What is the difference between a play growl and an aggressive growl?
Lula Stokes
2025-07-20 05:05:22
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: 8
Growling during play doesn’t mean your dog is aggressive. It simply means they’re having a great time. These types of growls simply indicate happiness. Unlike play and talk growls, you can think of these growls as stress growls. They tell you your dog is uncomfortable. How can you tell the difference between happy growls and stress growls? Look at body language. For instance, if your dog is giving you a submissive grin or play bows, then it’s likely any growling is just fine. If your dog seems stiff and is staring with a hard expression, that growl is serious. When you know a dog well, sometimes the tone of the growl can help too. A loud, higher-pitched growl might tell you something different from a soft, lower-pitched one.
Rick Gutkowski
2025-07-20 04:16:24
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: 15
Dogs do growl while playing, but there are two ways to tell different growls apart. An aggressive growl will be accompanied by snarling and snapping, while a playful growl is just a sound, accompanied by relaxed body movements (no tension). Rough-housing is normal and healthy for dogs, whether they’re growling at each other, lunging, wrestling or even biting- it’s all part of how they play. Sometimes though, the lines are blurred when it comes to distinguishing between what is friendly and what is fighting. The Growl: Dogs do growl while playing, but there are two ways to tell different growls apart.