Should I be worried?

[lulu]

 I am a little worried about Dasher's behavior. When playing with my other dogs, he barks and growls at them a lot. not all the time, but a lot of the time. I have had someone make the comment, is he going to be mean when he grows up? he can sound pretty ferocious (sp?) and shows his teeth. i have read somewhere that barking and growling in a young puppy (Dasher is almostt 11 wks) shouldnt be considered a sign of aggression, but that it just means they havent learned to play appropriately yet. is that true? should i be worried over this behavior? will he grow out of it as he gets older and learns how to play appropriately with other dogs? its worth mentioning that he doesnt bark or growl at any other time other than when hes playing with other dogs. hes very sweet and cuddly, i can take his toys or bones or food away from him with no problems. any advice or opinions would really be appreciated. thanks, Leah

[schelmischekitty]

since he is still a puppy, i wouldn't worry about it too much.  i would make sure though, just like ANY pup, to socialize him very well.  puppies are still exploring and seeing what they can or can't get by with, and you should remember that when they're in their litter they do bark and growl a lot at each other!  it's normal, they're just trying to play. not doing it is just something they learn from good socialization and being around other dogs, obedience classes are GREAT for this, because on first level classes most are puppies and usually nobody will make mean comments.  even my akita (who weighs 135lbs) still does this when he gets too exited.  just keep an eye out for signs that it is turning into aggression, and keep being a great momma!

[kathryn]

My three all do this and they are range in age from 3yo to nearly 1yo.  They really only do this with each other and not with other dogs.  I definitely second the heavy socialization. 

[sc.trojans]

Growling, by definition isn't a problem on its own. It is just vocalization in many cases.  I have one girl who growls non-stop through play.  The key to knowing if it is a problem is to observe the other dogs involved - THEY know if he isn't being appropriate and if they are playing as usual and paying no mind, then they recognize this is only vocalization during play and not a problem.  Dogs would not play with an aggressive growler who was communicating something inappropriate.

My other girl growls at us when she is excited and wants our attention when we first come home - she goes into long drawn out growls while wiggling her whole body and wagging her tail.  This is another example of just vocalization. Some dogs don't have the whimper talking voice and use growling in all communications .

Growling is aggressive when accompanied by other behaviors and a motivation to cause harm.  In many other instances, it is the only voice dogs have to communicate things and is perfectly appropriate:  "stop that"; "don't come any closer"; "leave me alone" are all good examples of reasonable communication.

Behaviors to be more concerned about are the truly aggressive signals and these are always non-vocal:  fixated eyes or the "whale eye", position of tail and ears, body "stand over" stance; hackles raised and most importantly, positioning of the lips - forward vs. backward indicates everything. Also, a well socialized dog who does not become a bully will never approach a new dog abruptly head-on.  Polite canine ettiquette says dogs approach from the side, or at least turn their heads/shoulders so that the approach is from the side. If you have a dog that tries to go straight nose-to-nose to a strange dog....don't allow it and start training.

[Binky]

Two of my dogs always growl when they're playing.  McDougal, especially.  He is seven and has never been aggressive.  Also, they only growl at each other-never when they're playing with dogs not in our household.  I can tell when it's a play growl and when someone is giving a  warning.  Like sc.trojans said, you can pick up on the non verbal cues and the tone and tell what's going on.  It sounds to me like the pup is just playing.

[lulu]

Thanks for all the replies. i have never had a young puppy with adult dogs before, so its all kind of new to me  i think probably some of his growling is playing, and other times i think he does growl as a warning. the other dogs since they are bigger will sometimes overwhelm him and he will try to get away from them and growl. i try to always make sure he can get away from them if he wants to.
thanks again,
Leah