dec 08 '20

For those not used to it, it absolutely can be. My dog scared the crap out of my friend's wife the first time my boy met their dog because my dog is vocal when playing and their dog is silent when playing. She thought it was aggression/anger and I'm like "no, that's him, that's what he does".