Bark vs Growl

[codmaster]

I was thinking about my dog last night and I realized that I have heard him growl only VERY rarely! He is a male GSD 5+ yo and has had a history of a little DA toward certain aggressive male dogs and sometimes has reacted very suspiciously toward a very few individuals. He is usually very friendly to both dogs and people.

My question is this - has anyone seen much information between a dog growling or a dog barking at something? I.E. is there much of a difference identified in what the doggy language means?

About the only time that I have heard my guy do much if any growling was during a session with a pro trainer when we were attempting to teach him that he had to be able to co-exist with another male GSD in our small social group. A very impressive series of ferocious sounding growls came out of him when he was made to down!

Only other growls I have ever heard from him have been one or two maybe mixed in with barking at something he might consider a threat (hard to tell if these were really growls however).

Just interested in what a growl vs a bark might mean in doggy language?

Now I do realize that there are a variety of different barks that dogs (mine too) will do - from the excited "Whoof" = I want to go out!" to the staccato deep Big Boy bark that is a warning to those targeted by it (i.e. the one toward the ScH helper).

[Zeeva]

IMO a threatening growl comes deep from within the pup. I can't really describe it but Smokey growls playfully ALL the time. I'll try to record this for you today. I've only ever heard a threatening growl from him a couple times when I tried to take away his bone and believe me I felt the difference. I also think you can sort of distinguish a growl by the situation the pup is in. For example, Smokey playfully growls as a complaint when I ask him to do something. But he means business if a dog gets too close or I or Zeeva try to take away his bone. Hope that makes sense? Maybe when I can get a video for it, it'll make more sense c:

[Blanketback]

From what I've seen, dogs have variety in their growls just as they do in their barks. They growl when they play, but growling can also be a precursor to a bite. Dr. Ian Dunbar (who I would consider an expert) puts the growl at a 'Level 1' on his Bite Assessment Scale - where the bite hasn't actually happened yet - it's basically just intimidation, along with snarling, lunging, air snapping.

A very low pitched growl, I take in doggie language to mean, "C'mon. Make my day" lol. It's a warning but you have to ask for the bite. Then the nasally growl, which is more panicy and fearful, is more of a promise that you'll get bitten. This is what I've observed anyway.

[llombardo]

I have seen mine growl then go into a bark on occasion. Sometimes its a bark then a growl, but most of the time just a bark.

[Jag]

Originally Posted by blanketback

from what i've seen, dogs have variety in their growls just as they do in their barks. They growl when they play, but growling can also be a precursor to a bite. Dr. Ian dunbar (who i would consider an expert) puts the growl at a 'level 1' on his bite assessment scale - where the bite hasn't actually happened yet - it's basically just intimidation, along with snarling, lunging, air snapping.

a very low pitched growl, i take in doggie language to mean, "c'mon. Make my day" lol. it's a warning but you have to ask for the bite. Then the nasally growl, which is more panicy and fearful, is more of a promise that you'll get bitten. This is what i've observed anyway.

lol!! :d