an interesting article re nervous aggression.

I would never correct a growl, I see it as a safety net, the dog is saying he is uncomfortable and is telling you to stop what you are doing.

As an example Pip our pup is playing with Diesel, Diesel decides he has had enough and takes himself off to the sofa, Pip wont quit and starts biting Diesels feet, he growls at her and I remove Pip from the situation. If I corrected Diesel he could just go straight for a snap and that could be lethal for Pip. There is always a reason for a growl and you need to know what that is before trying to work through it.
 
I've read some or all of it before and essentially agree with treating the growling as a warning.

Like one of the responders to the article, I do not believe (ALL) "Aggressive acts are simply reactions to a fearful stimulus" some dogs are genuinely aggressive for one reason or another.

I do not also agree with never correcting an aggressive act. Some dogs do need correction, but it depends on the dog and the reason for the aggression.

If a dog growls at a human over objects//food and it is ignored and or/babied, the dog will learn that if he or she growls then happy days, they can get and keep whatever they want. That one needs to be dealt with quite carefully and does not require therapy, it requires a cool head and logic.
 
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Haven't read the article (will do tonight when more time) but I would never correct a growl. The growl is the dogs warning signal; take away the growl and you risk a dog going straight for the bite.....and that would be something that you had TRAINED it to do.
 
my old dog died couple of months ago...
had fear aggresstion, he grolwed if you just looked at him, with food toys and his bed... couldnt touch him either.. i lernt to ignore him. sometimes he would snap.. i got bite a few times,.. he was like that from 7 months old till he passed away at 12 yrs old..
 
I've found with my dog that if he growls I usually either distract him by asking him to sit or another command or I totally ignore him. It depends on the situation and I have come to recognise which approach is needed. (with a lot of success I might add)
He had obviously been "scruffed" for it previously and was very nervous of being touched in that area. He is much more confident now.
He has never shown food aggression and always waits for the command "OK" before eating and I can tell him to "leave" when he is eating and he does so.
Like others have said it really depends on the dog and the situation imo.
 
Truly aggressive dogs usually dispense with warnings and just go straight in and bite. I don't tolerate growling and I insist that my dogs respect all humans and they do; that's not negotiable.
Why do they always show Shepherds in these articles? My vet reckons the worst dogs for handling/biting are Border Collies.
Good job this isn't an obedience forum-I'd get lynched;)
 
My theory on why the Border collies are sometimes a...interesting to handle in a vet surgery is that they are smart enough to figure out the connection between handling injections etc.. that they do not like really quickly and they lay blame and get defensive over it.I can see where they are coming from!well that and the amount of poorly socialised farm dogs that can be extremely nervous.
The worst "land sharks" imo are still chihuahuas though..I am so glad they aren't as popular here as in the usa!
 
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